Our BCorp

vvast's B Corp Certification: Our Commitment to purpose led business

We are proud to announce that vvast has achieved B Corp certification, marking a significant milestone in our journey towards being truly purpose led.  This certification is a testament to our unwavering commitment to creating a positive impact on our employees, communities, and the planet, the triple bottom line – embodying our core D4C mindset.

What is B Corp Certification?

B Corp certification, awarded by B Lab, recognises companies that meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. This certification places vvast among a global community of businesses striving to be the best for the world.

Our Certification Journey

Our company mission statement is: “We drive long-term brand equity by leveraging exceptional teams and technology”, which was the ideal starting point for our purpose led mission, along with our company values. 

Building brand equity, not discounting or doing other tactics that erode brand equity, is very much a long game. Being purpose-led is clearly a long game too, building trust with partner brands and their end consumers takes time and is, by definition, a long-term objective.  

Achieving B Corp certification involved a comprehensive assessment of our operations, policies, and practices. This process of self-discovery reinforced our commitment to being purpose-led, which is reflected by our ability to integrate the key tenants of our Bcorp into our playbook and also  in our vvastify SaaS App and theme strategy, aimed at democratising our purpose-led ecommerce knowledge for global impact.

As you can read in our public (and at times slightly scarily transparent) materiality assessment, we have three main pillars of our B Corp:

Sustainability in Retail

Sustainability is central to our retail strategy. We aim to minimise our environmental footprint through innovative solutions and promote circular economy principles. Our efforts include:

  • Enhancing brand reputation and loyalty through sustainability initiatives.
  • Reducing carbon emissions and building resilience against climate risks and ensuring any claims being made have been verified by an independent third party.
  • Optimising resource use, minimising waste through better stock planning, and maximising efficiency e.g. product shipping routing or single use plastic use in end consumer packaging, 
  • Implementing solutions to reduce pollution and protect ecosystems.
  • Promoting product life cycle extension and circular business models.

The Role of Data

Data-driven insights are crucial for sustainable decision-making. We use data analytics to identify areas for improvement and track progress, driving positive environmental outcomes. Our initiatives include:

  • Culpable and transparent deployment of ethical AI, including an internal AI steering committee. 
  • Enhancing customer awareness and supporting sustainable decisions, with vvastBI tracking key metrics.
  • Implementing carbon reporting and carbon reduction strategies with our vvastify 2.0 product ecosystem.
  • Identifying and prioritising sustainability issues through comprehensive, playbook level assessments.

Ethical Advertising

We uphold the highest standards of integrity and transparency in our marketing practices. Our focus includes:

  • Defining an Ethical Advertising Framework >> in partnership with our brands, fellow B Corps and wider advertising community.
  • Working with Partner Brands >> deploying the ethical framework whilst balancing the commercial need for sustainable growth. 
  • Governance and best practices >> adhering to the highest standards of corporate governance and best practices.

Legislation compliance >> ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and advocating for sustainable policies.

B Corp Materiality Assessment

As part of our certification, we conducted a Materiality Assessment in 2023 to identify key sustainability issues. This assessment highlighted our focus on brand equity, climate change, and the mental wellbeing of employees and suppliers. We will continue to conduct assessments every two years to stay updated on key sustainability issues.

Looking Ahead

Our B Corp certification is just the beginning. We are committed to deepening our ethics and sustainability efforts, setting ambitious goals, and inspiring others to join us in creating a better future. We extend our gratitude to our employees, partners, and community for their support. 

Together, we can drive meaningful change and build a more sustainable, equitable world. We are excited to engage with the wider community to collaborate in ways as commercially openly as possible. 

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