EDINBURGH-headquartered digital connectivity consultancy FarrPoint has today announced its certification as a B Corporation (B Corp), joining a unique group of companies reinventing business by pursuing purpose as well as profit.
FarrPoint has been certified by B Lab, the not-for-profit behind the B Corp movement, as having met rigorous social and environmental standards which represent its commitment to goals outside of shareholder profit.
The B Corp certification addresses the entirety of a business’ operations and covers five key impact areas of Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers. The certification process is rigorous, with applicants required to reach a benchmark score of over 80 while providing evidence of socially and environmentally responsible practices.
FarrPoint scored 99.8, significantly above the benchmark. This score was due to the consultancy’s flexible working, transparent governance and environmental policies, high staff satisfaction levels, along with work that delivers real benefits to people and communities through improved connectivity and technologies such as telecare. According to B Corp, the median score for ordinary businesses is 50.8.
FarrPoint is now part of a community of 7,000 businesses globally who have certified as B Corps. The B Corp community in the UK, representing a range of industries and sizes, comprises over 1,500 companies. FarrPoint now joins well-known brands such as The Guardian, Patagonia, Innocent, The Body Shop and Graze.
Andrew Muir, CEO and co-founder of FarrPoint, said: “When we set up FarrPoint back in 2008, we wanted it to be a different company that consists of people ‘who care’. Our staff, our clients, the projects that we work on – all represent our company values”.
He added: “Attention to environmental and social responsibility among businesses is growing, so applying for B Corp certification was the obvious step. Even though we believe we are one of just a handful of B Corp certified connectivity consultancies in the UK, we hope to see more of our peers commit to greater business transparency by going through this certification. Only together we can redefine what the success of a business is, which is much more about people and the planet, than just profit”.
Chris Turner, Executive Director of B Lab UK, said: “We are delighted to welcome FarrPoint to the B Corp community. This is a movement of companies who are committed to changing how business operates and believe business really can be a force for good. We know that FarrPoint
are going to be a fantastic addition to the community and will continue driving the conversation forward”.
“Welcoming FarrPoint is an exciting moment because they have an opportunity to lead the way within the telecoms industry. We and the rest of the B Corp community are really pleased to support FarrPoint in paving the way for a new way of doing things”.
