At Stok, equity, transparency, and accountability are core to how we work as a people-first organization. Our commitment to a radically better world for all led us to learning about B Corp certification and the International Living Future Institute’s Just Label back in 2015 as two ways for us to put our values to the test and publicly share our progress toward using business as a force for good – and identify areas for improvement – through structured, third-party frameworks.
Taking the plunge to pursue B Corp and Just wasn’t an easy process, but in the near decade since, we’ve found that the value provided by being a transparent organization has outweighed any initial worries about publicizing our shortcomings. In fact, being open about where we need to improve continues to drive our goals and priorities, providing clarity and direction as we pursue our purpose to boldly catalyze an environmentally restorative and socially equitable world.
In 2023, Stok re-certified as a B Corp and renewed our Just Label, now operating under Just 2.0. What have we learned from this most recent process? First, let’s quickly clarify what these different designations mean, then share lessons learned and what’s next in this purpose-driven pursuit.
B Corp Certification
To become a certified B Corp, companies complete the rigorous B Impact Assessment that measures an organization’s comprehensive social and environmental impact across five categories: Governance, Workers, Community, Environment, and Customers. Companies must score 80 or higher to qualify for certification.
The first time Stok certified as a B Corp in 2016, we were a smaller organization than we are now and walked away with a score of 112.6. As we’ve grown and have found the need to focus on the ways we continue to support our team members and clients, we’ve noticed that it’s become harder to document our processes. While our most recent score is lower than it was the first time Stok certified as a B Corp in 2016, we’re still proud of our continued commitment to positive impact and will use insights from our latest assessment to identify where we can improve as we continue to grow.
Just Label
The Just Label serves as a nutrition label for how organizations perform across categories that specifically measure social justice: Diversity and Inclusion, Equity, Employee Health, Employee Benefits, Stewardship, and Purchasing and Supply Chain. Unlike B Corp’s performance-based certification, the Just Label is a disclosure framework focused on transparency, and any organization can publish a label.
Our journey with Just has been one that has evolved along with the Label’s evolution—we most recently published under ILFI’s newer Just 2.0 standards, which added another level of measurement as well as new additional categories. Tracking our performance across these categories continues to give us direction on how we can set goals to improve as an organization, while celebrating our wins along the way.
Lessons Learned
Organizational Alignment: As we recently announced, EcoAmmo, a leading Canadian sustainability consultancy and fellow B Corp and ILFI Just organization, has joined Stok. We’ve known each other for many years, and one of the indicators of our cultural and values alignment throughout is that we’ve both pursued a B Corp certification and Just Label. We’ve found it inspiring to see the places where we’re similar as well as where we’ve differed in our scores. Now, together, we’ll embark on our next round of recertification and disclosure as one organization.
Measure and Report: The experience of our recent B Impact Assessment confirmed the value of measuring our own environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria. Stok’s in-house experts, who support real estate and corporate clients with ESG programs, have completed a Stok materiality assessment to inform our inaugural ESG report, coming soon.
Prioritize Diversity and Inclusion: Our Just Label recertification gave us some insight into where we can improve our commitment and action toward social justice, such as ethnic diversity and inclusion. Beyond our own organization, Stok supports LeaderFlow to accelerate the pipeline to leadership for professionals of color in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry.
Celebrate Your Wins: It’s easy to focus on what you can improve, but equally important to recognize where you’re doing well. Our B Corp certification and Just Label shined a light on progress for us to celebrate along this journey, including:
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- Our “Mission Locked” Governance category, a designation for companies with an Impact Business Model that is designed to create positive outcomes for our stakeholders.
- Achieving our highest score in the B Corp Environment Category by having core services that focus on creating positive environmental impact.
- Continuing to excel in gender diversity.
- Carrying out our value of stewardship through the services we provide.
What’s Next?
Our journey as a B Corp and Just organization continues as we learn from our peers and set new standards. Stok team members recently joined B Corp’s U.S. and Canada Built Environment Network, which aims to connect like-minded leaders in the built environment, fostering idea-sharing and driving meaningful climate action. As the ILFI just announced its new Just Label 3.0, we’re also inspired to see that having a positive impact in our communities and industries is also a constantly evolving target that can continue to hold organizations accountable and promote transparency.
We’re excited for our next round of learning from re-certifying as a B Corp and republishing our Just Label. We hope to see you grow with us, too! Reach out to share your organization’s journey to transparency and impact, or to discuss how to get started.
