Annika Wohlert: "It should be normal to be B Corp certified."

What would happen if all companies pursued a sustainable or social purpose in addition to their profitability? What needs to change for this vision of the future? And which companies are already on the path together? Share B Corp has been certified for several years and since last year we have even been one of the "Best for the World" in the "Community" category. We spoke to the community manager of the organization behind this award: Annika Wohlert from B Corp.

Hello Annika, what is B Corp and what do you do?

B Corp is a name for the companies that we at B Lab have measured and certified against the standards we have defined. But it also describes a global movement of companies, individuals, organizations and people who believe that we need to shape the economy differently and that a change away from classic capitalism is possible. We believe that a company, like a person in the family, is not only active for its own benefit, but also distributes what it earns.

A B Corporation is a company that tries to benefit all people and stakeholders, the environment and the people around it, and not just make money. Instead, it does something that is good for people, for communities, for employees, for itself and also for the environment. And it also makes money from it. That is the stakeholder governance approach simply explained.

What is the difference between a B Corp seal and the many others?

The biggest difference is that we always look at the whole company. Unlike a Fairtrade or organic seal, we don't just look at one product or one area. We look at how the company is structured, how it treats its employees, how the supply chain is involved and what is returned to the site. Everything we encounter along the value chain is part of the B Corp seal.

We are also a movement. There is a higher mission and a network. We bring the B Corps together and we strive for system change together. We want to show the world that a company that gives something back and operates in a balanced way can also make a profit.

In my role, I primarily look after the German community. We exchange ideas regularly, meet once a month for calls, give each other updates, inspire and support each other.

In March we had a big joint campaign: B Corp Month . Here we told the whole world what we do differently and why B Corps go beyond the norm. The motto is: We Go Beyond!

It is clear that the companies in our community do not just see this seal as a marketing or branding advantage, but also stand behind the higher mission. They want to work with us to inspire other companies to make a difference.

What is B Lab and how does it relate to it?

B Lab is a global network of non-profit organizations that started 17 years ago and wanted to prove that things had to be done differently. B Lab's role in the movement is to develop the standards.

We offer various tools. The best known is probably the Business Impact Assessment - a type of questionnaire, an open access tool that any company worldwide can use free of charge and which asks about the practices a company uses. If you do well here, you can get certification.

Then we have various programs where we support companies to come together and tools like the SDG Action Manager.

B Lab is the heart of all B Cooperations, which are the drivers of the movement - the already certified companies that get recertified every three years and have all embarked on a mission - like Patagonia, who were the first to join in and have now been recertified for 17 years in a row.

What is behind the movement and what is the goal? How do you want to achieve it?

B Lab's goal is to create an economic system in which companies make decisions that create good for everyone and everything around them. Our vision is that we want to get all companies worldwide to take this into account. To achieve this, we are taking different paths. We want to completely change the system. We want there to be a form of entrepreneurship in which this must be firmly anchored.

On the one hand, this is done through certification, because all B Corps must have already included this in their statutes. On the other hand, it is done by raising awareness among end consumers and the general public so that there is demand. But also in the direction of investors, by proving that B Corp companies are more stable and sustainable. Corona was a good example here, because we had fewer losses in the community than many other companies.

What criteria must companies meet and how are they verified?

To become a B Corp, companies must complete the B Impact Assessment. There are around 200 questions. You must achieve at least 80 of these 200 points. There are five areas: management structure, employees, consumers, community and environment. Then you have to change your charter - this is called Mission Lock, it is the commitment to the future and is usually the last step. Everything has to be presented transparently, documents have to be made available, analysts may come unannounced and ask questions. For large companies, such a process can take around 7-8 years. During the process, new areas often emerge that are not yet so sustainable and some companies have to restructure and document everything again.

Re-certification is required every three years and the B Impact Assessment becomes more demanding every year. Can you tell us more about this?

Recertification every three years is a rule for all companies that want to remain B Corp and, as a result, improve. There is no perfect company - it's always going further and getting better. These standards are adjusted every three to four years. We are now on the sixth edition and there will be a seventh at the beginning of next year. If you want to know more about the evolution of our standards, you can find out more in this video or our announcement .

How many B Corps are there?

There are 6,400 B Corps worldwide, over 1,000 in Europe, the UK alone has another 1,000 and in Germany we now have 72. What counts here is the location, the headquarters and where the certification was carried out.

What does it mean to be certified as a B Corp company?

Many companies use it as a differentiating feature from others. Basically, it is an external assessment that gives credibility, something that confirms and that you like to adorn yourself with. That is also what the logo is for and many like to use it in their communication. It can of course also be meaningful for investors. It is now also an advantage when it comes to finding young, new employees.

The community is also highly valued – for example, there are now many B Corps in the beauty industry, all of which have now joined together to form the B Beauty Coalition, cooperate and work on overarching issues.

You speak of a rigorous testing procedure for exemplary conduct. How, for example, does a company like Danone Waters, which has been so heavily criticized, manage to get certified?

We don't just give the certificate to companies that are perfect. The evaluation system isn't perfect either - minimum standards will be added soon. So it could be that Danone, for example, wasn't so good in some areas, but made up for it extremely well in others. In Germany they are certified as a group, including their subgroups such as Alpro, Milupa, etc.

We don't want to set the standards so high that only pioneers can excel. But what you also have to see is that Danone has also changed its statutes, restructured a lot of things and will have to be measured against the new standards next year. And they can hardly afford not to get recertified. There is controversy, but also change - both are really important and good. It's similar with Nespresso - there is so much attention on these companies and therefore on our movement. They can also be a big magnet for other companies. In order to create systemic change, it is important to get the big players involved too. If society looks at this critically, that's exactly right, I think.

What needs to happen to ensure that no more companies are founded that are purely profit and growth-oriented?

I think it takes mass pressure and consumer demand. For that to happen, people need to know what B Corp means. So the more companies that are involved and the more options customers have, the greater the pressure on others to change. Being certified as a B Corp should no longer be a nice-to-have, but normal.

Can B Corp really drive change? How or where do you notice this?

I would say that this happens when companies come together, talk to politicians and start setting their own standards, as is now happening with the B Beauty Coalition. There are now over 200 companies. The same thing is currently happening in the fashion sector. There is a momentum where sub-communities are forming based on size and mass that can really make a difference.

Was there a key event that always motivated you to continue working towards your goals?

There are only three of us working full-time in Germany. When I talk about all our big plans - talking to politicians, raising consumer awareness, etc. - it's wonderful to see how the community supports me. Recently we had a two-day workshop with people from the community where we looked at how we can communicate better. That gives me a lot of hope and motivation.

Ideally, we would like to have a team of 20 people to do all this work and to focus much more on communication.

The best thing about my job is meeting the people behind the names. I am always struck by the great solidarity and willingness to help each other. People take time for a good cause. No one in this community has signed a contract for this collaboration, and yet everyone takes responsibility and moves in the same direction.

How do you imagine a fairer economic world of the future?

My dream is that there is no more egoism. It would be nice if people no longer worked against each other so much and their goals were no longer so closely linked to making money, but instead they strived for something that brings about something they themselves want. On the one hand, that can be a good thing, but it can also be fun to make the world a little more beautiful. It would be nice if people strived more for their own ideals again. Entrepreneurs should not just start a business for the sake of starting a business, but have a passion and earn money on the side.

What are you striving for?

I get a lot of energy from bringing people together and telling stories. I also really like getting people excited and creating beautiful moments. I believe that everyone has these instincts within them and we should all look for them more within ourselves in order to connect our values, our activities and our tasks with them. If everyone did this, it would change the entire business world.