Why should your agency become a B Corp?

What is B Corp? 

Not across the basics yet? No problem; we wrote a whole article breaking it down here (that’s if you haven’t already asked ChatGPT).

Why should your agency care? 

Procurement is tightening, talent wants values with receipts, and B Corp is fast becoming a trust signal in pitches. (And yes, it’s a community, not a trophy cabinet.)

The UK B Corp community is one of the fastest growing worldwide, with over 2,600 certified B Corps in the UK right now. That’s too big a market share to ignore.

Still not convinced? Here are a few reasons why B Corp has shifted from “nice to have” to “must have”:

1. Your dream clients require it (no seriously)

Big brands, foundations, and even governments increasingly include sustainability criteria in RFPs. If you don’t have certifications or standards, your bid could be filtered out before you even pitch your best ideas.

2. Trust and credibility

How can you help clients avoid greenwashing nightmares — or sell them on the benefits of B Corp certification — if you’re not certified yourself?

3. Attract the best creative talent

Finding top talent in today’s market is brutal. The best people want more than salary — they’re looking for meaning, mission, and clear values. B Corp certification gives your agency that backbone.

And if you’re still on the fence, the ROI of B Corp certification might just tip you over.

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So, you’re convinced. What’s next?

You’ve got three routes:

1. DIY
   Keep it in house. Create a project team with a key champion (this isn’t a one-person job). Expect ~4 hours a week of work if everyone pulls their weight. It’s doable, but overwhelming at times.
2. Consultant
   The white-glove option. A consultant will guide you step by step, but it’s still collaborative (and comes at a higher cost).
3. Hybrid (our fave)
   B Corp isn’t one-and-done, you need to recertify every 3 years. A hybrid model lets you keep some knowledge in house while still getting expert support. With Futureproof, you’ll get step-by-step tasks (as little as 1 hour a week), templates, and a support team to handle tricky bits. We’ve helped brands like Sproud and Born Social navigate this journey successfully.

Before you jump into the step-by-step, see if your brand is ready for B Corp by taking our quick B Corp readiness checker here.

The agency step-by-step

0) Set the team. CEO sponsor + a B Corp Champion (Ops/HR/Finance in the room). Create a single folder for evidence, owners, deadlines.

1) Create your BIA. Go to bimpactassessment.net. Set up your agency profile (locations/entities), pick the right industry, and lock scope.

2) Pre-gather proof. For agencies, pull: pay bands & Living Wage, DEI policy, training logs, wellbeing benefits; pro-bono/time-tracking; supplier code of conduct; sustainable production/shoot policy; travel/remote work policy; carbon baseline (or plan).

3) Complete the BIA (honestly). Add short notes on any assumptions. Aim for real practices, not vibes.

4) <80 points? Sprint. Close quick wins: publish pay bands, formalise bereavement/parental/volunteering leave, adopt LLW (incl. interns), add supplier screening, adopt an environmental policy, minute board oversight. Re-score.

5) ≥80? Submit + pay the submission fee.

6) Book your review call. Use B Lab’s email link.

7) Upload evidence 2+ business days before. Expect 6–15 sampled questions. Typical proofs: payroll exports, anonymised HR reports, policy PDFs, carbon calc, supplier questionnaires, board minutes (governance).

8) Review call (60–90 mins). They’ll adjust scores. Be ready to show how you do it, not just a PDF.

9a) Falls <80? Patch gaps, implement, re-open.
9b) Still ≥80? You’ll get up to 6 more doc requests. Upload promptly.

10) Disclosure questionnaire. Declare sensitive issues (if any).

11) Legal requirement. Use B Lab’s tool, amend Articles to stakeholder governance (board resolution + filing). Publish the commitment on your site.

12) Sign the B Corp Agreement + Declaration of Interdependence.

**13) Pay annual fee (revenue-based), publish your score, plan improvements, and recertify every 3 years. Ship an annual impact report.

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Final word

Good luck on your B Corp journey, whether you’re tackling it solo or recruiting help, we’re excited to see more agencies step into this movement. And if you’d like to see how Futureproof can make the process faster and lighter, book a call with us here.‍