Let’s start with the B, which stands for Benefit for all. This is very much the core value in becoming a B Corp, it symbolises businesses working for everyone including stakeholders, workers communities, customers and of course the planet. It started in 2006, built on the idea that ‘a different kind of economy was not only possible, it was necessary’ and hence B Corp was formed with the belief that business could function in a way that is very much about the people surrounding it, for the many and not the few.

'We knew about the good work that the B Corp network does, and as a growing, independent business, we wanted to be part of a wider collective that shared similar values. At FLOOR_STORY, we want the business to do well of course, but not at the expense of the planet or its people. We also want everyone who is involved with us to do well and that goes from everyone at our HQ in East London to our weavers in Bhadohi, Varanasi and Kathmandu.'

Simon Goff, FLOOR_STORY Director

After launching our first Impact Report in April 2023, we had already laid down lots of the groundwork for applying for B Corp certification through projects and company values that spoke of our commitment to Workers, Environment, Customers, Community and Governance.

We wanted to join a wider network, committed to Ethics and Sustainability that stretched beyond the rug industry to hold ourselves accountable for the ways in which we grow as an independent business.

To become a B Corp, you need to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. You evidence this by following the B Lab standards, policies, tools and programs that shift the structure of capitalism to businesses working for the many and not the few. This is something we can do together, hence joining a global B Corp community of 4000+ businesses that have proven their commitment.

Becoming a B Corp isn’t the end of the journey. A business must continue to improve and re-certify every three years and we’re excited to continue to learn and grow.

In late 2021, a conversation took place between Simon from FLOOR_STORY and Sally Burtt-Jones of 11 TwentyTwo about how businesses can be both profitable and ethical and how to measure impact on the environment and on people. This laid the foundation for the journey that FLOOR_STORY has been on ever since and is now legally committed to continuing for the future. As a first step, FLOOR_STORY wanted to understand what was important to its customers and suppliers when it came to Ethical, Social and Governance goals and conducted a wide-reaching survey to find out. The full results can be found on Page 11 of the Impact Report 22/23 but it showed that first priorities should be Human Rights, Ethical Business Leadership and Natural Resource Conservation.

2022 was spent developing systems that meant that FLOOR_STORY could track…. almost everything! From the quantity of wool used in all the rugs sold in one year (as well as all other materials), to energy usage, to recycling, to charitable donations. Every stone was turned over. This was the basis of the inaugural Impact Report that was published on April 26th 2023. But not everything could be calculated the first time round and so goals were set in the Impact Report 22/23 of how we would continue to find ways to monitor and reduce more, including water usage at the factories and Scope 3 emissions. In the meantime, FLOOR_STORY became a Climate Positive Workforce with Ecologi and took (and continues to take) climate action through projects around the world.

As a B Leader, Sally (who is now our sustainability consultant) spoke very highly of the B Corp movement and encouraged FLOOR_STORY to consider making a practical and legal commitment to being a business that strives for an inclusive, equitable and regenerative economy. And so the B Corp journey began in June 2023. Applying for B Corp certification means going through a huge number of questions divided into the topics of Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers.

There are over 150 areas of questioning and answers must of course be able to be evidenced. These range from altering the Articles of Association with Companies House to make a legal commitment to being a business for good and that commits to fully transparent reporting annually (usually through an Impact Report) to the type of cleaning products or toilet paper you use in the workplace! It’s quite the list.

Under Sally’s B Leadership, FLOOR_STORY meticulously went through the B Lab questions over the next few months. As a small but accountable business, many requirements were being instinctively met but without formal policy or procedure. This was a chance to ensure that the business had fully considered all of the criteria with tracking and reporting which only continues to improve standards for everyone who works for and with the business as it grows.

In order to submit your application, it is necessary to have achieved over 80 points. On Friday 20th October 2023, FLOOR_STORY submitted the B Corp application with 96.5 points. In late January, the verification process started and thanks to all the preparation, went very smoothly. We became a B Corp on 21st February 2024!

The team are working on our next Impact Report as well as the third rug industry sustainability round-table, being held at the FLOOR_STORY showroom.

B Corp recertification is already in the diary for 2027. Our B Corp story is only just beginning.

We’ve worked on projects with partners who share the same values and put these into practice to help communities thrive.