Originally published at: https://bcorporation.com.au/blog/recertification-reflections-how-four-aussie-b-corps-have-enhanced-their-impact/
For these B Corporations, a lot has changed in the past three years. They’ve been busy welcoming team members, investing in new partnerships, establishing initiatives, adapting to personal life changes, and of course navigating a pandemic. But through the highs and lows, these four B’s should be proud of the way they have not only maintained, but enhanced their positive impact on people, the planet, and their community. What exactly does this look like? Each has taken a completely different approach. So this month we caught up with Sessions Hairdressing, Senversa, Harvey and River Capital to hear more about their road to recertification.
A cut above the rest: Sessions Hairdressing
Sessions Hairdressing is passionate about helping its clientele look good and feel good while doing good too.
This small team has a huge heart. Sessions commit to planting one tree for every booking, and their hair donations have gone on to create wigs for people with cancer or alopecia as well as ‘hair brooms’ used to soak up oil spills in our oceans.
Since their initial certification, Sessions have planted over 5000 trees, have recycled 97% of their salon waste, reduced single-use plastic sold through the salon by 20% using a shampoo refill station, and contributed over 140 volunteer hours as well as $16,000 worth of hair services in partnership with The Gidget Foundation.
Image: Sessions Hairdressing
“Our goal for recertification was to improve our sustainable product offering and review our brand partnerships to truly align with our purpose. We also consistently focus on increasing our contribution in existing areas such as planting trees and volunteering.”
— Sessions Hairdressing
One of the most common reflections we hear from B Corps is that the B Impact Assessment (BIA) is not a mountain one climbs alone. For the Sessions team, the experience was about leaning on their strengths while also seeking external support where needed.
“As a sole small business owner with only three staff and a skillset honed for face-to-face interaction and creativity, I find computers and software such as the B Impact Assessment are not very good at keeping my attention for long periods of time. Being aware of this, I asked my close network of business connections to help me with specific areas of the assessment. This really took the burden off me and allowed me to feel supported.”
— Sessions Hairdressing
Image: Sessions Hairdressing
Director of Sessions, Nicole, shared that her personal experience in becoming a mother has deeply influenced how she envisions the studio’s role in the local community.
“Since we started our volunteering partnership with the Gidget Foundation and since I became a new mum myself in October, I realise the difficulty new mums face when it comes to taking care of themselves while caring for their children. I am focusing on evolving my business model to support mums and their babies by setting up a child-friendly environment with partnered services to aid in the care and relaxation of mums in the salon.”
— Sessions Hairdressing
Eco analysts and advocates: Senversa
Senversa is an environmental, sustainability, and engineering firm that puts natural resources first. Offering a large ecosystem of services, they work with their clients to ensure every project is built on thoughtful foundations.
Launching in 2009 with a small Melbourne team, Senversa was structured around employee ownership from day one. Today they have over 100 team members throughout Australia and are still 100% owned by employees.
Since Senversa’s last certification, the firm has been actively pursuing Climate Active Certification.
“Our main goal in continuing to recertify is to maintain our high standards and demonstrate our leadership in the industry. Our focus this time around was to thoroughly invest in understanding our carbon footprint as a business and to enhance our carbon neutrality status.”
— Senversa
Image: Senversa
Notably, Senversa’s vision statement has nothing directly to do with their clients at all. Their aim is to be “the most satisfying workplace for quality environmental, geosciences and waste management professionals.” Senversa knows that an exceptional culture attracts exceptional talent who produce exceptional results.
“One of our most significant steps was the creation of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) committee. Comprising passionate individuals from various backgrounds within the organisation, this committee focuses on promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within Senversa. Their first act was to join the Diversity Council of Australia (DCA), an organisation that provides valuable guidance on all matters related to diversity and inclusion. Through these efforts, we aim to make our workplace a safe and supportive environment for all staff members.”
— Senversa
Image: Senversa
Senversa also made the move to a super fund that shares in their values. Between now and their next recertification in 2026, they hope to dive even further into their supply chain.
“Recognising the impact of financial decisions, we made a conscious choice to switch our default super fund to Australian Ethical. By aligning our investments with our values, we contribute to a more responsible and sustainable financial system.”
“In the next three years, we aim to audit our supply chain and supplier evaluation process to ensure that we are sourcing from businesses that comply with ESG-compliant practices and legal requirements.”
— Senversa
Call to action consciously: Harvey Marketing Agency
Harvey is a strategic marketing agency helping purpose-driven brands shout their story from the rooftops through branding, online, marketing and customer research services. Their commitment to prioritising like-minded businesses, generously offering exclusive rates for clients contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Image: Harvey
The Harvey team donate 29% of their time to conscious businesses and, since launching in 2019, they have donated an impressive $89,000 to Greening Australia and Beyond Zero Emissions.
