##  [20 Years of rTraction, 5 Years of B Corp Status](/blog/20-years-rtraction-5-years-b-corp-status) 

 <a id="main-content" tabindex="-1"></a> Friday, June 11, 2021 

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**](https://bcorporation.net/about-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.

![](/sites/default/files/b-corp-community-logo-cloud.jpg)

## **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.

![](/sites/default/files/%234%2BB%2BCorp%2B-%2B5%2Bkey%2Bareas.png)

## **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**](https://bimpactassessment.net/) 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**](https://bcorporation.net/directory/rtraction-canada-inc) and see what policies we’ve implemented for B Corp status.

![](/sites/default/files/%233%2BBCorpNetZero2030_0.png)

## **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](https://www.rtraction.com/blog/20-years-of-rtraction-5-years-of-b-corp-status/(https://www.bcorpclimatecollective.org/net-zero-2030)) 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](https://www.rtraction.com/blog/20-years-of-rtraction-5-years-of-b-corp-status/here%20(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**](https://natcapsolutions.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/businesscasereports.pdf) that shows companies actively trying to address social and environmental issues also retain customers and employees better and generate higher returns long term.

![](/sites/default/files/%235%2BB%2BLab_mountain_0.jpeg)

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.