We’re a B Corp!

We’re a B Corp!

As of May 2026, STC Expeditions is a fully certified B Corp. It’s been tough getting here and we couldn’t be prouder, but you might be wondering what being a B Corp means and why it should matter…

B Lab and the B Corp movement
When B Lab was established in 2006, its goal was ambitious – it wanted to make business better. Not just better for business owners, but better for employees, local communities and the planet as a whole. The ‘B’ in B Lab stands for ‘better’, which keeps the organisation’s aim front and centre at all times.

B Lab’s founders had a wealth of experience as investors and entrepreneurs. This led them to conclude that the current economic system, with its constant drive for short-term gain at any cost, wasn’t sustainable. In their own words, they wanted to ‘help mobilise a global community of businesses committed to collective action on society’s most critical challenges.’ To achieve this, B Lab works with private-sector companies, helping them scrutinise and improve the social and environmental impact of their work. Accountability and transparency are critical to B Lab’s success, which is where the B Corp movement comes in.

What exactly is a B Corp?
A big part of what B Lab does is certifying companies as B Corps. To achieve certification, these companies must demonstrate that they ‘meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability’. Being awarded the B Corp badge means a business has committed to an ‘inclusive, equitable and regenerative way of doing business’. Globally, over 10,000 companies have gained certification and, by acting together, this powerful unit aims to tackle issues such as climate change and social injustice, while working in a way that balances profit with the well-being of people and the planet.

Why does it matter to STC Expeditions?
Recently, STC Expeditions celebrated its twentieth birthday. This gave us pause to look back at where we started and assess where we are now. Throughout our two decades in business, we’ve prioritised ethical travel and pushed ourselves to be as sustainable and environmentally conscientious as possible. Putting STC Expeditions under the B Lab microscope gave us the opportunity to formally assess what we do and identify where we could do more. We saw that the benefits of being a B Corp were threefold:

• it would let people know what we stand for and demonstrate that we take practical action
• it would push us to work harder and set ourselves more ambitious social and environmental goals
• it would give us the chance to be part of a larger movement and work with like-minded businesses in making a difference

It’s worth noting that becoming a B Corp isn’t like joining a club. It’s not a matter of filling in a few forms and paying a subscription. The certification process is rigorous and gruelling – to become a B Corp, you really have to want to be one. All aspects of the business are scrutinised, from its diversity and inclusion practices to the actions it takes to combat climate change, as well as its commitment to human rights.

Megan Freese, our Operations Manager, took charge of the B Corp certification process. Having put in the hard graft, she’s justifiably delighted that STC Expeditions has gained certification, but notes that it wasn’t a walk in the park. Let’s hear what she has to say about it…

What was the toughest part of the application process?
Finding the capacity – we’re a small company and we were already doing a lot of things that met the requirements of B Corp but they weren’t always formalised, so that took a bit of work. We worked with an amazing consultant, Sally Burtt-Jones, who helped guide us through the first stages of the process as it’s daunting and we had a relatively short timeframe to complete our assessment.

Was there anything that surprised you as you went about scrutinising the business?
We do a lot for a small company but there’s so much more we could do. The B Corp standards are also constantly changing and becoming more stringent, which can only be a good thing.

Are there any changes you’ve been galvanised to make or things you’re encouraged to continue doing?

That is the beauty of the B Corp process – it really galvanises you to keep improving; to embed ideas into the company culture. It has been a real joy to see everyone in our team get behind it. I think it resonated with people in different ways but it has solidified our identity as a company. We always felt we were doing good things but this has pushed us to be better, to set our expectations higher and to deliver on what we say we do. It has also given us a sense of momentum. We’ve made commitments and set targets that we need to deliver in order to maintain our certification, so it keeps us working hard towards these.

Got questions about any of our social, environmental or sustainability policies? Get in touch – we’re always happy to talk.

To find out more about B Lab and B Corps, visit bcorporation.uk.