We are happy to announce that we are in the process of becoming a certified B Corp! This is another big step towards our commitment to promoting positive impacts on society, the environment, and the well-being of our employees, interpreters, and customers. By pursuing this certification, we are actively aligning our values with a global movement of companies that prioritize social and environmental responsibility alongside financial success.
All about B Corp
But what is a certified B Corp? A certified B Corp is an enterprise that has achieved a B Corp certification from B Lab, a non-profit network that helps businesses maximize their positive impact on the environment and society.
“Certified B Corporations are leaders in the global movement for an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy.” - B Lab
B stands for Beneficial. It means that a business meets certain standards of transparency, accountability, sustainability, and performance to benefit all stakeholders. In other words, a B Corp follows a new business model that aims to value all the involved shareholders who have an interest in the business and the outcomes of its actions. This differs from the traditional business model which only requires acting in favor of its shareholders.
Since the establishment of our business in 2016, Youpret has followed the aim of becoming the fairest employer. We built our business infrastructure on sustainable and responsible foundations. So, in August 2023 when we decided to begin our process for B Corp certification, we didn’t have to start from scratch. However, we admit that the road to becoming a certified B Corp is not that straightforward and companies must pass through different stages to be certified.
What is the process of B Corp certification?
Becoming a B Corp involves a comprehensive evaluation and endorsement of every aspect of the company, from the ownership structure to supplier relationships and the eco-friendliness of the workplace. The application process is rigorous, and successfully navigating it shows that the company is deeply dedicated to transforming not only its business practices but also influencing global standards for how business is conducted on a broader scale. It is important to note that the company’s pathway to becoming a Certified B Corporation will vary depending on the company’s size and revenue.
The stages in the B Corp certification process are the following:
Committing to new values: B Lab asks businesses to commit to a new business model that values the companies' stakeholders' interests as well as shareholders’. As B Lab specifies: “All companies seeking to become a B Corp must meet the B Corp legal requirement and update their Articles of Association”. So that they legally bind themselves to their new values. Depending on different national laws, companies, changing their articles of association, go through different legal procedures. While this requirement is not necessarily the first step to make, it is a requirement for all businesses that are looking for certification.
B Impact Assessment: After committing to new business model values, businesses must evaluate their operations to see if they are qualified to apply for the B Certification. To this end, businesses begin their free assessment on the B Corp website. This assessment, known as B Impact assessment or BIA, scrutinizes different areas of the business categorized into 5 areas: governance, workers, community, environment, and customers.
What sets the BIA apart from other certifications is that it isn't just a one-time report submitted. Instead, it serves as a continuous guide for everyday practices. The overall score from BIA ranges from 0 to 200. Based on B Lab data, the median score of ordinary businesses is 52. However, to be qualified to proceed with the verification process, the company needs to obtain at least 80 scores.
Evaluation: After conducting the BIA, the company must wait in the queue for evaluation, and then an analyst will be appointed to evaluate the company’s BIA and randomly ask for relevant documents to prove the company’s claims and answers in the BIA. The analyst can be from any country and the company has no information or connection with them before they are appointed. At the end of this stage, B Lab determines if the company is eligible to certify and prepares the company for the verification stage.
Verification: When the company’s eligibility is assured in the evaluation stage, the company must wait up to a couple of months to enter into the verification stage and be assigned a verification analyst, who is different from the evaluation analyst. The verification stage in the B Corp process involves B Lab reviewing and verifying the company's BIA responses and confirming its BIA score. This verification is done through documentation and/or a Review Call. Additionally, B Lab collaborates with the company to address any outstanding requirements for certification.
Certification: In this stage which B Lab calls ‘the Post-Verification stage’, any remaining certification requirements are finalized in collaboration with the business and the company proceeds to pay its initial annual certification fee, formally signs the B Corporation Agreement, and marks the successful completion of the B Corp certification process. After certification, companies can use the certified B Corp Logo and provide a yearly “impact report”. They need to update their assessment every three years to keep the certification.
You can read more about the process and company-specific pathways on the B Corp movement’s website.
Youpret and the B Corp process: where are we?
In August of 2023, we commenced our assessment process. In December 2023, we submitted our application and paid an initial submission fee. Meanwhile, we updated the Youpret articles of association to strengthen our commitment to our stakeholders. The overall score that we achieved from the BIA, so far, is well above the minimum score required for the certification. Afterward, we waited in the queue for the evaluation analyst and in the meantime provided the required documentation and proofs.
Currently, we are in the evaluation stage. This means that an analyst appointed by B Lab is evaluating the Youpret BIA and the claims that we made based on the proofs and documentation. We are hoping to get our certificate in a few months.
How has our experience been with the B Corp process?
To know more about Youpret’s unique experience, I asked Teemu Purmonen, the chairperson and Co-founder of Youpret, who has been involved in Youpret’s B Corp process since the beginning, to tell us more about it.
“Since the establishment of Youpret in 2016, we always sought to maintain a level of sustainable and well-qualified services. Youpret has been attentive to operating ethically and responsibly. So we decided to obtain an external endorsement to make sure that we were doing well enough as we thought. In this path, we found B Corp and we began the assessment,” Teemu said.
“Just doing the assessment was very fruitful!” -Teemu Purmonen, Chairperson and Co-founder, Youpret
“We understood that while at the management level, we are aware of our values, we haven't been formally communicating enough the sustainability-related policies and values that we have been pursuing for years for our employees, customers, and interpreters,” he added.
