We’re proud to be the only mobile network in the UK to be a pending B-Corp. But what does that mean?

At Honest, were on a mission to prove that businesses can be a force for good when it comes to reducing our impact on the planet and giving back. And that is why we’re proud to be part of the B-Corp family. Take a look below to find out more about what this means, and what we do as a business to gain this important certificate.

So, what is B-Corp certification and why does it matter so much to us?

B Corps are businesses that meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability to balance profit and purpose.

Simply put – this means that each decision we make, considers:

1. Our people
2. Our customers
3. Our planet

Today, there are only 3,312 companies worldwide with a B-Corp certificate, including for example Ben and Jerry’s, Patagonia, Innocent Drinks and Hootsuite.

We are HUGELY proud to be the only mobile network in the UK to be part of this family and we know it really highlights how Honest Mobile differs from the other UK network providers.

How did we become part of the B-Corp family? 

Well, to become a fully certified B-Corp, a business has to have been operating for at least 12 months. We’ve just had our first birthday, so we’ll be fully certified soon, but in the meantime, we’re known as a pending B-Corp which means we just need to submit some final necessary paperwork to become the first fully certified mobile network in the UK.

To become a B-Corp we were evaluated not only on our service but also on who we are as a company. We had to achieve a minimum score on the B Impact Assessment which looks at our impact on employees, customers, community and the environment.

Once fully certified, our assessment is also made available on the B-Corporation website for complete transparency which helps us show that Honest, as our name implies, is a company to be trusted and valued, and we’ll be looking to improve our score as our business grows.

The technical side (made simple)

Another requirement of B-Corp certification is to change our Articles of Association (our constitution as a business) to consider the planet, our people and you, our customers in everything we do. And this helps us with B-Corporations mission of building a more sustainable economy. Over the last year, we’ve learnt so much from our fellow B-Corp family and how we can use our profits to achieve a positive impact for employees, communities and the environment.

Why is it important to balance purpose and profit?

We know the next generation of consumers increasingly care about brands that stand for something.

We hear from our customers that putting people and planet right up there with profit is important to them and it’s something we are really passionate about.

In a world where the impacts of climate change are becoming increasingly transparent, it is crucial that everyone, including businesses, does their bit and at Honest we’re committed to playing our part.

The specifics

So, what exactly are we at Honest doing to protect our planet & our people?

1. We’re working towards being the first network in the UK to be fully carbon neutral – all our network usage is already offset and we’re working on getting the rest of our operations fully carbon neutral as quickly as we can.
2. All our packaging is recycled and we avoid the use of plastic wherever possible
3. We’re looking into recycled plastic or alternative materials for our SIM card production.
4. We use existing phone masts, so we don’t impact the environment by building new infrastructure.
5. As a proud member of ‘1% for the Planet’, we give 1% of our revenue to non-profit organisations to help build a better future for our planet. These organisations deal with issues from climate change and pollution to wildlife and land conservation.
6. We encourage our members to buy refurbished phones to minimise the impact of their phone on the planet.
7. We don’t offer any unpaid internships to anyone. Ever.
8. We pay our suppliers on time, and try to work with other B Corps, smaller businesses and sustainable businesses where we can.

At Honest, we’re always looking to improve, so if you have any brilliant ideas about how we could be better, please let us know!

Join Honest Mobile today to experience better signal, better service, and help build a better future for our planet.