“We had been looking for a long time” – SuperBee Talks Buzz Behind B Corp Certification
As part of the B Corp movement, PAPER & PAGE is committed to transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. In the 🌏 B Corp Spotlight 🔦 series, we talk to other Certified B Corporations that are changing the rules of the game here in Southeast Asia.
This time, we spoke to Antoinette Jackson, Founder and Creative Director of SuperBee, a one-stop shop for eco-goods that make it possible for each one of us to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Jackson explains why she chose B Corp certification and how it’s benefited her social enterprise.
P&P: What motivated you to explore B Corp certification?
Antoinette Jackson: We had been looking for a long time — more than five years — for a certification that could show our social and environmental impact, but most of the certifications we found were not eligible for companies in Thailand. It was a great relief to find that B Corp was inclusive.
P&P: What internal changes did your company make to become certified?
AJ: As with many small businesses, we just started the business and kept going. We were so busy in action that we didn’t have time to document as we went. We are a small company, so everybody knows, really, what to do and what the mission is. We’re a very closely connected team of people. But at the same time, the certification process really pushed us to record in more detail what the company was doing and to calculate a real impact, and the result was surprisingly positive.
I think the internal changes we have made are to continue the reporting and updating of documents and operation manuals, write clear job descriptions, track the percentage of donations we give to foundations and groups, define our HR policy, and define many things so it is clear to everybody and creates more autonomy.
P&P: How has B Corp benefited your company?
AJ: It was a great opportunity to document everything, record all of our processes and work and things that were undocumented in my mind for many years, and arrange them in our filing system for the future. It helped us to create better structure and transparency for all of our team about many things.
Also, we felt really happy to have this certification, because often we were asked by overseas customers if we have some kind of certification for being a social enterprise and now we can share the B Corp certification. We can put it on our website. We are a great advocate and believer in the certification because the application process is so thorough. To have executed all of these detailed summaries about our business and what we are doing was a huge benefit for us to see on paper — that we are working together with underserved suppliers and that our carbon footprint is very low.
SuperBee’s wax wraps offer a sustainable, non-plastic alternative to cling wrap. Source: SuperBee Wax Wraps Facebook Page
P&P: How has the certification affected employee recruitment?
AJ: I don’t think we have seen any change in this part yet but all of our team are aware of our mission and our responsibility socially and environmentally in any case, and I think it is a great factor as to why a lot of our team works long term with us.
P&P: Has it changed the way you approach clients or consider vendors?
AJ: It makes the process easier to show the B Corp certification. I feel like it’s a globally known and respected certification so it definitely makes it very easy for us to show what we’re doing.
P&P: Do you have any recommendations for other businesses looking to explore this certification?
AJ: I would recommend this certification because maybe you have not thought of certain structures that you need in your business or certain parts of your supply chain that need investigating. You’ll need to create sustainability-focused supplier agreements and write different contracts and documentation that make everything transparent to ensure that you are making a positive environmental and social impact through your business.
It also gives you a really good insight and can inspire you to be even more positively impactful through the B Corp community, which you meet and connect with. This is a very exciting aspect of the certification — that you are now in touch and in communication with other like-minded businesses who choose to honor the environment and social justice.
Natural kitchen loofahs are made in collaboration with the One Sky Foundation. Source: SuperBee Wax Wraps Facebook Page
If you’re a B Corp operating in Southeast Asia, our readers want to know! Reach out to us via hello@paperandpage.com if you’re interested in being featured in our B Corp Spotlight series, so other businesses can learn how you’re changing the rules of the game.
