Luminary joins global B Corp movement

STOP PRESS - Luminary has been officially certified as a B Corp!

A B-what?! 

A B Corp (or ‘Benefit Corporation’) is a business that has committed to making decisions that have a positive impact on its workers, customers, the community, and the environment. It’s about balancing profit with the needs of people and the planet, or in other words, using business as a force for good 💪😇. 

Essentially, B Corp is to business what Fair Trade is to coffee. 

It’s a growing global movement, and one that is just starting to take hold in Australia. Currently, we are one of just over 270 B Corps in Australia – but watch this space, because we think this is going to be HUGE! So far, there are around 4000 B Corps around the world and that number is growing daily.

Why did we decide to become a B Corp?

Well firstly, let’s be clear - as they say in the memes, ‘One does not simply decide to become a B Corp’! Certification is an extremely rigorous process involving many hours of preparation, a detailed self-evaluation process, and then several rounds of external assessments and interviews. And even after you’ve gone through all of this, there are no guarantees.

So why did we decide to take the plunge?

Mainly because we felt that being a B Corp aligned with the values and practices we already upheld, and supported our company mission ‘to make digital bright and the human experience brighter’. To a large degree, it was a way of validating the path we were already on. 

“Since we began in 1999, we have focused on improving people’s experience at work and on the web,” says Luminary CEO Marty Drill. “From the beginning, we have been a little bit different to traditional business. We wanted our company to have a positive impact on the team, clients and society as a whole. 

“Having a positive social impact was not a huge focus in 1999. Things have changed and consumers are now seeking out organisations that have set a higher bar for themselves, are responsible for how they operate, and make a tangible difference in the community. By becoming a B Corp, we’ve joined a community of committed businesses that care about balancing purpose and profit, and who want to succeed and make a positive impact.”

Being certified as a B Corp sends a message to prospective clients and team members that Luminary has committed to putting transparency, sustainability and social responsibility at the forefront of our business decisions.

Making the human experience brighter

We’ll be the first to admit that we’ve still got a long way to go on our B Corp journey, but here are some of the ways we’ve ‘walked the walk’ to date:

• We became carbon neutral, offsetting our carbon footprint through the planting of trees  
• We partner with Jodie O’Shea House, a children’s shelter in Bali
• We implemented a ‘Work from Anywhere’ policy
• We eliminated plastic bottles and takeaway cups in our office, replacing them with reusable aluminium bottles and keep cups
• We recycle our coffee grounds through Reground
• We use ethical suppliers, such as coffee provider and fellow B Corp 23 Degrees
• We created a social contract to ensure we maintain a safe, inclusive and supportive culture
• We’ve hosted team tree planting events in Melbourne and Bali
• We provide our team with personal and professional coaching
• We support a range of charity initiatives
• We seek to work with a wide range of charity clients so we can have a positive impact
• We sponsor the Victorian Young Achiever Awards, as we believe that when you give young people opportunities it creates innovation and breaks down barriers.

Visiting Jodie O'Shea House

Tree planting in Melbourne

We’re proud of what we’ve achieved so far, and we also recognise that being certified as a B Corp means making a commitment to constant improvement. To this end, we are in the process of creating an internal ‘B Hub’ – a small group of B Corp champions within our team who will continue to ensure that we challenge ourselves to keep monitoring and improving our performance. 

To maintain our B Corp status, we also commit to undertaking the rigorous process of re-certification every three years, with our performance again being measured across the five impact categories: governance, workers, customers, community, and the environment. 

“B Corp gives us a way to assess how we’re performing across a range of areas,” says Marty. “Business is changing. People are looking to businesses to lead on social issues. B Corps have shown that business can be done differently.” 

Luminary has joined the ranks of some of Australia’s most well-known brands in being certified as a B Corp.

Want to see how we scored? In the spirit of transparency, our B Impact scorecard is publicly available. Take a look at our report.