Leading the change: Muckle hosts first B Corp event
We were proud to host the first-ever B Local North East Event this March for B Corp month alongside UMi, Sail Creative and Just Williams. Our event connected a range of businesses and individuals looking to harness their business as a force for good and meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
With engaging key speakers, networking opportunities and more, our event, the first of its kind, focused on B Corp's central principles and why prioritising social responsibility is crucial for any business.
Our ongoing commitment to B Corp
The B Corp framework balances purpose and profit and acts as a model for companies committed to tackling social and environmental problems. With 8,000 B Corps across 127 industries worldwide, the B Corp movement is encouraging the adoption of a purpose-driven approach to business.
To attain B Corp certification, businesses undergo rigorous assessments across five key pillars: governance, people, community, environment, and customers.
We were the first law firm in the North East and Cumbria to achieve B Corp accreditation, leading the change in terms of ethical, sustainable, and inclusive business practices. Although we have always been purpose-led and committed to our ESG efforts, the B Corp framework has helped us build upon our existing activity, hold ourselves accountable and improve further with accurate, measurable data.
We have an internal B Corp steering group to ensure that we're consistently looking for ways to improve – whether that's collaborating with and learning from other regional B Corps, or looking at new initiatives and processes.
Our B Local North East event highlighted the value of this collaboration in terms of sharing insights and best practices, and working through key ESG challenges.
The first B Local North East event
Co-Chairs of B Local North East, Jessica Williams and Gemma Brannen opened the event by explaining the power of ‘Gen B’, a modern cohort of businesses driving positive change for their communities.
We also had a series of compelling Lightning Talks from Michelle Cooper at Point North, Smart Carbon, Jenny Davison from Newcastle University and our own senior partner and head of our ESG Programme, Hugh Welch. The talks covered topics including the critical role of North East community foundations, the environmental impact of direct and indirect emissions, and how B Corp provides businesses with a structured framework to improve their social and environmental impact.
Additionally, we hosted an Exchange Tables session, during which attendees engaged in breakout discussions about implementing the B Corp framework in their business. Each team took ownership of one of the five pillars of the B Corp framework: Governance, Community, Environment, People, and Customer.
Teams shared the value of contributing to the community through pro bono work and grant funding, and the importance of tracking any ESG efforts to support continuous improvement and maximise impact. Others shared how community involvement can have a bigger impact when it’s woven into the fabric of a company's culture rather than being delivered through one-off support.
Why collective action matters
Our event demonstrated the power of connectivity and collective action. Our engaging sessions throughout the day encouraged businesses and individuals to share their own experiences, discuss key challenges, and explore innovative ideas on how we can all put B Corp principles into practice and champion positive change.
By working together with other regional B Corps in this way, we can use our influence to support more businesses in the North East and Cumbria to embrace this standard for sustainable business excellence.
To learn more about the B Corp framework and how we're committed to continuous improvement as a firm, see our B Corp report.