24 hrs the B Corp way
March is B Corp Month! A time to celebrate all of the wonderful businesses balancing purpose with profit in the hope of creating a better planet. Today's blog is dedicated to championing our fellow B Corps, who constantly inspire us to do better by our pets and planet. This year the theme is going #BehindtheB - in order to showcase what we do behind the scenes to make us better businesses. We're joined by some B-rilliant fellow brands, so want to start off my showcasing some of the B Corp products we use daily, and that you might be able to incorporate into your daily life. Trust us, there are some very tasty and stylish swaps to make!
What is a B Corp?
We certified as a B Corporation back in 2018, and to date, it's one of our proudest Scrumbles memories. We are still one of only two pet food brands to meet these standards. The certification exists to highlight businesses going above and beyond to meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance. Together we are driving a shift towards better business practices and a more inclusive and sustainable economy.
As a B Corporation, we follow the B Corporation's declaration of interdependence and believe that:
- We must be the change we seek in the world #BTheChange
- All businesses must place importance on people and place
- Through our products, practices, and profits, we should aspire to do no harm and benefit all
- Act with the understanding that we are all dependent on each other, so are therefore collectively responsible for each other as well as for our future generations
B Corp Month 2022
For this blog we wanted to focus on the fourth declaration point; that we are all dependent on each other. This is something we wholeheartedly agree with, especially being a small business. We constantly look to our customers, team and fellow B Corporations for inspiration on how we can do better. Whether that's swapping to a more readily recyclable type of packaging, or reducing our food miles by sourcing ingredients and producing our recipes even more locally.
As a thank you, we wanted to highlight some of the brands inspiring us every day and fronting the change, by living a day as a B Corporation champion:
But first, coffee!
It's B Corp Day! I would love to say it's a bright and beautiful day, but looking out the window I'm quickly reminded I live in the UK - grey and cold. Therefore there's only one thing that can summon me from my bedly heaven; coffee! My current favorite brew is provided by Cafédirect, who were also the first UK coffee brand to be awarded the certification. The coffee is 100% Fair-trade and the 11 Intensity gives me just the kick I need to not fall back asleep.
Post coffee it's time to make myself look just about presentable enough to go to work, aka shower, teeth, and wash the face. There are a number of brilliant personal care B Corporation brands out there but I use Dr. Hauschka and Beauty Kitchen, specifically for their Seahorse Plankton hand cream. It's my go-to for whenever my hands are feeling a little dry, #obsessed.
Right, that's all done, so just about ready for work. Keys: check. Packed lunch: check. Keys: re-check. And of course, living in the times that we are. Face mask: check.
My face mask is from Dai, an eco-friendly workwear brand that's committed to using planet-friendly fabrics. The mask is cotton, hypoallergenic and reversible in black and grey - matching the majority of my wardrobe. Which is a must obvi!
Elevensies, B corp style
I used to be a breakfast diehard but have fallen somewhat out of the routine recently, so tend to forget about brekkie, opting instead for a mid-morning brunch. As a Scrumbles employee, and therefore a gut health obsessive, I was delighted when The Collective launched their new plant-based cultured yogurts. So breakfast is typically a spoonful or two of this or one of their Kefir drinks.
All washed down with a proper cuppa. Brew Tea Company and Clipper are both B Corporation certified, so we've done several tea tastings in the office to see which we prefer. Clipper's Organic Peppermint Teabags are the current office favourite.
Post work beverage
Work hard, play hard right? It might be a Wednesday, but somewhere around the world (or on another planet) it could be a Friday, so a beer after work is totally appropriate. Today's drinks were supplied by the bread-saving superheroes at Toast Ale. They are on a mission to save the world, one slice of bread at a time. Using surplus bread instead of virgin barley they use less land, water and energy to produce their ales and lagers, reducing their carbon emissions along the way too.
Drink beer, save the world. It seems like a pretty easy thing to get behind, right?
Or if you're after a softer beverage, I love Dash Water's Peach flavoured sparkling water, best served icey cool. They use up wonky fruit that would otherwise go to waste too!
Dinner and house chores
Dinner the B Corp way is by no means lacking in options, or flavour. I get one of the Riverford's Seasonal Veg Boxes delivered every 4 weeks, so today I'm experimenting with some Swiss chard, potatoes, celery and pointed cabbage. The result a vegetable stew, served with some of my sourdough. Made using Hobbs House Bakery Strong White Flour, and occasionally some of their Strong Wholemeal Flour too. Make sure to have a kitchen spray to hand, as you'll be left with a very dry and crusty work top otherwise. I love We Are Spruce's brilliant plastic-free cleaning products, especially the multi-purpose spray.
P.S Yes, I make sourdough, but in my defence this wasn't a lockdown hobby, but one that started a fair few years ago.
Post-dinner, pre-pudding is the time slot I use to do any of my tidying and cleaning. Spurred on by the thought of a tasty reward once it's been completed. Wilton London cover all my needs in that department, with their eco laundry liquids and washing-up products.
Let's be honest you only eat dinner to have pudding, and today's pudding is perhaps the highlight of my day. Jude's kindly sent not one, not two, but six pots of their ridiculously yummy ice cream. Sufficiently slipping me into a brain freeze induced sleep.
[Sleeptalks: I hope you enjoyed following me through my day the B Corp way, and have spotted a few products or brands you might like to try out. Or maybe you've even been inspired to become one yourself, find out how to become a B Corp here]
