IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 22
Why did RNL pursue B Corp certification?
Becoming a B Corp really ties into our guiding
principles. The B Corp emphasis is on using
business as a force for good, and it's equally
grounded in environmental and social impact.
The people aspect of it really struck a chord,
because our firm culture is very much about that.
There's a huge amount of emphasis on social
responsibility and sustainability in our design
work, but some of our projects take years to
complete. Meanwhile we had so many great
things going on internally and operationally,
and certification provided us an opportunity to
broadcast and strengthen those activities.
Culturally, that seems like it might be true for a
lot of firms.
The industry is very focused on the impact of how
design improves the health and well-being of our
clients. But looking at what we're doing for our own
employees seems to have fallen by the wayside.
When we started down the path to certification, we
realized we were already doing a lot of the things
that were required; we just needed to formalize
our processes a bit.
For example, in our office kitchens we had all of
the infrastructure for recycling and composting
and tableware for client lunches, but we just
needed to add additional signage and instructions
so everything was clearly identified. We also have
a running club at the firm and started offering
yoga classes on site. And RNL's got a big bike
community, and we wanted to encourage people
to travel more sustainably locally. So we purchased
five bikes that are now in our lobby, and they're
available for people to check out and take during
the day to go to a meeting downtown-helmet
and everything. It's a very visible commitment
to reducing our carbon footprint, which is also
a hallmark of B Corp certification.
What's been the response from employees?
It's been terrific. It's exciting because we're joining
a community of really high-profile companies like
Warby Parker and Kickstarter who have been
certified as B Corps, and there's been some great
press attention to it. And there's a sense of pride
among our employees too. We had a little kickoff
party after we got our certification, and served Ben
and Jerry's ice-cream-they're one of the more
famous B Corp members-and handed out buttons
and badges that the Corp had provided and a
number of people took them back to their desks and
are displaying them. I think it adds an extra level
of depth, and a reminder that when we work on
projects we're not just looking at the impact our
work is having externally, but at the impact
working on a project has internally too.
22
I imagine the certification has been really
attractive to potential employees.
Absolutely-I've heard from a number of new
hires who said they were drawn to RNL because
of our certification.
What's been the reaction from clients?
Very, very positive. We've had a number of clients
contact us and say they knew we were leaders in
sustainability all along, and that this just verifies
that. And a number of our consultants have
reached out about it too, wanting to know more.
But beyond that it's also broadened our network
and introduced us to people we hadn't met before.
The B Corp community here in Colorado is pretty
strong and a very diverse group-from the law
industry to agriculture to consumer products, and
everyone in the community has just been really
welcoming and excited to connect.
It seems like there's great potential to meet other
like-minded companies-and possibly found
new working relationships or collaborate with
firms you wouldn't normally engage with.
Definitely. Back in December, we actually cohosted
a holiday party with another B Corp company, a
real-estate company that's also in downtown
Denver, that we hadn't known of or worked with
before, so that was great. B Corp has also organized
a town hall event that several of us at the firm are
speaking at in a couple of months, and we've all
been paired up with people from other industries.
Already we've made connections in the finance
industry, in real estate, and law firms. We haven't
had any projects come out of it yet, but we just
received our certification in October 2015.
And actually some of the benefits have been
completely unexpected. When we got our fleet of
bikes, we realized we needed to figure out how to
deal with insurance and waivers from a safety and
human resources point of view, and we weren't
sure how to do that. I actually logged onto the B
Corp forum to ask if any other B Corps had done
anything similar and had any recommendations-
it was on a Thursday night. On Saturday morning
I got a response back from a catering company in
London who had done the same thing-they sent
us all of their resources and an example of their
waiver, and on Monday morning I was able to say
to HR-here you go, here's everything we need. It's
a great example of how connected and supportive
the community is.
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016
Iida Perspective - Spring/summer 2016
Contents
From IIDA
Behind the Issue
Contributors
IIDA Industry Roundtable
Designer Dialogue: The B Corp Wave
Can Design Rock the Vote?
The Politics of Sport
Roundtable: Office Politics
Inspiration
Colophon
Viewpoints
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - Iida Perspective - Spring/summer 2016
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - Contents
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 1
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 2
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 3
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 4
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - From IIDA
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - Behind the Issue
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 7
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - Contributors
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 9
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - IIDA Industry Roundtable
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 11
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 12
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 13
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 14
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 15
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 16
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 17
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 18
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 19
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - Designer Dialogue: The B Corp Wave
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 21
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 22
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 23
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 24
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 25
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - Can Design Rock the Vote?
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 27
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 28
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 29
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 30
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 31
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 32
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 33
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - The Politics of Sport
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 35
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 36
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 37
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 38
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 39
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 40
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 41
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 42
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 43
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - Roundtable: Office Politics
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 45
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 46
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 47
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 48
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 49
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 50
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 51
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - Inspiration
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 53
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 54
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - Colophon
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - Viewpoints
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - Cover3
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2019fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2019summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2019spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2018fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2018summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2018spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2017fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2017springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2016fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2016springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2015fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2015springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2014fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2014springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2013fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2013springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2012fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2012springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2011fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2011springsummer
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com