B-ing a force for good: Muckle hosts 2026 "B Corp in the North East" event

We proudly hosted another B Corp event this March, along with sustainability partners Seismic, the organisation behind the B Corp movement, B Lab.

As the first law firm in the North East and Cumbria to achieve B Corp accreditation, we prioritise ethical, sustainable, and inclusive business practices. Our aim has always been to use business as a force for good and connect with others looking to meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.

Following the success of last year’s B Local North East event, hosted alongside UMi, Sail Creative and Just Williams, we wanted to bring the North East business community together again this year to share best practices and learn more about how we can encourage other organisations to adopt a purpose-driven approach.

Caring about people, clients and community

The ‘B Corp in the North East’ event invited organisations and individuals to discover the benefits of investing in B Corp principles and making social responsibility a priority for not just their business, but also their people, clients and community.  

With just 31 B Corp organisations in the North East, we also discussed how to build momentum and help more regional organisations work towards tackling key ESG challenges.

Living our values

Our managing partner, Anthony Evans, opened the event by sharing how we’ve woven the B Corp principles into our 5-year plan, and we’re always looking to learn from other regional B Corps, whilst senior partner, Hugh Welch, highlighted our purpose-driven work from donating 1% of our profits to the Muckle Fund at the Community Foundation to our pro bono work and volunteering.

Cofounder and chief impact officer at Seismic, Amy Bourbeau, shared a presentation on the valuable work Seismic does with organisations in the region, helping them craft an effective sustainability strategy and navigate the B Corp framework.

We then held an engaging panel discussion in which panellists answered a range of questions, including why B Corp businesses outperform their peers, how B Corp principles can be embedded, and the key to being a successful B Corp organisation.

Panellists:

·       Hugh Welch, senior partner and head of ESG programme at Muckle LLP

·       Amy Bourbeau, cofounder and chief impact officer at Seismic

·       Judith McMinn, founder and CEO at Rezon

·       Suzi McCreedy, chief commercial officer at UMi

·       Richard Simpson, chair at Simpsons Malt Limited

Making an impact, together 

This year's event allowed us to explore the benefits of prioritising ESG efforts by adopting the B Corp principles.  As a collective, we discussed how we can all use our influence to help more organisations balance profit and purpose.

By collaborating with other organisations in the region, we can continue to build on our progress and give back to all stakeholders in a meaningful way.

To learn more about the principles of B Corp and how we're committed to continuous improvement as a firm, read our B Corp report.