In conversation with Ben, Associate and Head of Sustainability who discusses the lessons and our ambitions as a B-Corp.

29.03.2022

As we near the end of B Corp month 2022, we wrap things up with an interview with Bennetts Associates' other 'B-Keeper' Ben Hopkins. Along with Jennifer Ford (read her interview here), together they led the meticulous B Corp certification process using the ‘B Impact Assessment’ tool to evaluate how our practice's business model influences the five categories: workers, community, environment, customers and governance.

In his interview, Ben gives a deeper understanding on why we did it, what's next and how the assessment was specific to architects.

Why did Bennetts Associates want to certify as a B Corp?

We’re always on the lookout for schemes that align with our values, so that we can use them to highlight our commitments and most importantly to provide a framework for our long-term targets.

What makes Bennetts Associates a B Corp and how are we doing business differently?

One of the interesting aspects of B Corp certification is that it’s impossible for there to be just one thing that gets you over the line. We scored very highly in the “workers” and “environment” categories, due in part to our being 100% employee owned and our work on climate change both in the practice and on our projects. At the same time, we did well in areas that we are less well known for, like community engagement.

What is something you've learnt or a challenge we overcame when using the B Impact Assessment?

When we started the assessment, we were very conservative, and interpreted the questions from a slightly more European perspective assuming things we take for granted here in the UK would not count. When we got to the assessment stage, we ended up adding a lot more credits for things like healthcare, holidays, fair pay etc.

Is there anything specific to architects within the B Corp assessment?

The assessment has something called the Impact Business Model sections, which are questions applicable to specific sectors that you unlock at the start of the assessment. For architects, there is a surprising number of questions that relate partly to the type of work you do (socially well-connected and regeneration-focussed schemes score well), and questions relating to processes/outcomes (% of projects meeting 2030 targets and including LCAs for example). Some of the questions are very US-centric, but we found it very easy to use UK equivalents for most things other than water management.

What is the first goal we’ve set for the year ahead now we’re certified?

Now we’ve announced it to the world, our next step is to sit down and put a list of targets together. I’d like to think that we should be aiming for 130+ points at the next certification. This will be a mixture of maintaining progress in some areas and pushing harder on others, which is incredibly exciting, and to be honest is something we might not have been doing as quickly without the B Corp process.

What is Bennetts Associates' ambition as a B-Corp and what are your future commitments?

I’d like to think long-term we could get to 130-150 points. Some areas of what would be required are already aligned with some of our long-term targets which is optimistic for us. Coincidentally, the highest-scoring B Corp in the world is an architect with a score of 180+ (a small architect and solar energy firm called South Mountain Company in the US), so we probably won’t have bragging rights for the sector any time soon!