B Corp certification widens the path to continuous improvement

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B Corp certification widens the path to continuous improvement

19 Jul 2023

Mari Rydings

Mari Rydings is a versatile content creator, editor and marketer with experience developing dynamic, results-driven materials for B2B and B2C audiences. As the editorial director for Avant Food Media, she leads the day-to-day editorial operations for the company’s print and digital magazines, newsletters and social media platforms. Outside of work, she loves reading, hiking, putting together jigsaw puzzles and spending time with her husband and their twin daughters.

NEW YORK — Mention the word “innovation” in a room full of bakers, and chances are the ensuing conversations will center on product development, the latest equipment or ingredient technology, and speed to market … it’s almost always production-focused.

Yet, with people paying closer attention to how companies show up in their local communities and the world — namely with their efforts to affect environmental, social and economic change — the scope of innovation is expanding beyond the production floor to include every corner of the business.

Research has indicated that consumers, especially millennials and Gen Zers, are willing to spend more money with purpose-driven companies. In fact, a survey conducted by consultancy Cubist Martini in partnership with the creative agency McKinney, revealed that 65% of Gen Zers say they will pay an average of 48% more for products from a purpose-driven brand.

While most companies have developed purpose-driven operations, it may no longer be enough to talk the talk. Increasingly, companies are expected to walk the walk and balance profit with purpose.

One way to achieve this is with B Corp certification through B Lab, the third-party, nonprofit governing body. Having B Corp status is a tangible way for companies to demonstrate a long-term commitment of environmental sustainability and social change to their stakeholders, including consumers and employees.

B Corp certification requires companies to holistically self-assess and actively engage in continued improvement across every area of their organization.

The process begins by completing the B Impact Assessment, a free digital tool composed of nearly 300 questions that evaluate performance in five pillars of impact: workers, customers, governance, environment and community.

The handful of bakeries that have achieved Certified B Corp status are setting the standard as forces for good in their communities. They’re also raising the bar on accountability — internally and externally — and redefining innovation in the industry.

New York City-based Partake Foods, an allergy-friendly brand of cookies and baking mixes, earned B Corp status in January. It was a big undertaking for a small company just starting to gain momentum in the marketplace.

“Partake Foods is not just setting out to be a pantry staple food company,” said Laura Gross, VP of marketing at Partake. “We want to be a food company that does good. For us, B Corp certification was about making sure that internally we were walking the walk. It was also a way to keep us accountable to the multipronged mission we’ve established.”

Pursuing B Corp certification is a lengthy and rigorous journey. While there are nearly 3,000 B Corps in the US and Canada, a search of the B Lab directory for food manufacturers returns 235 companies. Digging deeper, a search on “bakery” reveals just 12.

B Corp companies typically have full support from the c-suite, including an internal champion who coordinates the effort, a team member with prior B Corp experience and cross-department collaboration. They are also prepared to dedicate a significant amount of time and employee resources to gather data, document practices, and complete and submit the assessment.

For large bakeries, the process can be daunting. For smaller operations like Partake, it’s an even bigger challenge.

“As a growing company, we could have very easily deprioritized these efforts when other things came along,” Gross said. “But if a small business like us can do it while fundraising, scaling and growing in distribution significantly year over year, other companies can do it, too. I’m okay with the fact that the process is so rigorous. If it were easy, everybody would do it.”

This story has been adapted from the 2023 New Products Annual issue of Commercial Baking. Read the full story in the digital edition here.

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