Happy International Women's Day 2023 to you all ♀️ Today, and everyday, is all about celebrating women and their achievements. Not only that, but March 8th is also about advocating for an equal future for women around the world.
As it is also B Corp month in March, we wanted to highlight some incredible female-founded, B Corp brands to show that every business can go beyond and that together we can create a world which is free from harmful stereotypes and damaging discrimination💪
Pippa, Pip & Nut
Jenny, Rubies in the Rubble
Did you know that food waste accounts 8-10% of our global emissions? When Jenny Costa discovered the sheer volume of perfectly edible and beautiful quality wonky and surplus produce being wasted along the supply chain, she took a leap of faith to launch Rubies in the Rubble. Making delicious condiments out of surplus ingredients that would otherwise go to waste, the mission of female founded Rubies in the Rubble is to make food waste history and to give people a tangible and tasty solution to food waste. Use discount code JENNY20 at check out on Rubies in the Rubble’s website, for 20% off all orders this week.
Founded as a 'for-purpose' business, our sustainable mission has always been at the heart of everything we do at Rubies in the Rubble. Being a B Corp gives us greater accountability and ensures that every part of our business remains a force for good.
Joshna, Artfinder
From the day I joined Artfinder, I knew I was stepping into something special. We are a company that values input from everyone. Yes, I am a CEO who identifies as female, but 54% of our artists and 68% of Artfinder staff also identify as female, so it’s my prerogative to ensure our entire community feels supported, heard and confident enough to bring their own ideas to the table. And as a B Corp, it’s very important to me that we make business decisions not based purely on profit, but to make a positive impact on the world.
Sarah, YOU Underwear
We try to go beyond across our business, with women at the heart of everything we do. From our small team, to the majority of our suppliers, to the women and girls we support with donations of underwear to help them stay at school and work, we try to make a difference. As a Certified B Corp, we use our business as a force for good, putting people and the planet first.
Clare, Talking Tables
We’ve found that the B Corp application process has provided an invaluable framework for us and its emphasis on continued improvement inspires us to strive to be better and develop new initiatives this coming year and beyond.
We continue to improve the sustainability of our product offer – 92% of our autumn/winter 2022 collection was single use plastic free – and ensure that our product is either recyclable or reusable. But what makes us most happy isn’t numbers but making connections with and between people. Like when we hosted our first community event at our head office; a summer party in association with the charity Lifeline for the elderly local Clapham community.
Talking Tables fundamentally believes that time together is the best of times but we recognise that not everyone has the opportunity to gather together with others or to celebrate what should be a special occasion. We are committed to giving the experience of gatherings to more people, including those with less opportunity to get-together.
Tessa & Saasha, Olio
Looking back over the hundreds of founder decks and conversations I’ve had, there's zero difference in the quality of pitches from the women versus the men. It means when we're pitching, we're navigating unconscious biases when all we want to do is focus on growing our businesses. So what can we do? We need to reform the VC industry and bring more female investment professionals to the table so we have a greater chance of getting the capital we need to impact society. If we short-change women, we’re short-changing humanity — and that is a worry for us all.
Olio is the result of a meeting between Tessa Clarke and Saasha Celestial-One, two like-minded people with a passion for preventing waste. You can read their story here.
Anna & Philippa, Micro-Scooters
Putting people and the planet at the heart of everything we do has revolutionised the way our business is run. We are proud to make a positive difference everyday for our colleagues, customers, consumers, and clients and look forward to being a part of the change that will have a positive impact for years to come.
