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The story of Alvéole’s B Corp Certification

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Declan Rankin Jardin, one of Alvéole’s co-founders, is also responsible for ensuring that our B Corp certification process runs smoothly, also meaning that our activities must stay in line with the certification criteria year after year.

He recently shared some recent updates with the Alvéole family about our B Corp score. Here’s the anecdote he shared with us, narrating the ups and downs of our certification process.

A man standing in a square surrounded by tall glass buildings, holding an Alvéole tote bag

How it all started

When we first started Alvéole in 2013, my friends and co-founders Alex, Etienne, and I considered launching it as a co-op. Etienne had attended a business class and was devoted to finding the perfect structure for our project. Why not a co-op? We were in an uncharted sector that was environmentally conscious, community-oriented, and people-focused.

As we deliberated, further research showed what establishing a co-op would entail; general assemblies, voting, paperwork… It seemed a little daunting for first-timers like us, who couldn’t wait to set up our project. Hence, we made a conscious decision to found a private company. And not just any business – one that would do good in the world. We wanted to prove that we could create a positive company and be a catalyst that would help other businesses become better corporate citizens. Ambitious? Yes! Impossible? Certainly not.

And then came B Corp

One of Alvéole’s clients, Natalie Voland of Quo Vadis, introduced me to the B Corp certification back in 2016 and at first I thought it was a bee registration program (haha!). When I looked into it a year later – it was a magical discovery! The B Corp certification is a worldwide standard that measures the social and environmental footprints of organizations. The B stands for “Benefits” (or should we say beenefits?).

Two months before the application deadline, Gabrielle Caron and I pushed through the B Corp assessment process while juggling other projects for our initial certification in 2018. When it was time to recertify in 2021, with our initial experience under our belts, we formed committees to tackle the different categories. Unfortunately, momentum dropped due to the pandemic and B Corp themselves delayed our recertification because they were swamped with other requests. After months of waiting, Alvéole is finally recertified: it’s great news!

But the job isn’t over – to be B Corp certified is to improve constantly.

Again, the score is a benchmark for how a company contributes good to the world which – zooming out – is an inspirational idea. I encourage everyone who is interested to read through the 300+ questions that are in the B Impact Assessment because, by their very presence, they show you a vision of a company that really can be a positive force in the world.

Here are some interesting facts about B Corp certification:

• Over 50,000 businesses worldwide fill out the survey called B Impact Assessment
• Approximately 3,000 businesses get Certified B Corporations
• The recertification timeline is every 3 years
• The worldwide average B Corp score is 51 points

A beehive with many bees flying towards it and crawling into the entrance

A pat on our back

In 2018, Alvéole’s B Corp score was at 80 points. After re-evaluating our activities and efforts to better correspond with the certification, our 2022 score is now at: 111,8 points (woot woot!). We’re on a constant mission to create a positive impact on the world and we’re already working towards our 2024 B Corp recertification goals. The best is yet to come!

Curious to learn more about B Corp? Discover 5 B Corps organizations that inspire our team!

Read more


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