Today we’re excited to share the news that LunarLab is now officially a Certified B Corporation. In November of 2022 we officially became a Public Benefit Corporation, and this certification is the next step in our journey.
B Corp Certification means that LunarLab has been verified as meeting B Lab’s high standards for social and environmental impact, that we have made a legal commitment to stakeholder governance, and that we are demonstrating accountability and transparency by disclosing this record of performance in a public B Corp profile.
What is a Certified B Corporation?
As we previously shared, LunarLab is already a public benefit corporation, which is a for-profit company focused on making the world a better place. B Lab™ is a nonprofit network and certifying body that certifies B Corporations™, which are companies that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
This new certification means that LunarLab is now part of a global network of businesses that are leading a global movement for an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy. Together, we are shifting our economic system from profiting only the few to benefiting all, from concentrating wealth and power to ensuring equity, from extraction to regeneration, and from prioritizing individualism to embracing interdependence.
Compared to ordinary businesses, B Corps globally are:
- 2.5 times more likely to be Carbon Neutral
- 1.5 times more likely to produce zero waste to landfill or ocean
- 4.7 times more likely to have Supplier Diversity Policies or Programs that give preferences to suppliers with ownership from underrepresented populations
- 1.6 times more likely to have Boards of Directors comprised of majority women or individuals from other underrepresented populations
- 1.8 times more likely to perform a pay equity analysis based on gender/race/ethnicity or other demographic factors, and if necessary, implement equal compensation plans or policies
- 2.4 times more likely to donate more than 1% of their revenue to charity
- 2.7 times more likely to perform policy advocacy for social and environmental causes by providing active staff time or financial support
- 2.4 times more likely to provide employee training that includes social or environmental issues material to the company or its mission
- 3.9 times more likely to explicitly incorporate social and environmental performance into managers’ job descriptions
- 1.4 times more likely to have a 5:1 high to low pay ratio
- 3.5 times more likely to have salaries for executives increase at the same percentage as non-executives
- 2 times more likely to pay 100% of their workers a family living wage
Certified B Corporations are relatively new in the state of Alabama. Trailblazers like Transcend and Sachai Tea Co. led the way in our state as some of the earliest companies to become Certified B Corps. However, LunarLab and other Alabama B Corps are joining the ranks of well-known and beloved national brands like Patagonia, Plum Organics, Ben & Jerry’s, and Toms.
How did LunarLab become a Certified B Corporation?
After changing the legal structure of our company to become a Public Benefit Corporation in 2022, we knew that the next step was seeking certification from B Lab. We joined a cohort with Profitable Purpose Consulting and several Alabama based benefit corporations to start the journey of becoming certified.
Seeking certification is a big undertaking. As part of the process, we completed B Lab’s B Impact Assessment which is designed to measure our company’s positive impact on our workers, community, customers, and environment. This in-depth assessment took several months and a number of review rounds… B Lab reviews everything from our financials, to our charitable giving, to our company policies, to the way we treat our workers, and more. Whew!
We were assessed in 5 distinct impact areas:
- Workers – How we take care of our workers, improving their lives and wellbeing?
- Environment – How we prioritize and take care of the planet
- Governance – How we make sure our company’s governance considers all stakeholders
- Customers – How we have positive impact on our customers’ lives
- Community – How we give back and contribute positively to the community
Transparency builds trust. You can see our B Impact Report results on the B Corp Website, and compare our scores against the performance of mainstream businesses.
This process was very intense, but we are glad we went through it. Ultimately, going through the process helped us to strengthen our company’s policies and governance overall, and helped us to solidify our mission to do good in the world. We even became carbon neutral as part of this process! We love that we’ll be held externally accountable to our goals by being required to maintain our certification.
Why did LunarLab become a Certified B Corporation?
When Kelli and I first dreamed up the idea of LunarLab, we knew right away that our company wasn’t just about us. We had worked in the tech industry for the majority of our careers and knew that many tech products caused social, economic, and environmental harm. A lot of these products were simply never designed to be inclusive, human-centered, or ethical. We’ve always believed that we are responsible for the products we create, so since Day 1 (and before!) LunarLab has focused on designing apps with an eye towards social good.
Additionally, we know that women and people of color who found startups are the least likely to receive funding, resources, and support. So many amazing companies are not afforded the same opportunities as other simply because their founders are from a historically excluded demographic group. This just doesn’t sit well with us. Even though we’re a small business, we wanted to do everything we could to help these founders succeed. Early on in our company, we started mentoring new startups and absolutely loved being able to provide support and guidance to overlooked, underestimated founders.
Since the inception of LunarLab, we have:
- Designed products to make them difficult to use unethically
- Mentored new founders, opened our networks to them, and provided as much support as possible
- Worked to create more inclusive software solutions
- Baked DEI into our core values from day 1
- Provided free training to others in the tech community to help them make more inclusive products
- Provided guidance to our clients on creating more ethical and inclusive tech
- Delivered a public annual report to create transparency and accountability
- … And even turned down work that did not meet our standards for ethics and inclusion!
With all of that in place already, it just made sense to seek certification.
What’s changing at LunarLab?
Certification is a big step, but nothing is changing about the way we operate. Since the very beginning of our company we have always worked to provide social and environmental benefit. Since B Corp values were already baked into the company’s policies and cultures, we didn’t have to change anything to become certified. However, we did strengthen our written policies and company culture, so we are more strictly adhering to these values going forward.
We’re still providing the same high quality services you’ve come to expect from us.
What’s next for LunarLab?
As part of becoming a Certified B Corp, we will need to re-certify in 3 years. In order to maintain certification, we’ll undertake the assessment and verification process again in 2027, demonstrating they we are still meeting B Lab’s standards — which are themselves always improving, with continual input from expert stakeholders.
In the meantime, you’ll be able to read about our progress in next year’s annual report, which will be publicly available on our website. As our company grows, we hope to expand our social impact goals so that we can do more good in the world.
Got questions or concerns? Want to chat about benefit corporations? Don’t hesitate to contact us! We’d love to talk more.
