#SustyTalk: Avon and Seismic on becoming a B Corp

Deacon is joined, for this special episode, by Seismic’s co-founder and chief impact officer Amy Borbeau.

#SustyTalk is all about keeping edie’s loyal readers connected to sustainability leaders across the world, whilst reminding us all that sustainability and climate action must go on through the current Covid-19 pandemic and beyond. It launched in the early stages of the pandemic in 2020 and has continued since then, keeping us connected to the leaders who are continuing to drive sustainability and climate action.

This latest #SustyTalk episode is part of edie’s 25th anniversary celebrations. edie launched in April 1998, making us older than Google. We have dedicated exclusive features and interviews over the past two weeks to recapping on 25 years of seismic shifts for the sustainable business movement, and will continue to do so this spring and summer.

We are also keeping a keen eye on the present and the future, exploring what it truly means to be a sustainability leader in the 2020s, and what will be needed from leadership in the years to come.

Many believe that a true mark of leadership is B Corp certification. To become a B Corp, businesses need to complete a rigorous assessment of their governance structures and processs; worker treatment; community impact; environmental performance and their relationships with customers. They must re-certify every three years.

There are now more than 7,000 B Corps across the world but certifying certainly is not a quick and easy process.

With that in mind, this SustyTalk features Seismic’s co-founder and chief impact officer Amy Borbeau. Seismic is the B Corp partner for edie’s publisher, Faversham House. She is on hand to provide top tips for navigating the certification process.

Borbeau is joined by a representative for one of Seismic’s clients, Avon. On the line is Avon’s director of corporate affairs & sustainability Natalie Deacon.

In a conversation chaired by edie’s senior reporter Sarah George, Borbeau and Deacon discuss the particularities of certifying as a B Corp for beauty brands such as Avon.

The pair are also on hand to explain how, in certifying, brands that have been working on specific ESG topics for decades can work to formalise their agenda, communicate their impact and identify opportunities to excel in other fields.

Deacon says: “I’m sure we’ve all seen the figures out there around how B Corps – and companies committed to purpose, people and planet – generally tend to perform better, have better staff retention, be more attractive employers. There’s both an emotional and a rational reason for leveraging B Corp – it’s a huge engagement driver.”

Click here to see our catalogue of #SustyTalk interviews

Click here to visit edie’s B Corp Hub

Want to be featured on a future episode of #SustyTalk? Email newsdesk@fav-house.com. Please bear in mind that our interview calendar is typically booked several weeks in advance. 

Editor’s note: This episode references a recent blog from Seismic on the business case for becoming a B Corp. You can read that blog in full here.