B Corp Certification Was a No-Brainer for These Canadian Agencies

Accountability; it’s an important thing for any business to have. Whether you’re a retailer, a financial institution, or an advertising agency, taking responsibility for your actions isn’t just about building public trust or good optics – although those are benefits – but actively answering to employees, customers and community in a transparent and frank fashion.

Undoubtedly, the world could use a little bit more of this. In a time when fear of consequence causes far too many to shrink into the shadows, yet issues from climate change, to inequality, to exploitation persist, the consistent pursuit of this transparency would go a really, really long way. So, no matter what industry you work in, if you’re a business leader, it may behoove you to look at accountability done right.

A great example of this can be seen in the companies who seek B Corp certification. While it’s far from the only path to responsible practice, measuring a company’s entire social and environmental impact with rigorous, international standards can really differentiate a business that’s willing to walk the walk from one that only talks the talk.

Here in Canada, specifically within the ad industry, there are two agencies which really come to mind when talking about the subject: Public Inc., and LG2. Firm believers in the cause alike, this decision to seek certification is something that for both, truly and apparently aligns with their respective sets of values.

“We were an early entrant into the purpose/impact space (2008), so when we learned about B Corp, it just felt like a no-brainer,” explains Phil Haid, Public’s CEO. “Our whole business is focused on helping companies be a greater force for good, so getting certified and joining this movement of changemakers just felt right. Honestly, we weren’t looking to get a lot out of it. We believed in it and felt joining this network was enough of a benefit.”

Building on this, LG2’s senior director, impact and communications, Kate Gouron, says that for an agency with the motto of ‘Create Progress’, walking this path was not a difficult decision. “We wanted to join the movement because we want to help our clients transition to more sustainable business models. Our motto solidified our desire to help the most progressive brands unlock their full potential, foster a culture where all can find purpose and fulfillment, and lead by example in the pursuit of sustainable growth. If we want to lead the way, we must first lead by example."

So, on a practical level, just what does “leading by example” look like? For the senior director and her agency, being held externally and publicly accountable for their commitment to integrating ESG practices, all with the requirement of recertification every three years, is just this. The consistent pressure to seek improvement and live up to the B Corp name – the ‘B’ in B Corp stands for ‘benefit’, for everyone – blazes a trail that LG2’s partners and even other agencies could one day choose to walk as well.

‘One day’, however, is the operative phrase. Within Canada, there really are very few B Corp creative agencies – a fact which may be surprising from an outward perspective, but according to Phil, actually makes a tonne of sense.

“I think there are two opposing factors driving the reluctance,” he notes. “On one side, you have the hardcore believers who are critical that B Corp has allowed companies to join that don’t walk the walk. They feel the compliance with the certification is not stringent enough. Dr. Bronner’s’ criticism of B Corp and its decision to not renew is a case in point. Meanwhile, on the other hand, you have the majority of companies that see the certification as too high a bar to meet and aren’t motivated enough to try because they don’t believe the benefits outweigh the pain of joining and maintaining the standard.”

Echoing this, Kate agrees that the intimidating nature of the B Impact assessment questionnaire at a first glance can be a real turn off for businesses, due to just how thorough it is. Coupled with the fact that there’s still the possibility of not getting certified at all, despite the investment of time and effort, and she understands why some people don’t bite, although, she affirms, it’s absolutely worth it… provided people are in it for the right reasons.

“If an agency is just looking for the ‘cred’ to pitch more business, then I don’t think they will see the value,” she continues. “There just isn’t enough traction (yet) to be a business driver, and I think this is the wrong reason to join the movement. So authenticity is key.”

Looking to LG2’s experience, she emphasises that the biggest differentiator was that the independent didn’t actually approach the process with the goal of obtaining the certification, but rather, the understanding that this commitment would still benefit the organisation, regardless of the outcome.

“For us, the process, the questions, and the possibility to have a clear and actionable plan afterwards was as, if not more, valuable,” she explains. “However, through the process, we realised that we didn’t ‘change’ who we are to become B Corp. We formalised and documented our practices, but everything was already in place. Our culture and values were a perfect match with those of B Corp.”

It’s a similar story for Public. While the certification does have the benefit of guiding the shop’s goals in a macro sense, the fact that the team already believed in values which aligned with the certification – courtesy of the agency’s code – means that, for Phil, they’d still be doing things exactly the same way regardless of how things turned out.

“We believe in the movement and what B Corp stands for, which is why we are happy and proud to be certified,” he says. However, the CEO also agrees with Kate, acknowledging that in its current state, it doesn’t necessarily offer the business benefit it could. “It needs to work on doing so to grow the movement,” he adds. “The amount of marketing B Lab puts into growing the value of the certification (in the eyes of the market) doesn’t cut it.”

Yet, even with all that said, Phil believes that there’s true merit to pursuing this process. Looking at how this certification has impacted Public’s relationship with stakeholders, he finds that it has absolutely guided and affected the agency for the better. “The B Corp certification is an external validation that we are walking the walk. And that has a lot of value in the relationships we build.”

Back at LG2, the future is also looking bright. Reflecting on what’s to come, Kate asserts that with the certification in hand, this is only the beginning of an exciting new chapter. “Getting B Corp Certified was never the end goal, and we have a very clear view of areas where we do well and areas where we need to improve,” she finishes. “It just solidifies our commitment to continuous improvement and guides our action plan for the coming years to have an even greater impact and more positive influence.”