During this journey, the Fabrik team, a company that provides sustainability-related consultations to businesses, and has two trained B Leaders, helped Youpret and provided tips to succeed in the B Corp process.
To delve deeper into the concept, I had a meeting with Timo Kupiainen, the Impact Strategist and B Leader at Fabrik. Timo explained that the BIA is a great tool for companies to improve their impact, which Fabrik also relies strongly on to help companies find their competitive strengths and put their plans into practice on their path to a more sustainable business.
“Youpret’s commitment to sustainability is very inspiring to me. Because as Youpret has integrated sustainability into its structure, the greater the company grows, the bigger its positive impact becomes.” -Timo Kupiainen, Impact Strategist and B Leader, Fabrik
During 2023, Youpret participated in different activities to improve its relationship with its employees, customers, interpreters, society, and the environment. Becoming B Corp is only one part of the puzzle of sustainability commitment however it inspired us to boost our business sustainability standards higher. Below you can find more about our activities during this journey.
Better for workers
We prioritize employee well-being and satisfaction at work. To this end, we made a cultural handbook for employees that reveals our deepest values at the workplace policies. Additionally, in line with the Finnish laws, we established the occupational health and safety committee that promotes interaction between the employer and employees and facilitates the participation and influence of employees in issues related to the workplace.
We held different workshops for our employees such as a workshop about diversity and inclusion by Youpret’s Education Specialist Asser Kakko and a workshop about workplace skills by leadership coach Otto Kuivalainen from Vendacon. Besides, our employees at the Youpret office can enjoy various activities such as participating in game nights at the office, doing Yoga, and watching or playing basketball games to have a healthy and happy employee asset.
In the Youpret team, we value diversity and equality, and age, gender, or nationality are not determining factors for the choice to be made, but education, competence, and experience. We also conduct employee surveys regularly to ascertain whether they are satisfied with the working environment, their workload, management, and their work well-being.
Better for the community
As a sustainable business, we care about the society we are growing in. We believe that our operations specifically benefit our society: the entrepreneurs and self-employed interpreters, the newcomers and immigrants, and the authorities at public services. Youpret is providing jobs for entrepreneurs and self-employed interpreters. Many interpreters who might be new to Finnish society are making a living by working with us.
Based on our interpreters’ survey results, 84% of the respondents believe that their satisfaction with being part of Finnish society is correlated with working through Youpret services.
Additionally, our interpreting services contribute to the protection of individuals from discrimination on the grounds of language. As a human rights principle, minorities such as immigrants shall not be denied the right to use their language and Youpret is facilitating the enjoyment of this right throughout Finland.
To find out better ways of improvement, we conducted satisfaction surveys for interpreters. In these surveys, we not only inquired about interpreters' satisfaction with our services, but also their well-being. In line with that, we held workshops for interpreters' well-being, created content about it, and also launched the Youpret Academy learning app.
Youpret Academy provides complimentary courses for interpreters about general training on interpreting skills and mental health, and specific topics such as the concept of integration in Finland and Finnish systems such as education, healthcare, judiciary, etc. Taking care of the interpreters, providing courses to complement their professional skills, and contracting with skillful interpreters who might have been seeking jobs for a long time are all part of our commitment to benefiting society and sustainable development goals
Better for the customers
Certified B Corps measure their influence on customers by creating products and services to advance the public welfare system or address distinct social and environmental challenges. For Youpret, this means that we are providing interpreting services for all different kinds of public services such as hospitals, kindergartens, schools, employment services, immigration services, and so on.
Simply, we make it possible for everyone to be understood in their mother tongue and our customers can provide their services to non-Finnish clients without any barrier. Recently, we have done a customer survey to deepen our knowledge about our customers' preferences. You can read about our customer survey results here.
Better for the environment
Certified B Corps excel in various sustainability aspects. Based on the BIA, B Corps scrutinize their impacts on climate, air, land, and water and must consider their emissions or hazardous waste and their environmental management. As a result, B Corps perform moderately better than other businesses in addressing climate change. Demonstrating the likelihood of effectively managing greenhouse gas emissions reductions and utilizing more renewable energy sources.
In terms of reinforcing environmental protection efforts, our company has saved 20% of Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions through the implementation of efficiency improvements. We prioritize efficient energy use, abstain from using chemicals in the workplace, and incorporate biodegradable materials.
Additionally, our commitment extends to utilizing recycled or environmentally preferred office supplies, including paper, pens, and notebooks. With a steadfast commitment to producing zero waste in landfills or oceans, we responsibly recycle our garbage, ensuring a comprehensive and sustainable approach to environmental protection.
You may say we are dreamers, but we’re not the only ones!
Even at this early stage, the B Corp journey has proven to be very rewarding for us. We learned more and acted more. But it is not the end, as BIA is a continuous process and requires constant diligence and commitment. Now it’s just the beginning of a big shift that is happening through all the businesses that are shifting their operations for good.
Youpret and other 8,000 companies from 162 countries, committed themselves to benefit the people and the planet even more than before. We encourage you to join this pool of like-minded businesses and transform from individualism to interdependence. Together, we can go beyond the ordinary and make the meaningful changes that the world has long longed for!
Author:
Aida Jodeiri
Aida works at Youpret. She studies environmental policy and law at the University of Eastern Finland, and her first master's degree is in human rights law. She has been focusing on survey projects and interpreters’ well-being-related topics at Youpret. In her free time, Aida likes to dance and do yoga.