“What gets measured, gets managed” – Peter Drucker
It’s B Corp month! We’ve been a B Corp for a little over a year now and it’s been an absolute thrill to be part of the community. A community full of like minded businesses, and the people who run them, on a mission to build something that positively impacts people and planet.
We’ve always tried our best (and some more) but the framework and standardisation B Corp brings ensures that we’re continuously moving in the right direction. As Peter Drucker famously said, what gets measured, gets managed.
Most importantly, B Corp gives you guidance on which companies to buy from. And because B Corp is a holistic assessment of a business, you can be sure that the product is both ethical, and sustainable, because you shouldn’t have to choose between the two.
Hey Siri, define B Corp
Okay…B Corp - A for profit company using their business as a force for good.
Pretty fluffy right? So what does it mean? B Corp is a reference to benefit corporation status which can be achieved only in certain US jurisdictions. A company becomes a benefit corporation when it legally defines its goals to include positive impact on society, workers, community, and the environment - not just profits.
It’s also a nod to the fact that there is no planet B.
What we’re proud of, and what we’re working on
B Corp says we have a perfect score for customer stewardship - we reckon we can do better.
Becoming a B Corp requires exemplary performance across 5 key categories: Governance, Workers, Community, Environment, and Customers. We’re incredibly proud to have scored 100.1 on our first assessment (the median score for applicants is 50.9 and the minimum to qualify is 80) and we’re more motivated than ever to improve.
Governance
The Good - We're proud to have achieved a perfect 10/10 for our impact business model. We know why we’re here and we’re working hard to re-engineer the fashion industry.
The Not So Good - Being a smaller brand there's still lots to do in measuring the practices we’ve put in place. Being Ethical Clothing Australia accredited (and owning our factory, right here in Sydney) means you can rest easy knowing ethics is at the centre of our business. However, we are working on codifying it to be recognised by B Corp.
Workers
The Good - We're proud to have high engagement & satisfaction from all of our staff. Of course Citizen Wolf exists for our customers, but it also exists for each and every member of the team who show up day in and day out giving their all. We've made it this far thanks to their motivation and passion for re-engineering the way clothing is made to be far less destructive.
The Not So Good - We’re still a small team (and a small business) so career development within the brand is always tricky. As we grow we want to make sure there is time carved out within every employee's schedule to be able to develop lifelong skills as well as having the opportunity to try different roles.
Community
The Good - We’re most proud of how much we give back to our community. It wasn’t something anyone really ever thought about, rather, it just seemed like the correct and obvious thing to do. And then B Corp came along and measured our impact and it turns out we do a pretty good job of it.
The Not So Good - While our suppliers are vetted stringently, it’s all done through trusted third party certifications such as GOTS and RWS. Both certifications are thorough in their process however we need to work to formalise a code of conduct that each and every one of our suppliers must follow.
Environment
The Good - It may come as no surprise but we’re most proud to have re-engineered the way clothes are made at scale to be on demand and custom fit to your body. By working this way we’ve drastically reduced overproduction, given our garments a longer life (thanks to perfect fit), and we’re able to be Zero Waste - which is no mean feat in an industry that sends 60% of garments to landfill within a year.
The Not So Good - We need to be better at tracking our water use. At Citizen Wolf we've been laser focused on cutting emissions (and it worked) but now we're working on extending that level of discipline to our water use and conservation efforts. It's something we've already done for our Black Fridye initiative so we're going to implement it for the wider business.
Customers
The Good - We scored a perfect 5/5 for customer stewardship which has the entire team feeling very, very chuffed. We're going for a 6/5 next time round though ❤️
The Not So Good - While we love making Tees for you (and have done so for over 5 years), we want to give you more. There are plenty of other wardrobe staples you own which would be even better if they were Magic Fit®. Our casual polo was the first little step outside of Tees but watch this space because we have an exciting product launch planned for this winter. What could it be? Only time will tell.
We're also working diligently to close the loop for the garments you buy from us so the entire business becomes truly circular. B Corp says we have a perfect score for customer stewardship - we reckon we can do better.
Happy B Corp Month!
As always, everyone at Citizen Wolf thanks you for your support and we hope you'll support other B Corps too. If there's anything you think we've missed, or could do better, just let us know!