DEPT® Becomes First Global Agency to Recertify as B Corp

At a time when organizations are scaling back on sustainability and DEI, DEPT® is staying the course. The marketing and tech services company has officially recertified as a B Corp, becoming the first global agency to achieve this milestone. Proving that rapid growth and responsible business can go hand in hand.

Since earning its first B Corp certification in 2021, DEPT® has grown from 1,200 people in Europe to over 4,000 across five continents. But while the company has expanded its reach (and its recertification includes each DEPT® location), it has also deepened its commitment to balancing profit with purpose. In 2024 more than 10% of its revenue came from impact projects like Undo the Firewall, and Easy Genomics, and worked for clients such as Daniel’s Music Foundation, ReflexAI, Ocean Spray, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and eBay – proving that business success and doing good don’t have to be at odds. 

“B Corp is more than just a badge of honour,” said Dimi Albers, global CEO at DEPT®. “At a time when companies and governments are backing away from ESG commitments, staying B Corp certified helps us remain accountable and transparent in our operations and stay true to our values. It proves that we’re not just talking about sustainability and impact. We’re galvanizing it into the DNA of how we operate, who we hire, and the work we deliver for our clients.”

DEPT® first certified in 2021, following an internal movement from a small group of employees who challenged leadership to embrace this objective and make it a fundamental part of how the agency operates as a business. “For us, it felt like a logical step as it gave us one big, hairy, audacious goal that combined all the great initiatives that we already had going across the business,” said Dimi. “As we were still in the time of the pandemic, it also gave us a great thing to rally around while not (all regularly) being in office.”

In the last three years, DEPT® has expanded into the Americas and APAC, grown from 1,200 people to over 4,000, acquired more than 10 companies, and launched some of the most pioneering work in digital. “This means that growth for us had to balance profit with purpose,” said Dimi. “Our recertification includes each of DEPT®’s global locations and cultivated shared values across our team.” 

“We believe growth and impact go hand in hand,” he added. “We understand that the importance of sustainability and impact will only grow and be key to building a resilient business for the future. Having that belief and committing to it is the starting point.

“We also feel it  is not a question of compromises, but rather tradeoffs in the short term – almost always, a decision that incorporates sustainability and DEI principles will be better for the business in the long term. For example, we have to understand how we contribute to climate change AND how climate change impacts us as a business – it allows us to do our part to reduce our emissions, but also determine if any of our offices could be flooded or in the path of a wildfire.”

From reducing its carbon footprint to embedding DEI at every level of the business, DEPT® has focused on making impact scalable. The company has rolled out initiatives like living wage policies, sustainable procurement standards, and employee assistance programs across all of its offices. 

Alongside the initial B Corp Certification in 2021, DEPT® developed an impact strategy and goals associated with each pillar of that strategy. “We’re proud of our successes across each pillar of our strategy, and those that were inspired by our recertification,” said Dimi.

The global CEO went on to highlight some of the tangible wins in this area:

- 10%+ of revenue from impact projects in 2024 – steadily increasing from the initial 8-9% in earlier years 

- Steady increase of gender representation in key areas of the team (especially leadership/managers) 

- Better data collection and reporting 

- Three global employee resource groups focused on the employee experience of people from marginalized backgrounds 

- 1% for good commitment (donating 1% of profit each year through pro bono work and direct monetary donations) 

- 2.8% of profit donated in 2023 

- DEPT® Cares Month – an annual moment of volunteering and community giving – was big in 2023 and even bigger in 2024 

- Reducing emissions intensity per FTE and per revenue 

- Workplace environmental strategy in place to improve the sustainability and accessibility associated with each office 

- Implementing a policy to ensure we pay at/above the living wage across the company 

- Building out a sustainable procurement system, so that the agency gives preference to green, local, and minority-owned suppliers but also survey strategic suppliers yearly to help them improve their impact 

- Achieving ISO 270001 Certification and working towards best-in-class Information Security procedures 

- Enhancing supportive and creative employee benefits (e.g. caregiver leave, EAPs, etc.) – particularly, ensuring benefits were expanded to countries/teams that might not have had prior access

As corporate ESG commitments face increasing scrutiny, agencies face more activist activity, and regulations like the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) raise the bar for accountability, DEPT®’s B Corp recertification ensures it is well-prepared to meet new requirements and continue leading by example. 

“The B Corp framework challenges us to keep pushing forward—to be better, more transparent, and more impactful,” said Pooja Dindigal, global head of impact at DEPT®. “It’s both a north star and a catalyst for change, helping us navigate the complexities of growth while creating a more sustainable and equitable world. We are committed to this never-ending journey and excited about the positive impact we can achieve together and with our clients.”

So why hasn’t another global agency managed to become recertified as a B Corp? Dimi considered: “I think there are two main factors. Firstly, it is hard work. You can’t just say you want to (re)certify, you have to do a tonne of work, make changes where needed, and implement processes and policies that take time and often cost money. To achieve this you need to commit, prioritise and deliver. Secondly, we first achieved our B Corp Certification as a smaller team – it meant that we were able to embed sustainability and impact principles into our organisation as we grew rather than try to retrofit them into an already massive organisation.”