Why Yorkshire businesses should not be afraid of standing up for social values

Consumers and employees want businesses to stand up for social and environmental issues and make a positive difference in the world, an expert in B Corp certifications has said.

Fiona Ras-Jones, founder of Make Impact, hosted a launch event for Yorkshire B Local, a collaborative network, in Leeds earlier this month.

Speaking at the event, Ms Ras-Jones urged businesses not to be afraid of standing up for social and environmental issues.

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She said: “It’s natural for there to be a fear of standing up for what you believe in. However, I feel it’s what people want to see in their employers, it’s what people want to see in the companies that they buy from.

Force for good: Fiona Ras-Jones, the founder of Make Impact, has urged businesses not to be afraid of standing up for social and environmental issues.Force for good: Fiona Ras-Jones, the founder of Make Impact, has urged businesses not to be afraid of standing up for social and environmental issues.
Force for good: Fiona Ras-Jones, the founder of Make Impact, has urged businesses not to be afraid of standing up for social and environmental issues.

“Around 80 per cent of people want to see companies making a positive difference in the world. If you’re not on the right side of that going forward – there’s much more risk in not acting than there is in acting.”

The event brought together experts in the certification process, B Corp businesses from the region and like-minded companies looking to have a positive impact on their team, the community, the environment and their customers.

Currently, there are only six businesses that are certified B Corps in Yorkshire out of around 600 across the UK.

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Ms Ras-Jones said: “That’s part of why we are here. We want to see that change because I think there are a lot of businesses in Yorkshire that really want to do the right thing, want to make a difference and it’s very strange that we’ve only got six in Yorkshire.

Force for good: Fiona Ras-Jones, the founder of Make Impact, has urged businesses not to be afraid of standing up for social and environmental issues.Force for good: Fiona Ras-Jones, the founder of Make Impact, has urged businesses not to be afraid of standing up for social and environmental issues.
Force for good: Fiona Ras-Jones, the founder of Make Impact, has urged businesses not to be afraid of standing up for social and environmental issues.

“Compared to the rest of the country we are really lagging behind but let’s change it.”

One of the businesses that has been certified is Huddersfield-based Dark Woods Coffee. The coffee roaster thinks it’s “vital” that businesses look beyond just profit and loss.

Ian Agnew, director at Dark Woods Coffee, told The Yorkshire Post: “It’s really important that businesses recognise that to have a future you’ve got to think beyond just profit and loss.

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“Even if you take it from a purely commercial point of view, the more sustainable you are, the more you engage with the environment, with people, you’ll become a more successful business. It’s proven that that’s how it works.”

By becoming a B Corp, it helps the business make decisions that are based on criteria beyond just profit, Mr Agnew says.

He added: “It helps you attract good people to work for you, it helps you attract the right kind of customers. It helps you to look and make sure you’re not damaging the people and the planet around you with the decisions that you make as a business.”

Harrogate Spring Water is also another B Corp in the region. The North Yorkshire bottled mineral water firm said it was important for it to be “paving the way for businesses as a force for good”.

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HR manager Fiona Warrington says the business will be working with other firms that are also B Corps and have the same values. She added: “As a collective group of B Corps we can only be a force for good.”

Ms Ras-Jones believes B Corp is more than just a certification but it’s also a “community and a movement”.

She added: “If you are going to attract and retain the right talent, if you’re thinking about attracting customers – these people want to see people doing the right thing. That is what it is all about.”

The number of B Corps is expected to grow to around 1,000 by August and 1,500 by the end of the year.

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“More and more businesses are understanding the business case for wanting to do good,” Ms Ras-Jones said.

A guide through the process

Fiona Ras-Jones launched Hebden Bridge-based Make Impact, an agency that helps firms do more social good, in 2020.

Ms Ras-Jones is trained to help companies through the B Corp certification process.

One of the biggest challenges in the first instance is “getting everyone in the company on board”, the founder of Make Impact says.

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Becoming a certified B Corp business allows firms to benchmark themselves and track their progress.

It gives a score on the following five areas – governance, workers, community, environment and customers.

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James Mitchinson