Turning B Corp into a cultural shift

In the wake of COP30 and a growing body of standards, creative businesses face mounting pressure – and opportunity – to embed purpose in everything they do.

But certification alone isn’t the point. As standards evolve, so must culture, governance, and business models. That logo is everywhere now and with 10,000+ certified ‘Benefit Corporations’ worldwide, and thousands more using tools from B Lab (the body that created and awards B corp certification), the movement is reaching scale.

The B Corp badge isn’t a magic wand: as it spreads, the tension between scale and integrity grows.

And the creative sector is catching up fast: though the industry B Corps I spoke to* have all been certified for less than seven years, certification now spans more than 100 industries in the UK and creatives are increasingly taking part.

Motivation is both ethical and strategic, with B Corp cited as a way to formalise values and join a like-minded community – while attracting talent and clients. As James Joice, MD of agency Fold7 says, “We want to prove that great work and positive impact can (and should) go hand in hand.”

Above: The New 7 Impact Topics – B Lab’s 10-year plan – calls on B Corps to model a better economy through good work, stakeholder governance, and a focus on climate and nature. 

The process is rigorous – more so with B Lab’s new seven Impact Topics. Smaller creative companies in particular flag the time, resources, and data demands as real hurdles, yet see this rigour as a strength. For Tom Tapper, co-founder and CEO of London agency Nice & Serious, “It gives us a framework to question every aspect of our business… As a result, it pushes us forward.”

After ‘winning’ the Shell bid, Havas reportedly lost US$100 million, its B Corp status, and a chunk of its team.

The B Corp badge isn’t a magic wand: as it spreads, the tension between scale and integrity grows, and some see it as just marketing – yet B corp consultant Holly Arnold explains how ambition, ethics and discipline can make it genuinely work for creative businesses.

Why B Corp matters now

The risks are real – reputational, regulatory and relational. Creative businesses face pressure from clients, talent and the public to act with integrity. According to a recent Clean Creatives report, fossil fuel clients make up less than 1% of marketing spend – yet cause major financial and reputational damage. After “winning” the Shell bid, Havas reportedly lost $100 million, its B Corp status, and a chunk of its team.

Meanwhile, markets in renewables, health and circular design are booming. The B Corp framework offers a tangible pathway to demonstrate leadership, embed accountability, build resilience, attract talent and win clients (benefits echoed by all those I spoke to).

Raising the bar in practice 

The New B Corp Standards, launched in April 2025, mark a major shift – from flexible scoring to mandatory impact requirements across seven core impact areas. Large B Corps like Nespresso will need to re-evaluate entire value chains for human rights, climate and biodiversity risks, while smaller firms will must move beyond measurement to meaningful action. For the industry, this means drawing clear ethical lines (like Nice & Serious’s Moral Compass and Creatives for Climate’s Ethical Agency criteria), embracing responsible marketing and rejecting work that fuels harm or misinformation.

We didn’t want to just talk about doing things better; we wanted a framework to prove it. B Corp gave us that.

At its best, B Corp offers a roadmap for integrity, helping creative businesses grow by doing good — as part of the solution, not the problem.

Arnold concludes, “The truth is, the future is ours to create but creatives must lead with ethics, ambition and authenticity”.

Above: Following a backlash from taking on the Shell account in 2023, Havas warned investors that working with fossil fuel clients carries serious reputational risks. 

To bring it closer to home, I spoke with Sam Narr, Founder and CEO of UK agency Kibbo Kift, and Stitch Richardson, MD and EP at Spindle, about what the B Corp journey meant for them.

Why did you choose to undergo the B Corp certification journey? 

SN: We’ve always been sceptical of certification standards, especially in advertising and PR, where it’s too often used for greenwashing. But with ESG on its knees given the geopolitical climate, it felt like time to act.

We’ve been lucky enough to manage public relations for Clean Creatives, and we have a strict client screening process in which we only work with clients that advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals. When B Corp took meaningful action over the Havas x Shell case, that’s when we decided to begin certification.

You think you’re “doing good” until you start digging into governance, supply chains, transparency etc. and realise how far you’ve got to go.

SR: For us it really started during lockdown. As my partner Greg watched his wife run the amazing breast cancer charity littlelifts, it made us stop and ask: what good are we actually doing? We were proud of our work and collaborators, but our business practices – like much of the industry’s – didn’t truly reflect our personal values. That was the catalyst.

We didn’t want to just talk about doing things better; we wanted a framework to prove it. B Corp gave us that; a way to challenge ourselves, measure our impact, and build something more sustainable for the long term.

What were your hardest lessons learned – and what do you wish someone had told you at the start?

SN: The process is long, communication through the platform can be tricky, and it’s costly for a small business like ours. We didn’t need to change how we operate – our model was already responsible by design – but it did push us to formalise our principles into tangible internal and external policies. I wish I’d known just how procedural it would be.

SR: It’s not a quick win. You think you’re “doing good” until you start digging into governance, supply chains, transparency etc. and realise how far you’ve got to go. The toughest bit was balancing those ideals with the reality of production: tight budgets, tighter timelines, and clients who aren’t always aligned with your values.

I wish someone had said, start small and keep going. You don’t need it all figured out –- progress beats perfection!

Above : Recent work for Shelter produced by B-Corp company Spindle.

How has this journey changed your perspective and relationships with stakeholders? 

SN: We’re proud of our certification, but equally conscious of its flaws. Despite running an ethical business, we only just scraped through, while some extractive companies can still pass with flying colours. That says a lot about the scoring system.

My concern is that B Corp’s rising standards risk pricing out the very small businesses driving real change. 

SR: It’s changed how we define success. We got into this industry for the creativity and the craft, but we now ask: what’s the purpose? It got us to think long-term: how we treat people, produce responsibly, and the kind of company we want to be in ten years.

It’s also made our relationships with clients more open. We’re upfront about what we can achieve sustainably and where we’re still learning. That honesty goes a long way.