You read it right: 160.2. Our highest B Corp score yet!
To put this in perspective: the average Australian business scores just 83.2.
“After three especially challenging years of trade, this news was like all our Chirstmases coming at once,” said Outland Denim founding CEO James Bartle.
“Our team has worked incredibly hard since our inception to create a positive impact model for the fashion industry, and importantly for the vulnerable people we employ, and this is a hugely encouraging result.”
Assessed across five categories – governance, workers, community, the environment, and customers – organisations must meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability to achieve certification. A rigorous recertification process takes place every three years.
In 2018, Outland Denim became the first Australian denim label to become a B Corp, and the second denim brand globally. In re-certifying, the brand has jumped 43 per cent up from its maiden score of 111.5.
“Outland Denim continues to use business as a force for good, improving how they impact communities, people and the planet. Their mission-driven work of enhancing the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable people in their supply chain and reducing the environmental impact of denim production is a strong example of how the global B Corp movement is changing our economic system for the better. We encourage more businesses in the fashion industry and beyond to follow their lead,” said Andrew Davies, CEO of B Lab Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
In 2022, Outland was recognised as a B Corporation Best For The WorldTM honouree in the area of Community, laying claim to its third Best for the WorldTM title. The Best for the WorldTM recognises Certified B Corporations (B Corps) around the world with exceptional positive impact. Best for the WorldTM identifies the B Corps whose verified B Impact Scores in the five impact areas evaluated in the BIA — community, customers, environment, governance, and workers — rank in the top 5% of all B Corps in their corresponding size group.
Certified B CorporationsTM are leaders in the global movement for an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy. In order to achieve certification, a company must: a) demonstrate high social and environmental performance by achieving a B Impact Assessment score of 80 or above; b) make a legal commitment by changing their corporate governance structure to be accountable to all stakeholders, not just shareholders, and achieve benefit corporation status if available in their jurisdiction; and c) exhibit transparency by allowing information about their performance measured against B Lab’s standards to be publicly available.
Today, there are more than 5,000 B Corps across 80 countries and 155 industries, unified by one common goal: building an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economic system.
From day one, our business has been built on doing good - good for humanity and good for the planet - even when the going gets tough. To have our humanitarian and environmental efforts recognised in such a fashion is beyond words, but this achievement would not be possible without you, our community.
Thank you for supporting our vision for a fashion industry that does good for humanity and the planet we inhabit! Pat yourself on the back - this is a win for all of us!
P.S. Want to understand more about B Corporations? These resources will help you! (Don’t mind if we do)
- ‘Unpacking the ‘B Impact Score — what it is and why it matters’ (published July 2022)
- ‘Common concerns about B Corp Certification: a Q&A’ (published June 2022)
Fancy a data deep dive? B Corporation makes all its data publicly available via Data.World. Please keep in mind that the data is constantly changing as businesses undergo the accreditation and re-accreditation processes globally.
