Our New B Corp Status
The creative industries contributed about £124 billion to the UK economy in 2023, yet its social impact is often overlooked. Certified B Corps are changing the narrative by holding businesses accountable for their social and environmental impact.
With nearly 9,500 B Corps worldwide and only about 2,000 B Corps in the UK, these companies are proving that purpose-driven practices can drive meaningful change.
That’s why we’re so proud to announce that Literal Humans is now a B Corp Certified creative agency. Achieving this milestone is a massive win for such a small agency under five years old. We received the certification in record time, it took less than five months to achieve (maybe 5 is our lucky number?).
This isn’t just a label of us, it’s about our commitment to reshaping the creative industry into one that prioritizes responsibility and impact.
For us, B Corp certification aligns perfectly with our mission to “Grow the good” by partnering with purpose-led brands. We’d like to give a huge thank you to our team, your work is impressive and it shows during our client calls. A big thank you also goes out to Andy at Business on Purpose and Harry at Tyck for their support navigating the process.
What B Corp Certification Means (and Why It’s a Big F**kin Deal)
B Corp Certification is a globally recognized standard that ensures a company meets high benchmarks for social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. B Lab verifies these high standards and ensures companies are striving in the commitment to goals beyond ROI.
To achieve this certification, organisations must meet rigorous criteria in areas like social impact, environmental sustainability, and governance. B corps are required to score at least 80 points on the B Impact Assessment, making sure legal documents embed stakeholder accountability, and publicly sharing their impact metrics.
As B Lab puts it, “B Corp certification turns the ambiguous concepts of “going green” or “being a good corporate citizen” into something tangible and measurable that people can identify, trust, and support.”
Literal Human’s B Corp Journey
When Paul David co-founded Literal Humans in 2020, he wanted more than just to deliver great creative growth solutions. He wanted to make a difference with Literal Human’s work.
After spending a decade working in education and nonprofits in the US, he wanted to build an agency that prioritised people and the planet (whilst still growing profits).
With this vision in mind, the agency has naturally focused on partnering with tech for good startups, non-profit organizations, and B2B/SaaS companies. From the early days, Literal Humans has been guided by values like inclusivity, transparency, and sustainability. These values make B Corp certification a natural step in the agency’s evolution.
Reflecting on this milestone, Paul shared, “I’m so grateful for this moment. After a decade working in charities and nonprofits followed by nearly a decade supporting the growth of mission-driven brands and tech startups, receiving B Corp certification for the agency that I started is a truly humbling moment in my career.
Most importantly, I want to shout out our incredible team at Literal Humans who have delivered real gains for purpose-led organisations over the past five years to get us to this incredible new milestone in our agency’s growth journey.
Getting up every day to help our clients’ social missions is an honor and a privilege. This certification helps to cement that legacy we’re building as an agency focused on growing the good.”
How We Scored Against B Corp Criteria
We were ecstatic when we were granted B Corp status, but the icing on the cake was achieving an overall impact score of 119.6. This score exceeds the B Corp benchmark by over 39 points. This B impact assessment result isn’t just a number to us, it reflects our genuine effort to use our business as a force for good.
Let’s dive into the two areas of the B Corp assessment where Literal Humans shined the most. The first one was governance, where we had strong evidence that we:
- Integrate social and environmental factors into decision-making, training and governance
- Have a Board who actively reviews impact performance, which includes social and environmental goals
- Provide formal training on impact principles to all employees
- Have structured stakeholder engagement processes
- Monitor and track how our business affects people and our planet, socially and environmentally
- Set performance targets and measure the long-term impact we’re having
The other section of the B impact score that we scored particularly high in was the workers section. For workers, we had concrete data for things like:
- Wages & compensation: High percentage of employees paid above the London Living Wage, with initiatives in place to increase wages and benefits
- Career development: There’s a strong employee review process, and structured training for new hires
- Engagement & satisfaction: Employee satisfaction is regularly measured and reviewed, with workplace flexibility and paid leave policies in place
To see the full details of why we got certain scores in the other B Corp criteria like community, environment, and customers, read on here.
What This Means for CMOs and Agency Partners
Partnering with a Certified B Corporation like Literal Humans is more than just ethical alignment, it’s a smart brand strategy.
In a world where 82% of consumers prefer brands that align with their values, working with a B Corp agency signals to your audience that your brand is committed to leading and growing with purpose. This can help when it comes to improving customer loyalty, building trust with your audience, and strengthening your reputation in an increasingly conscious marketplace.
Agencies that have this certification will naturally have the experience with other mission-driven companies that enables them to understand your organisation. Our diverse, talented team is made up of humans who all have years of experience working with brands committed to prioritising social impact, and the work we create shows it.
Working with Literal Humans means partnering with a team that doesn’t just deliver creative solutions, but does so responsibly, aligning with your brand’s long-term sustainability goals. Additionally, B Corp agencies often attract top-tier talent passionate about making an impact through their work. This translates into more motivated teams driving better results for your campaigns.
Want to Work With a B Corp Agency?
Becoming a Certified B Corporation is a huge milestone for Literal Humans. Still, it’s more than just a badge of honor – it’s a long-term commitment to creating a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable future.
We’re proud to partner with forward-thinking clients who share our values. Over the last few years, our small but mighty agency has had the opportunity to work with several clients committed to positively impacting their communities.
Recently, we’ve helped Oyster, a global employment platform, gain more than quadruple organic search traffic since we started working together. For CORE Learning, a US equity-focused educator development organization, we guided them through a rebrand and website overhaul that led to 207% increase in page views and 191% growth in average session duration.
If you’re a mission-driven brand, we’d love to be your growth partner. Book a strategy call today, and together we’ll explore how we can help your brand grow with purpose.
