As individuals and as businesses, we are often more powerful than we realise. And yet the seismic and systemic problems we are facing cannot be addressed in isolation. They require something bigger, something more coordinated, something more collaborative and sustained—they require: collective action.
As part of B Lab’s evolving standards for Certification, driving systemic change through collective action is a key pillar of what it means to be a B Corp. This means, as businesses, we’re no longer bystanders in a broken system; we’re architects of a new one.
So how are B Corps acting together to drive scalable impact on issues that matter and how can you get involved in creating a world that better benefits all?
Image: B Lab AANZ
Creating the change that’s needed
Climate change, social inequality, economic instability—these issues are too big for any one organisation to solve alone. They are demanding greater courage and collaboration than ever before. And this is where collective action comes in; it’s systemic change at scale.
From suffrage to civil rights movements, and eradicating polio to taking climate action under the Paris Agreement, working together—across geographical, sector and political divides—is the only way to create the kind of widespread, inclusive and sustainable change that’s needed.
We define collective action as businesses coming together to tackle big challenges that no one can solve alone. It’s about pooling resources, sharing knowledge, and collaborating across industries, locations, and issues to create change that’s bigger, bolder, and built to last.
Collective action is a vehicle to not only increase the depth and breadth of our impact, but to foster innovation, build resilience, and take greater shared responsibility for how we got here. It involves steady relationship building and facing challenges together, pushing each other to find new, adaptive solutions, across industries, regions, and areas of expertise.
Why? Because at its core, collective action is about impact and driving the change that’s needed on a range of issues. True impact isn’t achieved in isolation; it happens when businesses come together, build trust, and find common ground. Collective action is about stepping up—and sometimes stepping back—to collaborate, create solutions, and contribute to something bigger than any one organisation alone.
Learn more about our Impact: B Lab AANZ’s Annual Report 2023/2024 ↗
We are all interdependent
To be part of the B Corp community is to believe in the power of each of us—as individuals, and as a collective. It is to trust in our shared capacity to change systems, improve societies, and transform the economy to one that is equitable, inclusive and regenerative. And it is to know that it’s possible to do business with kindness, transparency and ethics, while still operating profitably.
Yet while so much about the community, and the world, has changed in the almost two decades since the B Corp movement began in 2006, one thing has stayed the same: an unwavering belief in business as a force for good. As B Lab Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand CEO Andrew Davies shared at Assembly 2024:
“[We are] a community that might be small when measured against our whole economy, but one that has the potential to influence far beyond the sum of its parts.”
—Andrew Davies, CEO B Lab Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand (AANZ)
The knowledge that we’re all connected means we can hold space for polarity and find commonality, without having to all do the same thing or have impact look ‘one way’.
Indeed, part of what makes the B Corp movement unique is that it’s made up of businesses of all shapes and sizes, across over 160 industries and more than 100 countries. So why is that so important in today’s increasingly complex and volatile world?
Courage, convergence and community in the B Corp movement ↗
Driving Collective Action forward
How we approach collective action as a movement is guided by our standards, which are at the heart of everything we do. Since 2020, B Lab and our Global Network have embarked on a multi-year, multi-stakeholder project to review the standards and continue driving change that benefits all. One major shift includes a more explicit focus on collective action.
This new Impact Topic—‘Government Affairs & Collective Action’—is designed to deepen our shared efforts and increase the likelihood of widespread change. It means playing a leadership role in fostering shared understanding, solutions, and contributing to the public infrastructure that we all rely on. From contributing to public infrastructure to normalising a transparent approach to company taxes, B Corps are embracing collaborative solutions to both local and global challenges.
From multi-stakeholder collaborations to grassroots advocacy campaigns, working together is how we can bridge the gap between vision and impact. Because we no longer have time for tinkering around the edges, we must get at the root causes of injustice and inequity and tackle them head-on.
Explore the latest draft standards on Collective Action ↗
Collective Action across B Corp movement
Unsurprisingly, B Corps around the world are already leading the charge. Whether it’s rallying businesses to achieve net-zero emissions to championing gender equality, B Corps are coming together to learn, unlearn, and explore meaningful ways to use business as a tool for change. Here are some collective action initiatives from across the B Corp movement to have on your radar:
Climate Action with the B Corp Climate Collective
As the primary emitters of greenhouse gases, businesses are uniquely culpable for the climate emergency and have a critical opportunity to directly address the injustices brought about and exacerbated by climate change. The B Corp Climate Collective is a group of Certified B Corporations and other businesses working with our network of B Lab and Sistema B organisations to address the current climate trajectory through resources and campaigns (see: Climate Justice Playbook for Business and the B Climate Tools Base).
We the Change
This collective of women-led B Corps is working to dismantle systemic barriers, promote sustainable practices, and increase capital flow to women entrepreneurs. Their advocacy aligns business practices with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, demonstrating how gender equality drives broader economic progress.
B Beauty Coalition
With over 80 members globally, the B Beauty Coalition is transforming the beauty industry. Their collaborative efforts are redefining sustainability standards to prioritise soil health, evidence-based innovation, and ethical practices.
Income Disparity with Desafío 10x
Tackling wage inequality, this initiative brings businesses together to voluntarily cap pay gaps at a maximum ratio of 10:1, fostering a fairer economic system and encouraging companies to redistribute the value they generate.
Reconciliation Impact Group
This community of practice is designed to exchange ideas, share learning and spark further action for Reconciliation within the B Corp movement. Together with B Lab and Ngarrimili, several B Corps are working together to explore existing challenges, share learnings and problem solve together, unpacking important topics from procurement strategy to cultural learning in practice.
Five ways to be brave and make change for Reconciliation ↗
How you can get involved
Ready to roll up your sleeves and take action? Here are five ways you can be part of the B Corp movement’s collective action efforts and amplify your impact for a better world:
- Join a Coalition or Working Group
Whether it’s an issue-based working group like the B Corp Climate Collective or a group of businesses in a similar industry like the B Beauty Coalition, plug into a global issue that matters to your business—whether it’s gender equality, wealth redistribution, or sustainability in your sector.
- Get involved with a B Local
These place-based communities bring together B Corps and purpose-driven folks to tackle local challenges. Whether you’re in Melbourne/Naarm or Ōtautahi Christchurch, there’s a B Local near you—and if there isn’t, then maybe it’s time to start one!
- Support B Lab Activations & Events
Think of it as strategic philanthropy. By funding or volunteering for B Lab initiatives like our booth at SXSW Sydney 2024 or getting involved in B Corp Month, you directly contribute to the infrastructure that enables collective action globally.
- Champion the Movement
Use your platforms, networks, and influence to spread the word about collective action and inspire others to join.
- Mentor and Collaborate
Share your knowledge and resources with other businesses to help them improve their impact, or spark up a collaboration with a like-minded B Corp to grow the movement together.
Looking ahead
This isn’t, nor has it ever been, about ticking boxes. It’s about businesses actively taking responsibility for dismantling inequity, regenerating ecosystems, and building economies that benefit all. The more of us there are, the greater our power to reshape industries, influence policies, and tackle the challenges that no one of us can solve alone.
Whether you’ve been part of the B Corp community for years or you’re just dipping your toes in, now is the time to step up. To be louder, braver, and more collaborative than ever before. Because in the end, collective action isn’t just about what we do—it’s about who we become when we work together.
On our own, we might be a B Corp, but together—we are a movement and we are unstoppable.
Learn more about Collective Action in our region or get in touch with our team if you have an idea for something we can work on together↗
