We are thrilled to announce a significant milestone in our commitment to sustainability and purpose-driven business practices – we are now a Certified B Corporation™ or ‘B Corp’. This achievement is not just a badge; it represents our dedication to rigorous standards of verified performance, accountability and transparency, aligning with the values of the global B Corp movement.
Becoming a B Corp is no small feat. It demands a huge amount of time and effort, and we could not have achieved it without the dedication of every department working to improve their impact.
So, what is B Corp and how challenging is it to become certified?
B Corp, short for ‘Benefit for all’ Corporation, is a type of for-profit business that meets rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. B Corps are certified by a non-profit organisation called B Lab, based on their commitment to balancing purpose and profit.
Unlike traditional businesses that prioritise shareholder value, B Corps are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on all stakeholders, including employees, customers, communities and the environment.
To become a certified B Corp, a company must undergo a comprehensive assessment process that evaluates a business’s performance across five key impact areas: Governance, Workers, Community, Customers and Environment. The B Impact Assessment is broken down into specific criteria, and companies must score a minimum of 80 to qualify for certification. The median score for a typical business who completes the assessment is 50.9 points. Spoiler alert – Aurora scored 87.5!
The difficulty of becoming a certified B Corp varies depending on the size and complexity of the business. For businesses like Aurora, with pre-existing strong social and environmental practices, achieving certification may be a natural step. However, for others, it can be a challenging and transformative process that requires significant time and effort to meet the stringent criteria.
What’s more, the certification is not a one-time achievement; B Corps must recertify every three years, encouraging ongoing commitment to positive impact and sustainability.
While the B Corp Certification process can be demanding, it offers businesses the opportunity to align their values with their operations, attract a socially conscious audience, and join a global community of like-minded companies working towards a more sustainable and equitable future.
What does B Corp Certification mean to Aurora?
We take immense pride in being part of the B Corp movement, a community of over 8,000 businesses worldwide dedicated to transforming the global economy into one that is inclusive, sustainable and regenerative. Aurora Expeditions was founded on the same guiding principles as most B Corps, so entry into this community was a long time coming. To put it another way, certification was a means of formalising a range of initiatives, processes and values we already had in place.
Our B Corp journey reflects our deep commitment to our purpose – to create ambassadors for the Planet. It redefines what successful expedition tourism can look like when a business is a force for good. We scored an impressive 87.5 points in the assessment, well above the 80 points required for certification, showcasing our dedication to going above and beyond the typical standards in our industry.
We are now one of two B Corp tour operators taking expeditioners to Antarctica and the Arctic. We are humbled to join Intrepid in leading the way and inspiring positive change in the industry. We firmly believe that leading with purpose is the key to business growth, especially in an industry where there is an increasing demand for deeper and more sustainable travel experiences.
How has it changed us?
Our journey towards B Corp Certification has not only resulted in a prestigious badge but has also led to numerous positive changes within our business beyond our immediate business operations, including:
- Evolving more than 32 policies across people, culture, environment and supply chain;
- A range of initiatives that better support our staff, one of our most important stakeholders;
- Launching our first Impact Report, which holds us accountable to our sustainability initiatives and future goals;
- Enhancing our climate programs;
- Ongoing initiatives with local organisations; and
- Expanding our volunteering efforts across various initiatives.
We continue to follow best practices in reducing GHG emissions, while continuously looking at initiatives to improve our programs tackling emissions. We have been calculating and offsetting our emissions since 2021 and are working towards evolving our climate program. This is an ever-evolving space that we strive to ensure we are always at the forefront of.
Future initiatives and ongoing commitment
Did we mention that recertification occurs every three years? Don’t get us wrong – this is a good thing! In fact, we think it provides a framework for continuous improvement, and we eagerly anticipate the opportunity to undergo an even more rigorous assessment in the future.
In fact, we are committed to increasing our score every time we get recertified, demonstrating our progress as we strive to build a better world through purpose-driven business practices.
Achieving B Corp Certification is not the end but the beginning of a continuous journey towards positive impact and sustainability. We invite other businesses in the industry to embark on the B Corp journey, understanding the importance of purpose-driven practices and involving employees, suppliers and customers every step of the way. Together, we can create a more inclusive, sustainable and regenerative global economy.