Experiencing considerable change and growth since becoming a B Corp, recertification represented an opportunity to revisit the BIA through the lens of their updated operations.
“We first got our certification when we were just one year young as a business. Back then, we were two partners/owners, so we had no staff. Now we have three glorious legends and have changed our strategy to continue to expand the team (we originally set out to operate without staff). Going through the recertification process helped to make sure our team wellness, development and policies were all up to scratch as we grow the team.”
— Harvey
As part of their employment package, Harvey has incorporated:
- Compressed nine-day-fortnight work weeks.
- A working holiday style policy allowing team members to work from anywhere in the world 8 weeks per year.
- On-the-job learning and programs designed to empower staff with opportunities to work on projects they are passionate about.
The Harvey team didn’t know exactly how business developments and growth would impact their individual B Impact Score. In explaining the results, they don’t shy away from sharing both the highs and the lows.
“One big ball we dropped was our donation this year. We committed to donating 5% of revenue, and while we did donate that in the first two years (of this period) we didn’t in FY 22/23. So that meant we lost 20 points – that’s how many points you get if you donate 5% of revenue. We didn’t donate last year because of commercial results [and] our (founders) personal circumstances. (We share more on our blog.)”
— Harvey
Image: Harvey
Harvey’s message to recertifying B Corporations is to accept that no matter how organised you might be, the BIA may still throw you some unexpected curveballs, and that’s ok.
“No matter how organised you are – there are twists and turns, nuances, details and clarifications required. And we’re a fundamentally simple business with no supply chains, physical locations or harmful aspects to our operations – so it’d be way harder for most others.”
“But that’s why we like B Corp. It’s not an easy box-ticking exercise which means organisations that do it and get a decent score (over 100) are probably very committed to business for good. Don’t get me wrong – there are plenty of improvements they could make (and are) that’d make it a more enjoyable and efficient experience.“
— Harvey
Passing it forward: River Capital
River Capital is a boutique investment firm that wants to see its investors succeed, and the community too. Barry and Suzi Carp established the South Yarra-based firm in 1996. Today, whilst their team has expanded, they are still proudly independent, a model they explain ensures the firm is “free from the influence of other financial services groups”.
River Capital is no stranger to recertification. Originally certifying in 2016, they were early adopters of the B Corp movement in Australia. Their commitment to continuous improvement remains unwavering, in fact in this recertification the firm celebrated an increase in their B Impact Score.
Image: River Capital
“It was fantastic to see the improvement in a measurable way through our score, increasing from 80 to 94. We focused mainly on improving areas of governance, primarily through our dealing policies and ESG risk matrices. It is ethical for us to look after our investors’ data and ensure that we maintain high levels of respect for their privacy of information.”
— River Capital
Each year River Capital donate a portion of profits to local not-for-profits. They also commit to passing their knowledge forward by offering students from underrepresented groups the opportunity to bolster their studies with on-the-ground internship experiences.
“Since we first certified, we have extended our intern program with Melbourne University, a program focused on providing First in the Family degree candidates with intern opportunities. In 2024, we are working with a charity called Western Chances to place students from disadvantaged backgrounds within our intern program. Our team help select the local not-for-profit organisations that we contribute a proportion of profits to each year.”
“Additionally, we have also set higher ESG benchmarks since last certifying and see this as an important way to ensure our values align with our actions.”
“Across the next three years we want to increase the number of hours invested by our team in volunteering for not for profit organisations we are connected to. We are committed to finding ways to extend how inclusive our work environment is.”
— River Capital
Image: River Capital
Of course, we couldn’t complete our chat with River Capital without first asking these B Corp community veterans to share some words of wisdom for others embarking on the recertification process.
“We would advise any B Corps looking to recertify to work closely as a team and keep a good record of previous recertification documentation. It is very helpful to stay on track with a timeline for recertification and be consistent with efforts to meet these timelines. Don’t leave it too late!”
“It is also worth mentioning that the B Corp team can be an invaluable resource throughout the process so make sure to reach out to them.”
— River Capital
These four B Corps stand as proof that making an impact doesn’t have to look the same for everyone, and that whether positive actions are incremental or immense, they all propell us forward to a better future.
A big thank you to Sessions Hairdressing, Senversa, Harvey, and River Capital for taking the time to share their experience with us. Visit the Blog to hear from more newly recertified B Corps, or explore our Recertification Guide to get started on your recertification journey.