This B Corp Month, we’re shouting loud and clear— #ThisWayForward! It’s about showing the world how we move forward together, answering the call of continuous improvement with conviction, and constantly challenging ourselves to do, and be, better.
Recertification, a milestone Certified B Corporations embark on every three years, is a chance to further formalise this progress by updating your B Impact Score to reflect recent changes and initiatives. This month, we chatted with four newly recertified B Corps, Mia Swainson Consulting, Aspen Medical, Simplygreen and Sahaja Yoga Mats, to celebrate their achievements and learn about the strides they’ve made since their last certification.
Image: Sahaja Yoga Mats
Leading by example with Mia Swainson Consulting
Mia Swainson is the founder of this eponymous boutique firm, which specialises in coaching leaders who are driven to leverage their influence for positive social, environmental, and community change.
With a keen eye for impact, the Australian Capital Territory-based firm offers support in strategic planning, navigating change, and fostering effective team dynamics. Their impressive client portfolio includes the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Parks Australia, the ACT Chief Minister, ACT Health, the Australian Council for International Development, and the National Women’s Safety Alliance.
Mia is a passionate environmental activist and speaker. She is the President of the Canberra Environment Centre and author of the book ‘Happy Planet Living’.
“Recertification helped me to orient volunteer commitments towards climate change, my area of passion”
— Mia Swainson Consulting
Image: Mia Swainson Consulting
Over the years, this B Corp has evolved from a one-woman operation to a thriving team of three. Together, they are committed to dedicating at least 10% of their office hours to pro bono or ‘low bono’ (significantly discounted) work, a testament to their belief in giving back to the community.
Certified since 2020, Mia Swainson Consulting hopes to be an example of responsible business in the services sector, demonstrating that you don’t have to sell ‘goods’ to do good.
“[In recertifying, we wanted to] show clients and the world that being environmentally and socially ethical is possible for every type of business – including businesses in the services sector.”
— Mia Swainson Consulting
Feeling good and doing good with Aspen Medical
The team at Aspen Medical specialises in thinking outside the box to create innovative solutions to large-scale, systematic medical problems. They focus their energies on ‘remote and under-resourced’ projects where their support is needed most.
Aspen Medical was established in 2003, and since then, they have worked on a diverse range of projects, from helping reduce surgery wait times to recommending COVID safety interventions for public events.
The Aspen Medical team’s headquarters can be found in the Australian Capital Territory, but their client base and impact have global reach. First certifying in 2016, this was Aspen Medical’s second recertification.
“One of the big changes [we’ve made] is [in] how we gather accurate data which then allows us to measure our carbon usage and put in place reduction strategies. This has improved our baseline data and has also focused us on Scope [3] reductions.”
— Aspen Medical
Image: Aspen Medical
Recertification not only allowed Aspen Medical to surpass its previous B Impact Score but also provided an opportunity to update its assessment, showcasing strides made in achieving its environmental and employee engagement goals over the past three years.
“In addition, we have implemented a number of people strategies to improve our employee engagement pathways. Such as volunteering days, workplace matching programs, employee shout-outs, middle management professional development and internal opportunities for employees to move between departments.”
— Aspen Medical
Purposeful pay with Simplygreen
Increasingly, we’re all about flexibility and freedom in our work lives. It’s something we’ve talked about on the B Corp Blog recently. We’re looking for the chance to tailor our work arrangements to fit our individual needs whether it’s where we work, when we work, or how we’re compensated – the latter is where our next B Corp comes in.
Based in Victoria, Simplygreen offers “effective, flexible, and eco-friendly” salary packaging solutions. These solutions make it easy for workplaces to offer custom remuneration options, ultimately helping them attract and retain their ideal candidates.
“With a notable period of growth since our last certification, this recertification became a pivotal opportunity to fortify our policies and procedures. Our aim was to cultivate a workplace culture dedicated to fostering happiness, well-being, and sustainability.”
— Simplygreen
Image: Simplygreen
Certified since 2020, Simplygreen partner with 1% For The Planet, is Climate Active Certified and incorporates volunteering into their team activities. In line with their mission “to create a nation of happy, healthy and sustainable workplaces across Australia,” they hope to discover even more ways to go above and beyond to support their clients in the coming years.
“We want to use the ongoing recertification process to hold ourselves accountable and ensure our sustainable salary packaging solutions consistently pass the expectations of our customer base.”
— Simplygreen
Balancing business and impact with Sahaja Yoga Mats
Sahaja Yoga Mats is a social enterprise offering beautifully designed yoga mats that help humanity. For every yoga mat sold, this Queensland-based B Corp donates one solar light to a family who lives without power in Mozambique. They also partner with i=Change and donate a minimum of 2% of profits each year to their charitable partners.
In recertifying, Sahaja Yoga Mats hopes to fly the flag for fellow small businesses, showing that you don’t have to be a large corporation to have big impact.
“[my goal in recertifying is] to be a continuing B Corp to show [that] small business can also be B Corps.”
— Sahaja Yoga Mats
Image: Sahaja Yoga Mats
Sahaja Yoga Mats was founded in 2017 and quickly started its B Corp journey, becoming certified in 2019; showing that contributing to a better economy has been part of its DNA right from the beginning. Looking ahead to its next certification, the team shared that it hopes to collaborate with local businesses to bring new products to life.
In reflecting on their B Corp journey, Sahaja Yoga Mats expressed that it’s not always an easy road but one that’s worth travelling.
“It’s a long process but definitely worthwhile to hold yourself and your business to account and back your own core values. We can all be B Corps no matter how small your business is, even if it’s just you! You can make a difference.”
— Sahaja Yoga Mats
In good order: Words of advice from B’s who have been there
There’s no gatekeeping here in the B Corp community, so in the spirit of collaboration, we picked the brains of these B’s, asking if there are any words of wisdom they’d share with others embarking on the recertification journey.
“Definitely have all your required paperwork to back everything you submit and your back end all up to date to help it be smooth and seamless.”
— Sahaja Yoga Mats
Image: Sahaja Yoga Mats
Their advice was unanimous – keep all those files, policies, and supporting documents in order! It’s something that ‘future you’ will thank you for.
“Keeping good records is important for recertification. It was also a great opportunity to make sure our policies were current and fit for purpose!”
— Mia Swainson Consulting
Simplygreen shared the sentiment of having all one’s ducks (and documents) in a row and planning ahead.
“Plan ahead, keep clear records, and commit to continuous improvement so you aren’t leaving things to the last minute! Streamline the process and turn it into an ongoing opportunity for growth and positive impact rather than just a box-ticking exercise.”
— Simplygreen
Image: Simplygreen
Reflecting on their experience, Aspen Medical added that keeping data in ship-shape condition isn’t just best practice; it also helps keep everyone cool, calm, and collected.
“Within a large organisation such as ours, there are many competing priorities for the data required for certification. . . . It is important that the collection of data is streamlined to ensure duplication is avoided. Duplication leads to frustration and wastes people’s time and energy.”
— Aspen Medical
A big thank you to Mia Swainson Consulting, Aspen Medical, Simplygreen, and Sahaja Yoga Mats for taking the time to share their experience with us. Visit the Blog to hear from more newly recertified B Corps, or explore our Recertification Guide to get started on your recertification journey.
