We’ve got super news: As of September 2022, we are officially a certified B Corp. This makes us part of a global B Corp network that brings together exceptional companies and brands committed to working for communities and with care for the environment. Because business should be a force for good.
„From the beginning of Harmonica, our goal has been to use the business model to find solutions to environmental and social problems and to set an example so that other businesses and entrepreneurs will follow suit. This way of thinking and working is becoming increasingly popular and gaining a lot of traction and B Corp is the certification that ensures that responsibility is part of every decision in the organisation.“
– Lubomir Nokov, our CEO.
What is B Corp?
B Corp is short for Benefit Corporation. So B Corp are companies that work not only for profit but also for benefit. For the benefit of the community, the environment and the stakeholders. Certified B Corp’s consider their impact on people and the planet in everything they do. And that includes the entire supply chain, because we can’t claim to be a responsible company and turn a blind eye to how the raw materials we use are produced.
The B Corp certification means:
- that our company is verified and meets high standards for its impact on society and the environment,
- that we are legally committed to managing stakeholder interactions,
- that we demonstrate accountability and transparency by publishing our results in our public profile on the B Corp website.
What did it take for us to become a B Corp?
B Corp certification is done on five main topics – employees, environment, customers, community and management. On each of these topics, we answer a bunch of questions and sub-questions.
When we fill in the questionnaires, auditors check that everything we have said is correct, ask for additional material, hold meetings and interviews with people from the company and where necessary make changes to the answers. At the end of the process, the points from each answer are added up and if we have more than 80 points, we receive a three-year certificate. For us, this process took almost two years, but in the end Harmonica got 103.7 points, which made us super happy.
Why did we decide to be a B Corp?
Because we believe that the days when the only responsibility of business was to make a profit are over. Expectations for business to create value for our society are becoming more and more serious. At Harmonica, we have always sought to change the environment by setting an example for responsible business decisions. From the beginning, we have worked with the B Corp mantra of balance between profit and benefit.
Moreover, we are very proud to be part of this global community of leaders and supporters. Being a B Corp is a huge responsibility and motivates us to look for new solutions to raise the bar, to continue and improve to meet ever higher standards of social and environmental responsibility.
What are our next goals?
We had no doubt that the B Corp certification was worth the effort and time it took and we are very proud to be one of the first Bulgarian B Corp companies.
B Corp certification does not mean we are perfect, nor that we have made our greatest impact.
To maintain our certification, we must go through the assessment and audit process every three years to prove that we continue to meet B Lab’s standards. These standards are continually improving, so as a B Corp we too will strive to improve.
Our goals for the next three years include doing much more in packaging choices, working to reduce carbon emissions from our operations, and working with farmers to improve farming methods. We will also aim to talk and tell more about this way of thinking, so that we can get more businesses and entrepreneurs in Bulgaria to start down this path.
And here is what the B Corp manifesto says:
Together, we transform the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet.
Together, we lead economic systems change that will realize our vision of an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy.
Together, we create standards, policies, tools, and programs that shift the behavior, culture, and structure of capitalism.
Together, we’re changing the rules of the game so that all businesses have to balance profit and purpose.
Together, we’re building a movement of people using business as a force for good.
Together, we won’t stop until all business is a force for good.
Find out more at the B Corp web site.