This year, we held our third annual B Corp event on the back of our 2025 B Corp 30 list publication. Panel moderator, Charlie Walker of Harmonic, was joined by three guest speakers for insightful conversations around sustainable growth, B Corp innovation, and the importance of being purpose-first:
Andrew Wordsworth – Co-founder and CEO of Sustainable VenturesDan Hayward – Operations Director of Candy Kittens
Dulma Clark – Head of Livebarefoot at Vivobarefoot
Here are the key takeaways for founders…
Businesses should be purpose-first
The most successful businesses don’t just sell a product or service – they have a clear purpose. But, as Dan Hayward from Candy Kittens pointed out, “When you’re selling a consumable good… it can be quite difficult sometimes to figure out what the right direction is.”
“Obviously we’re focussed on the quality of that product. But for us, we define our purpose as making decisions that aren’t just commercially motivated.” Dan added that it can be helpful to ask the ‘so what’ questions to assess the impact of decisions on touchpoints across the business – from sustainability to the bottom line.
It’s all about trying to find the win-wins across the business to get started from a commercial and sustainability perspective. “You begin with the low-hanging fruit, and you build and build and build.” If the team starts to believe you can do better with your product, you create a culture that prioritises both purpose as well as profit.
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Sustainability is the biggest innovator
Taking a sustainable approach to every aspect of business has forced these scale-ups to think outside the box. For Vivobarefoot, this looks like swapping plastic for mushroom-based materials, implementing repair and take-back systems, and getting involved in artisanal preservation products. Dulma Clark also helped launch Vivo’s Impact Fund for research and advocacy, focussed on regenerating human and planetary health.
“We removed 25% of the plastic from our pouches,” said Dan. “Zero people complained. Sometimes it’s about making bold decisions and standing by the fact that it’s the right thing.” Beyond that, Candy Kittens has also experimented with compostable materials and prioritised lifecycle analysis over consumer perceptions – being transparent about their failures along the way.
Andrew Wordsworth added his reflections on Sustainable Ventures, a support organisation for climate startups: “If what we’re doing doesn’t move a climate entrepreneur further and faster along that journey, we don’t do it.”
Going green can equal growth
Leading a purpose-first business means making certain sacrifices. But these don’t have to negatively affect your bottom line.
In fact, according to Andrew, the opposite is true: “Purpose-driven companies expand at least three times faster than non-purpose-driven ones. For example, when we took investment, we went from supporting 500 companies to 1,000 in just two years. We couldn’t have done that without this injection of capital.”
“You can make really strong sustainable decisions that also improve your revenue – it baffles people when you show them the business case,” said Dan. “Five or ten years ago, people thought of such decisions as a risk that only cost your business money. That couldn’t be further from the truth today.”
You don’t have to be a B Corp to make a difference
Not holding a B Corp accreditation shouldn’t stop your business from being motivated by purpose. “At Sustainable Ventures, we felt that our ESG values were already so integral to our mission that we didn’t need to pursue the B Corp certification,” said Andrew. “Nonetheless, I very much admire the businesses – like Vivobarefoot, Candy Kittens and Capsule – that have taken this path.”
Meanwhile, Dan and Dulma sat firmly in the B Corp camp. “We didn’t want to become a B Corp just to fill out the paperwork,” said Dan. “The moment that the B Corp badge becomes the only reason you’re making sustainable business decisions is the moment it stops adding value.” He added. “We wanted the B Corp badge to reflect our business rather than be something that we were simply striving to become.”
“For us, B Corp became something that we could build on further,” added Dulma. “That’s why we developed our own internal system called ReFrame, with 376 different touchpoints across the business that go beyond the B Corp valuation system.”
But going for that B Corp certification isn’t just a key to better internal accountability systems and practices – it can also create new business opportunities. Here, moderator Charlie said: "Going through B Corp re-certification was a brilliant process. It keeps us grounded in why we built Harmonic: to prove you can scale fast, stay values-led, and still be a genuinely great place to work."
Here’s to the future
Thank you to Andrew, Dulma and Dan for sharing their wisdom, to Charlie for moderating the panel again for us this year, and to our event partners Cooper Parry and Sustainable Ventures for making it all possible.
At Capsule, we’re committed to spotlighting the biggest and best innovators in the B Corp space – it’s all part of being a member of this thriving community. In fact, we recently recertified as a B Corp with a score of 101.7 – read all about our experience of the recertification process here.
And if you’re a purpose-driven business trying to make a real impact, get in touch today. We’ll help ensure your insurance programme takes your values into consideration and supports your ambitions.