B Corp month – Sharing B Corps we love

Written by Wholegrain Team - March 4, 2024

Since we first became a B Corp in March 2017 (7 years ago, yikes!), one of the things that has always stood out to us is the power of the community and the joy of being part of it, collectively working towards a common goal and supporting each other in our quest for a better way to do business. And, over the years, we have been been honoured to be able to work with and support members of the B Corp community with their own sites, creating low carbon, accessible and performant solutions to meet their business needs or consulting on digital sustainability solutions to support with scope emissions.

Of course, the community has grown considerably since 2017 so we wanted to ask our team who their B Corp heroes are, personal favourites that they have a soft spot for or brands who are truly mixing things up and forging a new norm for their industry?

I’ve always loved Innocent, both for the branding and the tasty smoothies! Their tone of voice is so on point, it’s been copied (and parodied) widely, but no-one else has captured it quite right. 

Oatly is yet another content crush. Their advertising always captures my attention and I always read the copy on the side of their cartons. I only recently switched to oat milk and it’s definitely my preferred brand.

The fact that both of these brands are B Corps, dedicated to reducing their impact on the planet through sustainable sourcing of ingredients, and more, is an added bonus!

Team Genie Rachael loves Innocent and Oatly

Both Marketa and Louise love World of Books.

It’s a great way to pass on books you’ve read but rarely go back to!

Digital Sustainability Lead, Marketa

I’m always in favour of reusing resources instead of buying new.

Louise Fox

Elvis and Kresse are a B Corp brand that really impress me.

They used reclaimed fire hoses to make durable products out of waste, and their products are better quality than many of their non-circular competitors. My belt and wallet are bomb proof and look pretty much the same as they did two years ago when I got them.

The thing I like most is that they are quietly innovative. They bought a farm to be their HQ and are looking to become regenerative and carbon negative as a result. They also worked on an open source solar forge project to help communities deal with aluminium waste. Finally, they donate 50% of their profits to firefighter and educational charities!!

Our Client Support Manager, Andy loves Elvis and Kresse

My local coffee and co-working space Oru is a brilliant example of how a small business takes its impact seriously and creates an inclusive space for everyone to enjoy.

Chris Lewis - new managing director

Chris

Vineeta, Georgie and Tom hugging the letter B

Oh there are too many amazing brands to mention!!! One of my favourite things is spotting the B Corp logo popping out from the shelves when I’m at the supermarket. 

Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a particular sucker for supporting a local brand, so for me brands like Bird sunglasses, St Eval candles and Flexi-Hex’s groundbreaking packaging solutions are personal heroes for me! I’d also have to shout Finisterre. Not only do their products make up the majority of my wardrobe, but their constant education and evolution to support their customers make informed choices is particularly inspirational – most recently with their move to Yulex from the traditional neoprene. I attended an event where their founder Tom Kay spoke and shared their dismay at truly understanding the impact of this material that the surf industry has been so reliant on for years. One thing he said has stayed with me throughout and I apply it day in, day out to my work at Wholegrain – ‘now you know, what are you going to do?’ It’s the same for digital carbon emissions for me. Now that we understand the impact, what can we do to reduce it?

Client Success Director Georgie struggles to choose a favourite!

To see a full list of the of the whole community head over to the B Corp Directory and if you’re interested in joining the community, check out our Co-Founder, Tom’s thoughts around the business case of being a B Corp in his 2022 article.