Back in April 2024, we were immensely proud to learn that OCEANR officially became a Certified B Corporation. This milestone felt both like a finish line and the start of a new chapter — it’s an achievement that had been in the works for months.
Click here to read our official B Corp page.
What B Corp Means to the OCEANR Team
For us, B Corp certification is more than a stamp of approval, it’s a commitment. It means that our business and the work we do every day isn’t just about making profits, it’s also about how we treat our team, the environment, our community, and our customers. (Click here to read more about how we value and prioritise our people.)
When we first began exploring B Corp Certification, the idea of measuring ourselves against global standards was intimidating, especially when we found out there are less than 100 Irish B Corps. Once we jumped into the process though, we realised the application process was also a roadmap guiding us on how to continuously do better, and not just proving that we were already doing the right thing.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About B Corps
💡 Why did you decide to become a B Corp?
As a young and thriving business, we wanted to hold ourselves accountable. Internally, we knew that our team was passionate about sustainability and community impact, but third-party certification would give us a framework to transparently back this up. In a world where greenwashing is prominent, especially in the clothing industry, it was important for us to receive external verification of our ethical business model.
💡 Who can become a B Corp?
Any for-profit business, big or small. When we found out about this, we thought: “Why not OCEANR?”
💡 What’s measured in the B Corp assessment?
Companies applying to become B Corps are assessed across five key categories:
- Governance
- Workers
- Community
- Environment
- Customers
Another great thing about applying to become a B Corp is that you must reflect on your business in ways that you might not have considered before. For example, you will need to ask yourself if you are truly supporting the wellbeing of your employees or if you are authentically engaging with your local community.
💡 How long does certification last?
Three years. This means that OCEANR will need to re-certify as a B Corp in 2027. Of course, our expectation is that we will have continued to improve, and not just maintained the status quo.
💡 What was the process like?
The length of the B Corp Certification process varies but for OCEANR, it looked a bit like this…
- We took the B Impact Assessment (BIA) and submitted ourselves for official review
- We provided more information to the assessment team when and where it was requested
- We waited patiently while the B Corp team to finish their review of OCEANR
- In April 2024, we received the good news that OCEANR had officially become a Certified B Corporation
- While we were excited and humbled, we quickly realised that the B Corp journey doesn’t end with certification. We became members of a global community of over 9,000 B Corps.
The Journey to Becoming a Certified B Corporation
Since our foundation in 2016, becoming a B Corp has been one of the most meaningful steps that OCEANR has taken as a business. It gave us clarity, accountability, and a community of like-minded companies who believe business can and should be a force for good.
Our advice for those considering beginning their own B Corp story is to begin with the B Impact Assessment. This will provide you valuable insights into your current operations and how your business can begin making a larger, planet-friendly impact.
For OCEANR, gaining our certification in April 2024 was just the beginning, and we can’t wait to see where our B Corp story leads next.
