Why B Corp certification matters

When William Karatasos first established the Williams company back in 1982, making a difference to people and community was always one of the key tenets.

It’s why, for a long time, we’ve offered above-award wages, extra days for volunteering, as well as birth classes for our expecting team members.

We’d argue that our purpose-driven and family-centred business approach is why the bulk of our key decision makers have been with us for some 20 years. What’s good for the environment is also good for business.

“Our customers can be confident that we are here for the long term, and that we are prioritising sustainability,” explains Louis Karatasos, Williams Logistics director. “People and planet are at the heart of our business.”

Now with B Corp we are able to clearly demonstrate our point of difference to our customers and set the standard for our industry.

Peace of mind

Now we have the B Corp stamp, our customers instantly know that we meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability.

“We want to be able to say to our customers that if you work with us, you know we look after our staff, you know we support our community, and you know we prioritise and practice sustainability.”

The certification process

For Williams, gaining this certification didn’t require much change – after all, people and planet were already at the heart of our business – rather, it meant spending 18 months documenting and logging our policies and processes for a third party to verify.

It was a rigorous assessment encompassing governance, workers, community, environment and customers, but we know that with that B Corp stamp we’ll continue to attract top talent and like-minded customers.

“You have to do your best to have a social conscience within the community,” Louis says.

The next chapter in ethical business

Of course, using our business as a force for good is an ever-evolving mission. For a long time, we have been recycling  and reusing materials.  More recently we invested in carbon credits to offset emissions, and in August we were thrilled to transition to solar power from panels on our warehouse roof.

“We also use solar energy and pay for carbon credits in terms of the emissions we use,” Louis explains.

“We’ve converted a number of customers to biodegradable packaging and are continuing to find the right biodegradable packaging for our customers.”

The benefits of being B Corp-certified are immense. Not only do we sleep soundly at night knowing that we’re a leader in social and environmental responsibility, but we know that our employees are having a positive experience in a supportive work environment.

“We’re a business that’s honest and truthful,” Louis says. “Our mission is to grow our customer’s businesses, which in turn, helps us grow.”