Manchester is now one of the fastest-growing cities for sustainable business in the UK, with 29 Certified B Corporations in the city and the figure expected to double by the end of the year.
This news comes as research by YouGov reveals that 76% of people in the North West favour buying from companies that are doing good1, while 10% of businesses in the region intend to make a legal commitment to people and planet through B Corp Certification.
Certified B Corporations, or B Corps, are companies that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, legal accountability, and transparency. To certify, a company must measure and improve their impact on their workers, customers, community, and the environment. B Corps in Manchester include employee-owned schoolwear manufacturer One+All, the Modern Milkman, Zen Internet and architectural studio Buttress Architects. There are currently over 1,200 B Corps in the UK and 6,400 around the world.
B Lab UK, the non-profit organisation behind the movement, has pinpointed Manchester and the North West of England as a target growth region for 2023 due to the existing momentum in the area.
Annie Olivier, Head of Growth at B Lab UK, commented:
“We’re excited to build on the incredible progress of the B Corp community in Manchester and address the local demands for purposeful business. Manchester has a rich history of leadership and innovation in business, from the Industrial Revolution to the present day advancement in engineering, tech and the low carbon sector. Alongside Manchester B Corps, B Lab UK will be supporting the city’s efforts to build a more equitable and inclusive economy, and to inspire the rest of the country to follow.”
B Lab UK will be working with enterprise partners in the area alongside the existing B Corp community over the next year and beyond, with the aim for Manchester to fulfil its potential as a haven for purposeful B Corp business. Other cities seeing particularly fast growth include Bristol, Edinburgh and Oxford.
Donald Moore, Chair at One+All, commented:
“Becoming a B Corp has validated our credentials and helps drive improvements across the business. But we want to do a lot more. We want to share how we’re helping to mitigate the cost of living crisis with other B Corps; poverty action is a key topic for our next B Local event. We’re proof that it’s possible to be both commercially successful and a force for good. We hope we’ll inspire other businesses across the region to join the B Corp movement.”
This March is B Corp Month, an annual celebration of what it means to be a B Corp. This year’s theme is We Go Beyond and the UK B Corp community will be gathering in Manchester later this month to raise awareness and build understanding about the B Corp Movement. More information about B Corp Month can be found here.
