Why is that important to us?
Since our inception in 2006, Kowtow’s purpose has been to put people and planet first. We see positive impact amplified when we are part of something bigger than ourselves. We work with a Fairtrade certified supply chain and like-minded partners to create discernible change within the fashion industry.
We are driven by this purpose and, through working on our Sustainability Strategy, recognised that pursuing B Corp certification would allow us to tangibly measure our impact and provide further insight into where we could improve our business.
What is a B Corp?
B Corp stands for B Corporation - a certification granted by non-profit organisation B Lab. B Lab certifies businesses globally to become a B Corp through a robust assessment which measures impact across five areas they believe are the basis for good business: governance, workers, environment, customers and community.
How does the assessment work?
Our first step was to complete the B Impact Assessment. Although we were used to the rigour of certifications for our product and supply chain, this assessment was unique as it encompassed comprehensive and varied aspects of our local operations, governance and how we work with all our global partners.
Without a full time ‘B Corp team’, we divided the work internally and chipped away at it over the course of a few months, with B Lab offering support if and when we needed it.
We started the assessment in June 2021 and submitted it for Validation in March 2022. Over those 10 months we had numerous internal discussions, worked through drafts and gathered supporting documentation for our submission. It was important to us to clearly and accurately communicate our operations and this became a powerful learning exercise which helped develop our business.
In May 2022 Kowtow became a certified B Corp.
B Corps are scored out of 200 with 80 being the minimum for certification. Kowtow's overall B impact score is 101.3 - you can find more about our score here.
Joining a global movement which aims to change our economic system to balance profit with purpose is inspiring and we are so proud to join the 5,600 certified B Corporations across more than 150 industries, employing almost 400,000 people around the world. 500 of these B Corps are based in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
With B Corps reassessed by B Lab every three years, we will continue to improve on our practices, putting people and planet first.
