Why I took GingerMay on the B Corp™ journey
It has always been my belief that businesses are responsible for changing their spheres of influence for the better. That means caring for the individuals in their teams. Supporting their community and their industry. Protecting the planet.
I built GingerMay as a PR and integrated comms agency that could achieve this.
The collective social and environmental impact of businesses is remarkable, which is why the global B Corp community emerged to transform the business world. Instead of focusing only on profit, as many companies typically do, B Corps operate with a triple bottom line. This guarantees they are legally committed to prioritising people, planet, and profit.
I am immensely proud to say that as of June 2023, GingerMay joined over 1,500 UK businesses and 6,000 organisations globally as a Certified B Corp.
What does it mean to be a B Corp?
The B Corp application rigorously evaluates how a company performs in five key areas including governance, workers, community, environment, and customers. GingerMay achieved a fantastic score of 86.7 compared to the 50.9 median score of businesses that apply.
Becoming a B Corp verifies that we meet the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility. It demonstrates our support for clients, our people-centric culture, and our progressive approach to business.
To the clients who have established their framework for sustainability and purpose — we share your values. For businesses that are still planting their seeds in this respect, we can help you make a difference. GingerMay donates a proportion of client retainers to charities that look after people and the planet. The B Corp assessment accounts for the positive impact of a business’s supply chain and almost half of companies now expect suppliers to meet specific sustainability standards, emphasising the importance of partners that contribute to upholding your values.
B Corp Certification also means GingerMay is now part of a wider movement that’s gaining momentum across the PR, communications, and media industries. Major publications such as The Guardian and Raconteur, for example, have set out on the B Corp journey to balance purpose and profit as well.
Additionally, our achievement affirms GingerMay’s commitment to ethical practices and empowering our exceptional team to deliver their best. Alongside ongoing professional development, financial support, and wellbeing initiatives, the GingerMay team plays a pivotal role in shaping the agency’s growth and how it approaches its sustainability goals. Being B Corp Certified ensures present and future team members can trust in GingerMay’s dedication to nurturing a people-centric workplace.
How GingerMay is making a difference
From day one, I wanted to ensure GingerMay was an agency where professionals felt valued and could thrive on their own terms. My definition of business success has never been maximising profit at the expense of those contributing to it, rather finding a sustainable and responsible way to drive growth while giving back.
GingerMay supports the community by organising team volunteering days at local farms, participating in fundraisers such as sponsored runs, and providing pro bono services for charities. We empower team members with tailored professional coaching, true flexibility, and formally trained Mental Health First Aiders. We aim to better the PR and integrated comms sector through more inclusive recruitment and training practices, as well as offering a paid internship programme to ensure talent from all walks of life has the opportunity to enter the industry.
As GingerMay has gone from strength to strength, I am thrilled that the agency’s ethos has been recognised as genuinely sustainable and reflective of the B Corp philosophy.
What’s on the horizon?
The importance of ensuring ethical and purposeful business practices is continuing to grow. Not only will more organisations adopt this perspective, but the standards themselves will also rise.
That is why I’m determined to continually improve GingerMay’s sustainable initiatives. B Corp Certification is a huge achievement, but it is not a static goal. B Corps must undertake the impact assessment every three years to demonstrate their progress.
I took GingerMay on the B Corp journey to learn. To discover how to further the agency’s approach to being a more equitable, sustainable, and responsible business. The next three years will see those learnings be put into action, supporting a global shift that encourages businesses to consider social, financial, and environmental impact as equally important.