Patagonia, Who Gives A Crap, T2, Stone & Wood, Kathmandu and Eva. What do all these brands have in common? Well, not only are they experts in their field with amazing products, they’re also all B Corps.
After over a year spent in the rigorous application process, this week Eva became the newest of only eight furniture companies in Australia that are certified B Corps.
Needless to say, the team here at Eva HQ are over the moon! From the beginning, we set out to be a brand that stuck to its principles. Delivering high-quality products that help make lives a little better, whilst being kind to the planet. Now, we’re part of a group of companies who truly believe that business can be a force for good.
So, what is a B Corp certification?
Great question! A ‘B Corp’, short for ‘B Corporation,’ is a company that’s been certified by a nonprofit network (called the B Lab) that measures the company’s entire social and environmental impact.
“We’ve always wanted to do good for our customers. To ensure that we are conscious about the decisions we make, from the micro level to the macro. Certifying as a B Corp means that we can continue to keep making an impact but now with the esteemed company of other industry leaders.” - Amanda, Co-founder.
What does B Lab test?
The B Lab assesses all companies in the following areas: governance, workers, community, environment and customers.
“We had to prove how we implement social and environmental standards within our entire supply chain... even our supplier’s suppliers.” - Jason, Head of Operations
A company must score a minimum of 80 in these areas to achieve B Corp status. Eva scored 84.9.
The top two areas in which we scored most highly were how we treat customers and how we treat the community, which rings true to our company values of customer-centricity.
From a community perspective, we donate 1% from every mattress sale to Streetsmart, raising almost $64,000 last year alone. We also donate returned products to our charity partners (after a thorough clean), so they can be given a second life for those in need.
“Nowadays, as consumers we have an expectation that companies we buy from are doing the right thing. Now we can show that Eva is.” - Jason, Head of Operations
For the Eva team, it’s important to us that we work for a company we would like to buy from. From the design team to customer service, we care deeply about the environmental and social impact we have as individuals and as a company.
Becoming a B Corp shows our customers what we already knew about Eva: you can have these values and have a successful business. In fact, you can make those values the foundations of your company. That way, everyone benefits.
What was the biggest challenge?
The waiting game. B Lab sets the gold standard for a company’s impact, so the application process is thorough. After countless checks, adjustments, further questions and more checks, the verification process took over a year.
After all those checks and re-checks, with final questions answered and dotted lines signed, it seemed we were inches away from being certified. We were so close! Jason, our Head of Operations, would email Ruthy from the B Lab team each week letting her know our excitement at Eva and asking if it’s too early to pop the champagne bottles.
Her professionalism in response to our enthusiasm was commendable - so shoutout to Ruthy!
What happens next?
We’re officially a B Corp, but the journey doesn’t end here. B Corps like us must be recertified every three years.
Working together with B Lab, we will be helped to continue living our ethos whilst expanding as a company. So you can rest assured that we’ll keep on our path to building a beloved Australian brand that cares for the Earth as much as it cares for its customers.