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This year marks a huge milestone for the UK B Corp movement, 10 years of businesses proving that profit and purpose can work hand in hand. As a newly certified B Corporation in 2024, the Lime Sustainable Supplies team had the pleasure of joining fellow B Corps at the Manchester 10-year celebration, hosted by B Local Manchester.
For us, attending wasn’t just about marking an anniversary. It was about connecting with companies that share our values, organisations that believe business can be a force for good, who want to balance commercial success with responsibility to people and the planet.
With just over 2,600 B Corps in the UK, we’re still a small percentage of the 5.4 million private businesses operating today, but the movement is growing fast. Certification numbers have surged by more than 40% in the last 12–18 months, highlighting a clear shift: businesses want to do more than operate traditionally. They want to be better for their teams, their customers, and the world they impact.
You may have seen us mention our certification a few times already, so here’s a brief refresher on what B Corp represents.
B Corp (Benefit Corporation) certification is awarded by nonprofit B Lab to companies that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Unlike traditional businesses, B Corps commit to balancing profit and purpose across every part of their organisation.
To become certified, businesses must:
Complete the rigorous B Impact Assessment
Legally embed stakeholder consideration into their governance
Publish their impact openly and transparently
B Lab’s framework assesses performance across five key impact pillars:
Governance – ethical leadership and transparent decision-making
Workers – fair treatment, wellbeing, and development
Community – diversity, equity, and social impact
Environment – sustainability practices and ecological footprint
Customers – delivering responsible, positive-impact products and services
Together, these pillars form a roadmap for any organisation aiming to operate with purpose at its core.
The Manchester anniversary event took place at Campfield, a collaborative space that perfectly captured the community spirit of the B Corp movement. Across the afternoon, panels brought together speakers from B Lab UK, Ticket Tailor, Channel 4, Faith in Nature, Tyler Grange, Form, and more.
Panel discussions focused on:
Shaping the Narrative – the role of marketing and media for B Corp brands
Scaling Impact – how to grow profit and purpose in scaling businesses
Beyond the B – how to extend impact beyond certification
Hosted by the brilliant Ngunan Adamu, the conversations were thoughtful, challenging, and inspiring, showing how businesses across different sectors are rethinking what “good business” looks like.
The cleaning and FM sector still has relatively few B Corps, but those that exist are already having a powerful impact. And we’re proud that Lime Sustainable Supplies is one of them. Here at Lime, we’re helping organisations reduce their carbon footprint with full cradle-to-cradle LCAs and verified product carbon footprints, making responsible procurement easier for every business we support.
All of us, and many others, are showing that the cleaning and FM industry can absolutely lead with purpose. We can deliver commercial success and make decisions grounded in sustainability, community benefit, and accountability.
In a sector where trust, quality, transparency, and sustainability carry huge weight, B Corp certification can offer a meaningful competitive advantage.
Becoming a B Corp helps cleaning and FM organisations:
Certification demonstrates that you meet high standards for governance, environmental responsibility, and worker treatment, qualities increasingly demanded in tenders and procurement processes.
Cleaning is an industry often challenged by low wages and high turnover. B Corps commit to fair pay, wellbeing, and development, helping create a more motivated and loyal workforce.
From cleaning chemicals to packaging waste, the sector has a sizeable ecological footprint. B Corp pushes companies to adopt safer products, reduce waste streams, and embed sustainability across operations.
With ESG expectations rising, certification acts as a clear, credible signal that your business delivers positive impact, not just promises it.
Ultimately, B Corp helps you build a resilient, future-focused business aligned with the expectations of clients, employees, and the planet.
We often hear the advice: “Spend time working on your business, not just in it.”
B Corp encourages exactly that: reflection, improvement, and long-term thinking.
Not every company is ready to pursue certification, and that’s okay, but every business can start somewhere. Pick the low-hanging fruit. Set achievable targets. Map them to the five pillars. Begin the journey.
If the number of UK B Corps grew from just over 2,600 to more than 260,000 in the next decade, even just 5% of all UK businesses, the collective impact would be extraordinary. And the cleaning industry has a huge opportunity to help lead that change.
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