Certified B Corporations are a new kind of business committed to balancing purpose and profit. B Corps consider their impact and make decisions based on communities, consumers, employees and the environment. Being B Corp certified means a commitment to rigorous standards and practices.

Five years ago, rTraction joined the B Corp movement through the certification process with B Lab. We strongly believe this process is important to commit to our values, our purpose and our community. Joining the B Corp family has allowed us to connect with digital communities sharing the same values and vision. 

In honour of rTraction's approaching 20th anniversary, we thought we would highlight some things you might not know about B Corps.

1. The first generation of B Corporations were certified in 2007

When rTraction first found out about the movement, we wanted to get on board right away. rTraction started seriously working toward B Corp status in 2011.

2. You may already interact with B Corps in your daily life

There are currently over 3,500 Certified B Corporations in more than 70 countries, with 250 in Canada. Some notable Canadian B Corp companies include Business Development Bank of Canada, Danone Canada, Beau’s Brewery, Libro Credit Union, and Diva International Inc. More companies are joining the B Corp movement all the time and pledging to inclusion, sustainability, equity, and diversity. 

3. Every B Corp Undergoes an Assessment to evaluate and Manage their Social and Environmental Impact

Before becoming certified, a company must complete the B Impact Assessment by B Lab to evaluate and manage their social and environmental impact. This assessment is divided into five key areas of business – governance, workers, customers, community and environment. Access to the B Impact Assessment is free and confidential. You or your team can take the assessment if you're interested in seeing how your company measures up.

4. B Impact Assessment Scores are Available Online

For transparency, all Certified B Corps share their B Impact Assessment overall scores and category scores publicly on bcorporation.net. You can look at rTraction's scores and see what policies we’ve implemented for B Corp status.

5. B Corps have pledged to work on becoming carbon neutral, addressing our global climate crisis.

rTraction, alongside over 900 B Corps, have publicly committed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to Net Zero status by 2030. B Corps are also localizing the UN sustainability goals. You can read about the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that rTraction and other B Corps have agreed to work toward here (https://sdgs.un.org/goals). While these are large-scale global challenges, small businesses can make changes and collaborate with other organizations to create collective, effective change. 

6. Becoming a B Corp can make your business more successful.

There is ample research that shows companies actively trying to address social and environmental issues also retain customers and employees better and generate higher returns long term. 

We have learned so much from the B Corp community in our five years of B Corp status and plan to keep collaborating and learning to improve rTraction. We will continue to create work that has a positive impact on our clients and community.