Part of the 0.1%: What our B Corp Certification really means

You might have heard that Pod has recently become a Certified B Corporation. It was a long and complex journey, and one we’re very proud of – but what does this certification means for you, our clients and followers?

Out of 2.73 million registered businesses in the UK, only about 2,700 are Certified B Corps. That places us within the top 0.1% organisations meeting B Lab’s standards for social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.

This statistic matters not because it’s exclusive, but because it says something about the agency you are working with. B Corp Certification isn’t a badge you apply for, it’s a thorough assessment of how a business is run – its governance, people, community, environmental impact and client practice, all measured against globally recognised standards.

For us, it followed a two year programme of improvements across every part of the agency. From formalising governance structures and strengthening employee benefits, to tightening operational sustainability and embedding accountability into how we measure performance.

Why the 0.1% matters in energy and utilities

We specialise in B2B marketing for sustainable energy and utilities companies – sectors that are built on trust.

Our clients operate under increasing scrutiny, from regulators, investors, procurement teams and the public. Claims must be evidenced, messaging must be responsible and governance must be watertight. To this end, working with a B Corp Certified agency provides an added layer of reassurance.

It means:

• We’ve been independently assessed against high standards of transparency and accountability
• We understand the importance of responsible growth, not just rapid growth
• We’re committed to ethical supply chain practices
• We operate with long-term impact in mind

In short, we embed in our business the kind of sustainable values our clients are striving to communicate.

More than sustainability messaging

There’s a difference between talking about sustainability and embedding it operationally. B Corp Certification examines social and environmental performance all round. It looks at how we support our people, contribute to our community and measure and reduce our environmental impact.

That matters when you’re advising organisations navigating net zero transitions, green claims regulation or complex stakeholder landscapes. When clients partner with a B Corp Certified agency, they’re not just buying creative ideas, HubSpot implementation or strategic PR, they’re working with a team whose internal standards reflect expectations.

Raising the bar, not crossing a finish line

Achieving certification isn’t the end of the journey. B Corps are reassessed every three years – and with standards, expectations and accountability constantly evolving and improving, this is a constant challenge. But this continual improvement mindset mirrors the industries we work in – energy transition, regulatory reform, ESG reporting are all long-term shifts, not one-off projects.

As our co-founder, Jen Hughes, said: “From day one, we set out to build a business that worked differently. Achieving B Corp status isn’t just a milestone for our agency, it’s a commitment to our employees, community and clients that we practise exactly what we preach.”

Jodie Williams, co-founder, added: “This certification reflects two years of determination and hard work to ensure our agency supports our local community, our people and our planet. We’re proud to be part of a global community of companies working together for change.”

What this means for our clients

If you’re a client, or considering becoming one, working with a B Corp Certified marketing agency means:

• Confidence your partner operates with strong governance and accountability
• Alignment with organisations that prioritise social and environmental performance
• A shared understanding of responsible communication in sustainability-led sectors
• Added credibility within procurement and stakeholder conversations

In an environment where greenwashing risks are real and scrutiny is tightening, alignment matters. If you’d like to explore what this looks like in practice for your B2B marketing, we’d love to talk: marketingpod.com/contact.