Why our B Corp journey strengthens our commitment to people, planet and community
By Paula Cowan, Managing Director, ImpactInstitute.
Businesses influence the wellbeing of communities every day — through how they hire, the clients they work with, the suppliers they choose and the resources they use. These choices ripple outward, shaping people’s lives in ways large and small.
That’s why B Corp Month matters to us. This year’s theme, A Simple Symbol. A Powerful Signal., speaks directly to what we believe: small, consistent decisions reveal what a business truly stands for.
At a time when trust is scarce and social and environmental impact claims face real scrutiny, the B Corp symbol signals that responsible practice isn’t a veneer – it’s embedded in the structure of the organisation.
For ImpactInstitute, it speaks to what we value most: people, community wellbeing and the health of the planet. Becoming a B Corp sharpened our purpose, establish some measures of impact and pushed us to strengthen how we work. It also reinforced our commitment to using business as a vehicle that lifts communities and expands opportunity. A signal we want to keep sending.
The signal businesses send
At Social Impact Summit 2025, we explored how purpose‑led organisations can operate within both social foundations and planetary boundaries. That conversation reinforced a simple truth: business is an enterprise made of people, in service of people.
When organisations work from that principle, social impact strategy becomes practical. It looks like:
- Human‑to‑human service
- Genuine investment in team aspirations
- Empathy for the communities a business touches
B Corp Certification has become a clear way to show this intent. It recognises organisations that meet high standards of performance, transparency and accountability — verified through the B Impact Assessment and public disclosure of results.
What B Corps stand for in 2026
B Corps assess their impact across governance, workers, environment, customers and community. In 2025, B Lab introduced strengthened standards that set minimum expectations across seven impact topics and require ongoing improvement.
The movement is growing rapidly. In 2025:
- 748 B Corps were certified across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand
- These organisations generated $24.5B AUD in combined revenue
- They collectively employed 56,500 people
- 31% of Australians reported awareness of B Corp Certification — up ten points from 2024
Globally, there were 9,368 certified B Corps, with 1,317 new certifications in just one year.
For leaders building or refreshing a social impact strategy, these evolving standards offer a practical framework for aligning purpose, governance and measurement with community outcomes.
Why ImpactInstitute became a B Corp
Many of us at ImpactInstitute started our careers in education and public service. That background shaped a strong service mindset and a belief that communications and strategy work should improve people’s lives.
Moving into the commercial sector highlighted how often traditional business models can feel extractive or transactional. We wanted to build something different — a business where the work itself contributes to community wellbeing. The B Corp movement aligned with our values and our ambition to make social impact strategy practical, measurable and integrated into everyday operations.
We also enjoy partnering with fellow B Corps and elevating their work at Social Impact Summit. Being part of this community strengthens our own practice and keeps us accountable to the standards we value.
What we’ve learned — quick stories from the journey
Greener events, measurable gains
When we moved our events to GreenPower wherever possible, we did more than switch energy suppliers. We re‑mapped our event operations to prioritise venues and partners that could evidence renewable energy use, then refined our run‑sheets to minimise idle power and unnecessary freight.
The result: a cleaner events footprint and a repeatable checklist the team now uses by default. It’s a small operational shift that adds up across the year.
A supplier network that reflects our values
We built a values‑aligned supplier network — including partners like Pablo & Rusty’s, Beyond Bank and AV1. Shared expectations around transparency and sustainability mean responsible decision‑making happens naturally, without adding cost or complexity. Alignment makes every project smoother and more consistent with our principles.
From intent to evidence with our Impact Framework
Refining our own Impact Framework has helped us stay focused on outcomes that matter. By defining a focused set of people‑centred measures and reviewing them regularly, our teams have a clearer line of sight between activity, outcomes and learning. This strengthens our services and helps clients communicate their impact with confidence.
The hard parts we’re tackling
Like any organisation committed to continuous improvement, we’re navigating a few practical challenges.
- Accessing water‑usage data from our landlord remains difficult, which affects the completeness of our environmental reporting.
- The updated B Corp standards also set a high bar and expect steady progress over time, so we’re evolving our systems to meet that expectation in a meaningful way.
- While many of our clients are already deeply committed to outcomes for people — particularly people with disability — shifting broader market practices toward stronger social impact strategy takes time, patience and aligned capacity.
What comes next
We’ll continue strengthening our Impact Framework, deepening learning with clients and refining how we measure and communicate outcomes. Most importantly, we’ll keep championing the idea that social impact strategy works best when people and community sit at the centre of decisions.
If you’re building or refreshing a social impact strategy, or exploring how B Corp principles can strengthen procurement, measurement or communications, we’d love to talk.
- Join the conversation: Register for Social Impact Summit Quarterly on 24 March.
- For communications leaders: Listen to The CMO Show for insights on purpose‑led communication.