Amy Bourbeau is the Cofounder and Chief Impact Officer at Seismic, a sustainability advisory that helps businesses to change society and fix our planet by being a force for good. Amy specialises in B Corp and how its framework can help organisations improve their impact. She started working as the UK’s first B Corp Consultant in 2015 and has been committed to helping the community grow ever since. She works closely with B Lab, co-creating and delivering the B Leaders training programme. Amy has supported hundreds of organisations on their sustainability journeys, with clients including innocent drinks, Avon, Sipsmith, Seedlip, Gousto, Lily’s Kitchen, Piper Private Equity, and PZ Cussons.
Amy Bourbeau is the Cofounder and Chief Impact Officer at Seismic, a sustainability advisory that helps businesses to change society and fix our planet by being a force for good. Amy specialises in B Corp and how its framework can help organisations improve their impact. She started working as the UK’s first B Corp Consultant in 2015 and has been committed to helping the community grow ever since. She works closely with B Lab, co-creating and delivering the B Leaders training programme. Amy has supported hundreds of organisations on their sustainability journeys, with clients including innocent drinks, Avon, Sipsmith, Seedlip, Gousto, Lily’s Kitchen, Piper Private Equity, and PZ Cussons.
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What does it mean to be a B Corp?
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Certified B Corps demonstrate their commitment to using business as a force for good by achieving and verifying high standards of social and environmental performance. B Corps have made a deep commitment to making a positive impact on their stakeholders.
{{divider}}
From a personal point of view, after spending the last seven years helping hundreds of companies to use the B Impact Assessment (BIA), it’s been one of the highlights of my career for Seismic to become a B Corp. We’re so proud to be part of a global movement of more than 5,000 businesses working to be a force for good. As a company we’re quite young - we certified in March with a score of 99. And it’s just the start of our journey!
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Why is being a B Corp so important to what you do at Seismic?
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Seismic exists to help change society for the better and to fix our planet. We believe that business has a pivotal role and responsibility in leading the way to make this happen and we believe the B Corp movement is core to achieving this goal. B Corp is ingrained in every part of what we do, whether it’s providing clients with support on their B Corp certification or helping them to shape their overall sustainability strategy. It’s vital for us to lead by example and show our clients that we not only know the BIA inside and out but that as a company we live out the B Corp values every day.
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Do you think it’s a possibility that one day all businesses might be run this way? What’s stopping governments from making it mandatory?
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I think it’s possible. It is definitely a hope of mine that every company embraces their role in shaping an inclusive, equitable and regenerative economic system for all people and the planet. Of course, if that were to happen, B Corps would inevitably become redundant as a result. With that said, there’s a long way to go and plenty of work to be done before we get anywhere close to this. That’s why Seismic and other B Corps exist - we acknowledge that the environmental and social change needed has to be immense, and we’ve come together to help lead that change.
{{divider}}
We are proud to be signatories of the Better Business Act, which would transform the way Britain does business by requiring companies in the UK to consider people and planet alongside profit when acting on behalf of their company. A small change in the law will make a big change in the world. So far more than 1,000 companies have signed up for the Better Business Act. It would be great to see recognition from the government and for it to act as a catalyst for change.
{{divider}}
The great thing about B Corp is that it recognises that this challenge doesn’t sit solely on the shoulders of the government or charities or NGOs. Businesses have to step up and take responsibility. Instead of waiting for others to take charge, it’s up to us to be responsible, care for the planet, and make a more positive impact.
{{divider}}
When it comes to the past, present and future of your B Corp Journey, do you have any key insights from each stage?
{{divider}}
Thinking about our past journey, one thing that’s obvious is that as a young company, we started out with B Corp principles baked into our business. Starting with that intention helped us to shape the company the way we intended to move forward. As we wrote our articles of association, formalised company policies and recruited talent to join our team, we always had B Corp values top of mind. This mindset not only made us a better company but it also made it easier for us to become certified.
{{divider}}
I’ve been part of the B Corp community through clients and as a B Leader for years, but it’s wonderful to finally be a B Corp ourselves. As a Certified B Corp, there’s so much value to be had. There’s the B Hive, the platform for the B Corp community to connect, collaborate, access resources and share knowledge. There are also B Lab events, and there’s so much collaboration with other B Corps and an opportunity to incrementally increase our impact when we come together to solve different challenges.
{{divider}}
As for the future of our B Corp journey, we are fully invested in the B Corp movement and know it doesn’t stop at certification. We’ve set an ambitious points goal for recertification and are starting already to look at what action that requires internally. B Corp is all about continuous improvement and as a team full of B Corp experts, we get that. Purpose is embedded into every aspect of our company, so we are excited to embrace the fact that our own impact is an ongoing journey.
