After months of assessing and reporting, scoring and scrutinizing, we’re proud to announce that hcma is officially a Certified B Corporation—joining a global movement towards an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy.
As a framework to benchmark ongoing environmental and social targets, B Corp is one of the few global standards by which we can measure ourselves, while being held accountable for future progress.
This is an ongoing journey. No short-termism. No greenwashing. Instead, we’re measured on our progress, with our score reassessed every three years.
“Perfect is the enemy of good”
Our current economic system puts profit over people and the planet. B Corp believes that a different kind of economy is necessary if we’re to address society’s most critical challenges. We’ve long held that same view.
B Corp Certification doesn’t mean we’re perfect, nor have we achieved our highest impact. Instead, it gives us a framework for learning and improvement, while being part of a global community of businesses working collectively for economic change.
A process of introspection
The B Corp process put our whole business under a microscope. It highlighted areas where we can do better—and helped us to create a plan for improvement. Sometimes the findings were obvious, sometimes they were eye opening. But they were always motivating.
The result is an overall measure of our performance, categorized into Governance, Workers, Community, Environment, and Customers. Here’s how we’re measuring up so far.
The B Corp community
What excites us most is the collaborative side of B Corp. Certified businesses are encouraged to work together and we’re looking forward to exchanging ideas and learning from those on a similar path.
We’re not naive enough to think that B Corp solves everything. We have different views on whether the assessment areas are rigorous and accurate enough. In some areas, we believe we can challenge the system to do better, while others will obviously help us to make changes. We’re excited by the opportunity to start these conversations and contribute to the B Corp movement.
An opportunity for Canadian architects
We’d love to see more Canadian architects join us on this journey. As the climate crisis intensifies and isolation and economic disparity continue to spiral, B Corp is an opportunity to prioritize environmental and social governance.
In the UK, only 9 out of 1145 B Corps are architects. In the US, only 21 out of 2000+ B Corps are architecture firms. This is an opportunity for Canadian architects to join a global movement towards an equitable, just, and inclusive future.
Want to learn more? Drop us a line, we’d be happy to answer any questions—you can also read more on the B Corp website.
