Why Young Folks became a B Corp agency

We’re a proudly B Corp certified creative agency. But what exactly does it mean for us, our clients, community, and the planet?
B corp agency

At Young Folks, our purpose is simple: to use business as a force for good.

We want to create the change the world needs by accelerating the growth of brands solving today’s problems for a better tomorrow. And, in turn, untrash the planet and create a brighter future for the next generation of young people.

But in an era of misinformation, greenwashing, and greenhushing, how do we make sure we’re actually living our values? The solution: obtaining a third party certification that proves we meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.

In 2022, Young Folks became a certified B Corporation — joining a movement of almost 9000 global organisations working for a more inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy.

While there are other third-party certifications out there, none cover a company’s entire social and environmental footprint or are as globally recognised as B Corp. So, what exactly is so good about being a B Corp?

What is a B Corp?

B Corps are businesses that operate beyond profit, they’re committed to doing good for people and the planet. While they’re not quite social enterprises, B Corps are driven by similar values, holding themselves to high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. They consider impact holistically, measuring how they treat their workers, engage with communities, support customers, uphold governance, and protect the environment.

Unlike traditional companies that put profit first, B Corps are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on all stakeholders — not just shareholders. It’s called stakeholder governance, and it’s about making business work for everyone.

The B Corp movement kicked off in 2006 thanks to B Lab, a non-profit founded by three friends — Jay Coen Gilbert, Bart Houlahan, and Andrew Kassoy — who set out to shake up the way we think about business. What started as a mission to redefine corporate success has turned into a global movement, proving that businesses can and should do better by balancing profit with purpose.

Why did we become a B Corp?

Our B Corp journey began long before Young Folks was ever dreamed up. Our founder Erin has long felt a deep connection to nature and a sense of responsibility to protect our environment. Venturing into a career in marketing, Erin noticed a disconnect between her personal values and the work she was doing. She found herself using her skills to simply sell more stuff on a planet already suffering from overconsumption and environmental degradation.

Erin knew there had to be a better way. She wanted to flip the script, using her creative and strategic skills to support brands making a positive impact. So, in 2019, Young Folks was born — a purpose-driven agency dedicated to working with brands in the business of doing good.

Becoming a B Corp was our way of walking the walk. It’s more than just a certification — it’s about accountability and committing to a new way of doing business that values people, planet, and profit equally. For us, it’s about using the persuasive power of marketing and advertising to drive real change, not just fuel capitalism. The B Corp standards give us a clear baseline to measure our impact and push us to improve every time we recertify. And prove that business can be a force for good in an industry that desperately needs a rethink.

How do brands become a B Corp?

Companies who wish to become certified must undergo the B Impact Assessment and earn an overall score of a minimum 80 out of 200.. And to maintain certification, companies must go through the recertification process every three years. When we first certified, we scored 111.1 (for context, Patagonia sits on 151.4, so we think we did pretty darn well for a little business on its first go) and we’re committed to improving our score each year.

Here are some of the ways we’re embodying the shared B Corp values across the five impact categories.

Workers

  • We’ve adopted a hybrid work model, with two work-from-home days a week dedicated to focusing on deep work.
  • We offer $2,000 a year per person in learning and development for our team members to use in training, mentoring, and upskilling.
  • Our team members get paid quarterly wellbeing days.
  • We’ve got a work-from-anywhere policy of up to six weeks, which lets our diverse team spend time with family overseas and interstate without having to chip into their annual leave.
  • We promote from within, helping our team grow with us.

Governance 

  • We report on our impact with annual impact reports.
  • Our team gets paid a competitive wage and we have a transparent pay structure.
  • We’re part of Comms Declare and Clean Creatives as part of our pledge to never support or work with fossil fuel companies.

Customers

  • We only partner with clients whose values match with our own and who are clearly contributing to making the planet a better place, ensuring our team’s skills are used in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
  • We vet our supply chain partners and partner with those with minimal environmental impact.

Community

  • We donate five per cent of our time pro-bono to give-back initiatives.
  • We donate one per cent of our revenue through 1% For The Planet.
  • We run paid volunteer days to support local organisations in our community.
  • We’re members of ACON’s Welcome Here Project.
  • We support the Uluru Statement from the Heart to enshrine a First Nations Voice in the Constitution and achieve justice, recognition, and respect for First Nations Peoples.

The environment

  • We measure and manage our emissions via Workiva Carbon and offset any unavoidable emissions.
  • We’ve been carbon neutral since 2019 and are Climate Active certified both for our business operations and the services we provide.
  • We work from the Commons Cremorne, a B Corp certified coworking space that our team can easily get to via public transport.
  • We opt for virtual meetings and keep air travel to a minimum.

Why should I work with a B Corp agency?

There’s growing evidence that people care about the impact of their purchase decisions. Partnering with a B Corp allows you to align your values with a business that understands your impact and knows how to communicate it to the world.

Climate reporting will become mandatory for most Australian businesses in the near future, which means measuring and managing your emissions and impact should be baked into your business operations from the ground up. B Corp agencies have robust reporting practices in place, making it easier for your business to report on your environmental impact by association, because you’ll have access to comprehensive data that can easily be provided by them.

When you work with a B Corp agency, the money you’re spending doesn’t directly flow into the pockets of the few. Once our team is paid a fair and competitive wage and our overheads are covered, the rest of the money does good, in learning and development budgets, giving back to the community, and supporting our pro-bono work.

Being a B Corp also signals that a business has an ethical and transparent approach to their work, prioritising people and the planet, and not putting profit first. B Corps are in a better position to truly take the time to understand and help you achieve both your business and impact goals.

Who are the other B Corps?

There are over 1000 B Corps currently certified in Australia, and these businesses are setting the standard for sustainability, ethical practices, and responsible business models. Here are some of our favourites pushing the boundaries and making a difference:

  • Zorali, creating sustainable clothing for the outdoors.
  • Boody, with the softest bamboo lounge and underwear in the business.
  • Koala, Australia’s most iconic furniture maker.
  • Stone and Wood, a Byron Bay-based brewery.
  • Who Gives a Crap, slinging recycled toilet paper to help bring clean water to those living in poverty.
  • Patagonia, outdoor gear maker that needs no introduction.
  • Bellroy, creating sustainable bags and accessories that also happen to look great.
  • Project Pargo, for all your premium insulated drinkware needs.
  • SPELL, with ethically made modern boho-inspired clothing and accessories.

How can I become a B corp?

Think you’d look good alongside this bunch? To gain a B Corp certification, you must complete the B Impact Assessment. B Corp has a handy step-by-step guide on how to get started and to check your eligibility.

Need an agency partner that gets your brand and your impact? Just reach out to see how we can help.

<a href="https://youngfolks.com.au/author/juliaback/" target="_self">Julia Back</a>

Julia Back

Julia is a marketing coordinator at Young Folks. Julia loves good stories and using them to amplify the voices of better brands. She has experience in copywriting, brand and campaign strategy, CRO, CRM, data analytics, research and SEO. When not at work, you'll find her in the bush with her two dogs, reading, or baking a cake for no special occasion.