{{divider}}
How have you tackled a certain challenge or area of the BIA?
{{divider}}
One area of the BIA where we are actively working to improve is the Workers section, specifically around creating a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace. Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is something that’s really important to us as individuals but also as an ESG advisory. We have already been inspired by the BIA and our teams' passion and expertise in this area. After recent conversations with our team, we decided to launch a DEI working group to ensure we are holding ourselves to account and continuing to learn and improve in all areas of diversity, equity and inclusion. The group was launched last month and has already taken action in a number of ways after just two sessions, but there’s still plenty of work to be done!
{{divider}}
What are some key insights when it comes to the way Seismic handle each of the 5 main pillars of certification?
{{divider}}
- Get buy-in from all the right stakeholders both internal and external. Having the right internal people on board is critical to success.
- Do a materiality assessment so you understand what your core stakeholders care about/require and know the core things you should focus on, so you can prioritise the right initiatives and maximise your positive impact.
- Make sure you have a clear understanding of the internal actors within the business and that you’re informed about the right subject matter when taking on the five impact areas of the BIA. This is important so you’re sure any actions you take will be meaningful.
{{divider}}
What are your sources of inspiration and what motivates you?
{{divider}}
First, our team is motivated by our vision - that by our 5th birthday we have helped enable 10 million people to work for positive businesses and that Seismic is the best place anyone has ever worked. We share a vision of our team and everyone who has been a part of our journey gathering for a beach party in Cornwall to celebrate reaching our Seismic milestones.
{{divider}}
We also find motivation in the urgency of the environmental and social crises we face as a society. As an organisation and as individuals, we feel there’s no time to waste - creating change is not enough, we are in a privileged and important role where we can (and must) accelerate change.
{{divider}}
Beyond that, we are motivated by the movement of B Corp, the innovative companies who are a part of it, and the unity that exists between the two to try and solve these problems. And we’re inspired by our clients – their actions, commitment and willingness to be part of the solution. You can hear some of their stories in our Seismic Spotlight podcast series.
{{divider}}
What’s yet to come for Seismic?
{{divider}}
The most material way for us to make an impact is to inspire our clients to not just make a change, but to continue finding ways to increase their impact and influence those around them to do the same. One of the ways we do this is by focusing on community. Finding ways to connect with our clients and build a community where individuals working on similar sustainability projects can share learnings and advice.
{{divider}}
We’re being creative and bold about how we approach our target to enable 10 million people to work for positive businesses, partnering with more and more companies on their impact journeys so that together we can lead the shift.
{{divider}}
Amy Bourbeau is the Cofounder and Chief Impact Officer at Seismic, a sustainability advisory that helps businesses to change society and fix our planet by being a force for good. Amy specialises in B Corp and how its framework can help organisations improve their impact. She started working as the UK’s first B Corp Consultant in 2015 and has been committed to helping the community grow ever since. She works closely with B Lab, co-creating and delivering the B Leaders training programme. Amy has supported hundreds of organisations on their sustainability journeys, with clients including innocent drinks, Avon, Sipsmith, Seedlip, Gousto, Lily’s Kitchen, Piper Private Equity, and PZ Cussons.
{{divider}}
What does it mean to be a B Corp?
{{divider}}
Certified B Corps demonstrate their commitment to using business as a force for good by achieving and verifying high standards of social and environmental performance. B Corps have made a deep commitment to making a positive impact on their stakeholders.
{{divider}}
From a personal point of view, after spending the last seven years helping hundreds of companies to use the B Impact Assessment (BIA), it’s been one of the highlights of my career for Seismic to become a B Corp. We’re so proud to be part of a global movement of more than 5,000 businesses working to be a force for good. As a company we’re quite young - we certified in March with a score of 99. And it’s just the start of our journey!
{{divider}}
Why is being a B Corp so important to what you do at Seismic?
{{divider}}
Seismic exists to help change society for the better and to fix our planet. We believe that business has a pivotal role and responsibility in leading the way to make this happen and we believe the B Corp movement is core to achieving this goal. B Corp is ingrained in every part of what we do, whether it’s providing clients with support on their B Corp certification or helping them to shape their overall sustainability strategy. It’s vital for us to lead by example and show our clients that we not only know the BIA inside and out but that as a company we live out the B Corp values every day.
{{divider}}
Do you think it’s a possibility that one day all businesses might be run this way? What’s stopping governments from making it mandatory?
