As B Corp numbers soar to new heights, so too does public awareness of what it means to be and buy from a B. To further understand just how widespread this awareness is, we, along with our global peers, have recently set out to study public perceptions of B Corp, certifications in general and their impact on consumer behaviour.
Insights illustrate an exciting lift in B Corp awareness among Aussies and Kiwis, with awareness peaking with the millennial cohort. This speaks to the movement’s growing potential to influence young consumers and support the next generation of business leaders.
From 2023 to 2024, awareness of B Corp has lifted from 18% to 21% in Australia and from 15% to 22% in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The numbers back up what we’ve felt to be true—more and more folks are familiar with the B Corp movement, largely thanks to our community’s unwavering dedication to getting our mission out there.
So, how are consumers seeking out B Corp products, how does B Corp awareness translate to action at the check-out, and what more can we do as a community to expand our reach even further?
Brand awareness on a global stage
Drawing insights from research conducted in 2023, B Lab Global recently released a benchmark report exploring awareness of the B Corp brand, generational patterns, regional trends, and consumer behaviour.
For the regional segment of this 2023 research, we teamed up with digital insights platform Cint and local strategic insights consultancy and B Corp, Nature, to survey 2000 Aussie and New Zealander adults across multiple generations.
With the intention of closely monitoring local awareness, B Lab Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand (AANZ) conducted a further study in 2024, again in partnership with Nature, based on representative sample surveys of over 1000 people in each country.
Revealing a series of enlightening stats, these reports help us create a blueprint for future growth and learn from our global peers. Let’s explore some highlights.
There’s strength in numbers
Findings show that generally, the more B Corps there are in a country, the more B Corp awareness there is in the community. Interestingly, a region having more large B Corps didn’t make as much of a difference to brand awareness as the total number of Bs. This demonstrates the power all B Corps play in amplifying our mission and is a testament to the work of small and medium enterprises that have been key to establishing the movement.
Certifications and sustainability are increasingly important in decision-making
B Corps have long attested that the encircled ‘B’ represents a valuable, at-a-glance mark of consumer trust and is an attractive draw-card for talented, values-driven team members. The stats paint a similar picture, with most consumers globally (56%) stating that certifications help them make purchasing or employment decisions.
At home, between 2023 and 2024, the part certifications play in purchasing and employment decision-making has increased in Australia (55% to 67%) and remained steady in New Zealand (54% to 57%).
One thing that remains consistent is demand for greater governance and leadership accountability. The majority of Australians (85%) and New Zealanders (81%) believe businesses should consider people and the planet in decision-making.
“It’s encouraging to see that Australians and Kiwis continue to expect more from businesses and leadership. We want businesses to be accountable for their impact on the environment and our communities. Now, we need to see this expectation translate to action and wider adoption of impact-driven practices within our region’s industries.”
— Andrew Davies, CEO, B Lab Australia & Aotearoa New Zealand
Product labels and websites ideal B Corp logo locations
It’s clear that consumers and workers are increasingly keeping their eyes peeled for that encircled ‘B’. But where exactly are they looking? Company websites appear to be the primary place people seek out impact information but product labels are also an important piece of real estate, with this being where the largest percentage of respondents reported seeing the logo.
Bolstering understanding of what it means to buy B
There is much to be chuffed about here, but we’re not about to rest on our laurels (or increasingly recognisable logo). In the spirit of continuous improvement, we’re interested in what we could do even better.
Amongst Australians, we’ve seen a decline in public perception that B Corps meet high social and environmental standards, are required to recertify every three years, and are encouraged to improve their impact.
Similarly, we notice that New Zealander’s trust or perceived rigour of environmental certificates in general has declined and that there has also been a slight decline in B Corp influence on purchases in New Zealand.
This tells us there is a gap between what B Corps do and what the public thinks B Corps do. Using our growing awareness as a launch pad, we have the exciting opportunity to engage Aussies and Kiwis in deeper conversations to bolster understanding of what it really means to be and buy from a B.
Your role in amplifying awareness
As individuals and businesses, we all have a role to play in building awareness and knowledge of B Corp. Here are a few practical tips.
Seeking out certification or impact information is a step that requires us as a society to make an intentional shift in how we shop. As individuals, we can help normalise looking for this information during the purchase process by chatting with friends and family about how to identify B Corp businesses and what the Certification means. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to proudly sing the praises of the B Corps you support.
B Corps can Use the B Corp logo on product tags and proudly feature your impact story on your website. From here, consider how you can display the logo across other channels, including presentations, signage, advertising, email signatures, collateral and more.
Get involved in community campaigns. Participating in community activations and telling your B Corp story (whether you are a B Corp or an aspiring B) are authentic ways to bring consumers and industry along for the ride. B Corp Month is a great time to start, or if you’re newly certified/recertified, contact community@bcorporation.com.au to feature on the blog.
Rally your team! Normalise open discussions about your organisation’s commitment to B Corp standards company-wide and embed our free, on-demand ‘Behind the B’ training into your induction program. Large or small, your team belongs to a cohort of 790,000+ individuals working for B Corps worldwide. Their passion for championing our shared vision at work and home is a significant part of our movement’s history and future.
It’s clear that B Corps, big or small, play a significant role in building brand awareness, and with our community expanding at lightning speed, the potential reach of our collective voice is exciting, to say the least.
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