6 March 2023
As It Should Be officially announced its launch today as a new digital consultancy with a purpose: to support great teams in making a digital world that’s better for all people and for our planet. The company also announced that it has been founded as a Certified B Corporation®—or “B Corp”—joining a growing group of companies reinventing business by pursuing purpose as well as profit. They celebrate the launch by revealing their new brand identity and website designed to reflect its purpose, philosophy and personality.
The company was founded by Jon Gibbins, a UK-based digital accessibility consultant who has spent two decades making digital products and services more accessible to Disabled people for brands around the world. He says “For me, As It Should Be encapsulates how I feel that digital should be—inclusive and sustainable—and the way that business should be—collaborative, ethical, and a force for good. With that in mind, one of my proudest achievements is starting the business as a B Corp.”
The company is now part of a community of over 6,200 businesses globally who have certified as B Corps, joining other digital B Corps such as MightyBytes and Wholegrain Digital. The B Corp community in the UK represents a broad cross section of industries and sizes, and now comprises over 1,200 companies, including well-known brands such as Abel & Cole, The Body Shop, Finisterre, The Guardian, and innocent.
As It Should Be has been certified by B Lab, the not-for-profit behind the B Corp movement, as having met rigorous social and environmental standards which represent its commitment to goals outside of shareholder profit. The certification process addresses a wide spectrum of a business’ operations, and covers five key impact areas of Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers. Applicants are required to reach a benchmark score of over 80 while providing evidence of socially and environmentally responsible practices relating to energy supplies, waste and water use, worker compensation, diversity and corporate transparency. To complete the certification, the company legally embed their commitment to purpose beyond profit in their company articles.
Jon Gibbins adds “Starting this consultancy has been about building the sort of business I have always wanted to work for—a responsible business built on ethical core values that uses business as a force for good. Using technical skills for good has always been at the heart of my work, but the COVID-19 pandemic provided space to take stock and helped me to identify problems in my work life. It began a period of change to better align my work with my values, and to focus on what I believe really matters—to work towards a world that serves all people without harming the planet as we do so. The changes I’ve made since then have resulted in positive outcomes for me, my business and its clients.
“As the business grows, amplifying this impact will be a driving force and we aim to provide work opportunities that have meaning, with positive social and environmental impact. Using the B Impact Assessment as a framework to build the business upon was an obvious choice. We’re especially proud to have achieved a considerable score for a small business in its first year of certification. We’re thrilled to be one of the UK’s first one thousand B Corps and to join the growing UK B Corp community, which has nearly doubled in size since we certified in 2022.”
Chris Turner, Executive Director of B Lab UK, says “We are delighted to welcome As It Should Be to the B Corp community. This is a movement of companies who are committed to changing how business operates and believe business really can be a force for good. We know that they’re going to be a fantastic addition to the community and will continue driving the conversation forward.
“We are pleased to have B Corps of all shapes and sizes as part of our community—from startups to multinationals and across many different industries. Business is a powerful force and B Corps demonstrate that you can do good in any sector. We and the rest of the B Corp community are really pleased to support As It Should Be in paving the way for a new way of doing things.”
Jon Gibbins believes we’re starting to see exponential growth in more socially and environmentally conscious organisations. He adds “We can see this in the traction being gained by movements like B Corp, but also in more traditional businesses vying for our attention by proclaiming their green products and sustainability credentials or creating more inclusive marketing campaigns. My hope is that this is signalling a new era of more socially and environmentally conscious organisations—more empathic organisations with broader, more intersectional thinking, where each of our best interests are no longer siloed, but brought together into holistic policies and practices.”
Visit digitalasitshouldbe.com to find out more about As It Should Be.
About As It Should Be
As It Should Be is a digital consultancy that helps great teams make the digital world better for all people and for our planet. We work best with purpose-driven organisations, ethical brands, and good causes who want to do even better by making digital more accessible and sustainable with products and services that don’t exclude Disabled people or cost the planet.
Read more about the launch on LinkedIn
About B Lab UK
B Lab UK is transforming the economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. A leader in economic systems change, our global network creates standards, policies, and tools for business, and we certify companies—known as B Corps—who are leading the way. To date, our global community includes 6,279 B Corps in 89 countries and 159 industries, and over 150,000 companies manage their impact with the B Impact Assessment and the SDG Action Manager.
