Doing Good Business: B Corp Recertification, Round Two
Why B Corp Sendle Believes Our Impact on the World Matters, Now More Than Ever
From day one, Sendle’s mission has been to help small businesses thrive in a world built for the big guys and to do so while having a positive impact on the planet we all love living on.
So, naturally, we became a Certified B Corporation right at the start. In fact, we were the first-ever technology B Corp in Australia, where Sendle got its start.
Our mission is “Shipping that’s good for the world.” Good for the planet because every single shipment is 100% carbon neutral. Good for small businesses that operate on this planet because we’re designed specifically to help them succeed alongside the big guys.
Our commitment to the B Corp ethos is as strong as ever. As a company and a group of purpose-driven individuals, we believe that businesses have to do their part to make a positive impact on the planet.
And so, as naturally as when we first started, we’ve recently recertified as a B Corp.
The Environmental Impact of the COVID-19 Online Boom
We’re so proud to be part of a community of businesses that are devoted to balancing profit and purpose. Doing better business is why we’re a B Corp in the first place.
Climate change isn’t going to resolve itself, and we’re at a critical juncture to take the climate action required to address it.
COVID-19 drove consumers online in a big way. Online sales grew as much in that first few months as they had in the previous decade. Physical stores emptied and people started seeing a lot more deliveries at their homes.
This meant bigger sales for some retailers along with a much bigger environmental impact. More delivery trucks on the road, more boxes, more packaging. The result has been increased emissions and more waste in the landfills.
The transportation sector alone produces about 17% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and that’s only going to grow. The World Economic Forum estimates there could be 36% more delivery vehicles on the road by the end of the decade.
On top of that, the quantity of non-recyclable and non-biodegradable waste used to package all those purchases will trend upward in a similar fashion, burdening our landfills and contributing to dangerous increases in methane emissions.
Being a B Corp means asking questions of your organization as the world rapidly changes around you. How does the success and growth of our business impact the environment? Our community? Our society? Our employees?
By recertifying, we’re signaling that our impact on the world matters, now more than ever. And we hope that more businesses follow suit.
Backing Small Businesses, in the Good Times and the Bad
While the environment certainly took a hit in the last year, so did small eCommerce businesses. Even though online sales rocketed upward, a lot of gains were made by the biggest players out there.
To compete with these big box retailers and realize the gains in online sales, small businesses must compete on the same playing field. They need help to do that.
That’s why we’re here — to capture the discounts big businesses enjoy and pass them on to the smaller companies trying to grow their business. We believe that no matter who you are, where you are from, or where you are headed, you deserve the chance to succeed.
We see the inequalities inherent in business and we seek to change that. So we give all entrepreneurs access to better shipping and thus a better competitive advantage and the economic empowerment that comes with it.
Recertification in a Changing World
B Corp certification is no simple thing. It’s rigorous and rightly so. This is not meant to be some checkbox. It’s a commitment.
As Sendle grows, the process becomes even more complex. And the B Impact Assessment used for certification adapts to the ever-changing world, ensuring that any company with the B Corp badge is addressing the problems of today.
For our team at Sendle, recertification has been a great learning experience. We’re so proud of what we’ve accomplished over the last three years. But we also got to reflect a bit and ask ourselves, are we doing enough?
That’s the hidden power of recertification. It’s a chance for B Corps to take a good, hard look at how they can do better.
Since our last certification, we have a lot to be proud of:
- Introduction of electric vehicles to the network. We’re always looking for strides forward in the world of sustainable logistics. So we were excited to start rolling out Australia’s first fleet of solar-powered electric vehicles in partnership with Bonds Couriers.
- Net Zero 2030. We’re joining over 500 B Corps in a commitment to go net zero by 2030, a full 20 years ahead of targets set in the Paris Agreement.
- Carbon offsetting projects. Each year, with the help of our small business community and South Pole, we choose new environmental projects to throw our support behind for the offsetting of all Sendle shipments. Since 2014, Sendle has offset the carbon emissions equal to more than 11 billion miles of shipping—supporting projects including reforestation in the U.S. and wildlife conservation in Australia.
- Compostable packaging. We’ve introduced home compostable mailers to help reduce the waste from the growing eCommerce market.
- Stakeholders with a shared ethos. The B Corp ethos is the backbone of our company, and we’ve brought on new partners and investors that align with this so we can make the best decisions for the future.
- Our small-business community. As ever, our unwavering commitment is to the small-business community that had so long been underserved in the competitive business landscape. Their success is our success.
Before our next recertification, we’ve still got a lot of work to do.
From climate action, to diversity and inclusion, community, and more, we have big plans and our work will be cut out for us. We’re happy to be in the act of always improving.
B The Change gathers and shares the voices from within the movement of people using business as a force for good and the community of Certified B Corporations. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the nonprofit B Lab.
