How B Corp has helped us to measure and improve our impact ?
You may have heard the news – Swapfiets is now a B Corp! We are proud to join this movement and are excited to share more about our sustainability journey. But, before we tell you more, some of you maybe be wondering…
… What actually is a B Corp?
B Corp is a global movement of people using business as a force for good and to reshape the global economy. The B Corp community currently consists of more than 400,000 employees working in 5,600 certified B Corps. B Corps values stakeholders equally, and are a new kind of business that balances purpose and profit. To become a B Corp a company must complete a rigorous assessment that breaks down the impact of a company on five pillars: governance, environment, employees, customers and community.Where they must score at least 80 points to become a B Corp and has to re-certify – and improve – every three years. Think of companies such as Patagonia, Too Good to Go and Tony’s Chocolonely who are B Corp certified and use their business as a force for good. We’re happy to join them!
… What B Corp means to us?
We are excited to be part of the movement of B Corps, and we are proud to say that Swapfiets is the first bicycle subscription company to be certified. So, with our certification, we can help accelerate positive change and set an example for the industry. But also, we are keen to learn more from other members of the B Corp Community that share our ideals.
Our journey towards certification has allowed us to deepen our impact and will help us to reach our ambitious goals. The values of B Corp of businesses being a force for good, fit with our mission – to lead the movement to more liveable cities. And the assessment process gave us lots of insight into our business, processes and way of working, which helped us to improve even further. For example, we have changed our articles of association, so that we can ensure that we take the impact of our company on all stakeholders into account.
… What does this mean for our members?
The certification means an extra level of responsibility to our members. Our aim is to be completely transparent and to share the good the bad and the ugly. We are still on the road, and not perfect yet either. If you are interested in learning more about the nitty-gritty of our assessment and scores you can take a look here – at our Swapfiets page on the B Corp site. We want our members to be a proud part of this movement too, and to keep riding with us towards a better future.
But the Ride doesn’t stop here…
At Swapfiets we believe in continuous improvement, so our sustainability journey does not stop here. Our B Corp certification shows we are on the right track, and we are excited to be a part of this movement. But we have lots more in the works. Internally we have set ambitious goals to have a 100% circular product and to be a climate neutral company by 2025. But we also set goals that involve the new community that we have joined. For example, we aim to create an alliance with other B Corps to encourage their employees to take their bikes to work. The more cycling the better! It will help to create a more healthy lifestyle and also bring us closer to creating liveable cities.
If you want to learn more about what is driving us then, watch this space as we will soon be sharing a blog about About our journey with the certification, and where we want to go.