{{divider}}
I think it’s possible. It is definitely a hope of mine that every company embraces their role in shaping an inclusive, equitable and regenerative economic system for all people and the planet. Of course, if that were to happen, B Corps would inevitably become redundant as a result. With that said, there’s a long way to go and plenty of work to be done before we get anywhere close to this. That’s why Seismic and other B Corps exist - we acknowledge that the environmental and social change needed has to be immense, and we’ve come together to help lead that change.
{{divider}}
We are proud to be signatories of the Better Business Act, which would transform the way Britain does business by requiring companies in the UK to consider people and planet alongside profit when acting on behalf of their company. A small change in the law will make a big change in the world. So far more than 1,000 companies have signed up for the Better Business Act. It would be great to see recognition from the government and for it to act as a catalyst for change.
{{divider}}
The great thing about B Corp is that it recognises that this challenge doesn’t sit solely on the shoulders of the government or charities or NGOs. Businesses have to step up and take responsibility. Instead of waiting for others to take charge, it’s up to us to be responsible, care for the planet, and make a more positive impact.
{{divider}}
When it comes to the past, present and future of your B Corp Journey, do you have any key insights from each stage?
{{divider}}
Thinking about our past journey, one thing that’s obvious is that as a young company, we started out with B Corp principles baked into our business. Starting with that intention helped us to shape the company the way we intended to move forward. As we wrote our articles of association, formalised company policies and recruited talent to join our team, we always had B Corp values top of mind. This mindset not only made us a better company but it also made it easier for us to become certified.
{{divider}}
I’ve been part of the B Corp community through clients and as a B Leader for years, but it’s wonderful to finally be a B Corp ourselves. As a Certified B Corp, there’s so much value to be had. There’s the B Hive, the platform for the B Corp community to connect, collaborate, access resources and share knowledge. There are also B Lab events, and there’s so much collaboration with other B Corps and an opportunity to incrementally increase our impact when we come together to solve different challenges.
{{divider}}
As for the future of our B Corp journey, we are fully invested in the B Corp movement and know it doesn’t stop at certification. We’ve set an ambitious points goal for recertification and are starting already to look at what action that requires internally. B Corp is all about continuous improvement and as a team full of B Corp experts, we get that. Purpose is embedded into every aspect of our company, so we are excited to embrace the fact that our own impact is an ongoing journey.
{{divider}}
How have you tackled a certain challenge or area of the BIA?
{{divider}}
One area of the BIA where we are actively working to improve is the Workers section, specifically around creating a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace. Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is something that’s really important to us as individuals but also as an ESG advisory. We have already been inspired by the BIA and our teams' passion and expertise in this area. After recent conversations with our team, we decided to launch a DEI working group to ensure we are holding ourselves to account and continuing to learn and improve in all areas of diversity, equity and inclusion. The group was launched last month and has already taken action in a number of ways after just two sessions, but there’s still plenty of work to be done!
{{divider}}
What are some key insights when it comes to the way Seismic handle each of the 5 main pillars of certification?
{{divider}}
- Get buy-in from all the right stakeholders both internal and external. Having the right internal people on board is critical to success.
- Do a materiality assessment so you understand what your core stakeholders care about/require and know the core things you should focus on, so you can prioritise the right initiatives and maximise your positive impact.
- {{divider}}
- Make sure you have a clear understanding of the internal actors within the business and that you’re informed about the right subject matter when taking on the five impact areas of the BIA. This is important so you’re sure any actions you take will be meaningful.
- {{divider}}
What are your sources of inspiration and what motivates you?
{{divider}}
First, our team is motivated by our vision - that by our 5th birthday we have helped enable 10 million people to work for positive businesses and that Seismic is the best place anyone has ever worked. We share a vision of our team and everyone who has been a part of our journey gathering for a beach party in Cornwall to celebrate reaching our Seismic milestones.
{{divider}}
We also find motivation in the urgency of the environmental and social crises we face as a society. As an organisation and as individuals, we feel there’s no time to waste - creating change is not enough, we are in a privileged and important role where we can (and must) accelerate change.
{{divider}}
Beyond that, we are motivated by the movement of B Corp, the innovative companies who are a part of it, and the unity that exists between the two to try and solve these problems. And we’re inspired by our clients – their actions, commitment and willingness to be part of the solution. You can hear some of their stories in our Seismic Spotlight podcast series.
{{divider}}
What’s yet to come for Seismic?
{{divider}}
The most material way for us to make an impact is to inspire our clients to not just make a change, but to continue finding ways to increase their impact and influence those around them to do the same. One of the ways we do this is by focusing on community. Finding ways to connect with our clients and build a community where individuals working on similar sustainability projects can share learnings and advice.
{{divider}}
We’re being creative and bold about how we approach our target to enable 10 million people to work for positive businesses, partnering with more and more companies on their impact journeys so that together we can lead the shift.
{{divider}}
