The Future of B Corp at Origin

"While we’re thrilled to have been able to grow our B Corp score in the last three years, raising it by nearly 14 points, being a B Corp certified business means more than simply being successfully recertified. The B on our packaging acts as a beacon, as our SustainabilityManager, Sarah Walker tells us. Showcasing and spotlighting positive change means steering conversations, making tough decisions, and learning from mistakes, helping normalise what now seems radical to shape a better future."

“We need to stop seeing things we buy as objects that don’t have a history: everything comes from somewhere, with people involved,” Sarah says. “If you see a product that is a tenth of a price of another one you should ask why and how that’s possible—someone is missing out along the line, and it has a far-reaching negative impact. We have to vote with everyday transactions.”

“B Corp is a bit like other certifications, such as Rainforest Alliance, or Fairtrade, except, instead of certifying a product, it’s certifying a company. To be certified B Corp you must prove that your operational practices, the processes in place for the company, the people you work for you, and with the people that you work with, throughout the supply chain, are meeting certain social and environmental standards. That ‘B’ says we’re not marking our own homework: we’re viewed through evidence.

“It is easy to see the B and know that certain choices have been made to make the whole product better for everyone involved. In coffee, that might mean that the farmer got paid more; that the farm practices are better; that the way it’s roasted is more environmentally mindful; that the way it’s transported is better; that the people who market it to you are better informed; and that you’re not being greenwashed.” 

For Origin, the journey continues. In our twentieth year, we remain as committed to positive change as ever, with no finish line in sight, as we look to the next three years of B Corp, and beyond.  

“There are plenty of tweaks planned for the next three years – things that we know we’re doing well but can improve upon – as well as some plans for big changes,” Sarah says. “Those big changes take more time, of course, but the reward will be worth the time invested. In the meantime, the operational tweaks and improvements will keep happening, and I hope by the time we next recertify we’ll be able to show that we have been working hard, and that we are still improving, especially as we’re growing, because that can be a challenge. 

“What reassures me,” Sarah continues, “is that every business is having to go through the same decisions and choices. Even if we don’t make the right decisions on the first try, we’re not alone in that—everything is changing all the time, and I think it’s important to be honest and open in our journey because it might help others feel more confident in making mistakes as long as they have good intentions and can move forward and keep trying. 

“What you don’t want is someone, or a business, choosing the easy option, or sticking with what is there, or waiting to see how it goes with everyone else before they do something: there isn’t time for that.”