At a time when business is associated with greenwashing and lobbying to slow down climate action, there is a growing wave of businesses in Ireland committed to doing good.
Three Cork-based B Corp certified businesses, Change by Degrees, Otonomee and Climeaction, came together with B Lab Ireland on Thursday, 13 June to host the first BCorp event in Cork. A day of networking and panel discussions triggered a wave of companies wanting to be more ambitious and use their influence to create positive impact. The atmosphere in the room was overwhelming positive, practical and solutions focused.
The event took place in The Dean Hotel, where B Corps including UrbanVolt, Velo Coffee Roasters, Ballyhass Adventures, OCEANR, OPTEL Group, Broadlake, and Gaia Talent, shared stories of how they have pushed boundaries to create value for their businesses, customers and communities, and for the environment, by reshaping business models, company cultures and customer experiences.
CORK – A BCORP CITY?
Keynote speaker and self-proclaimed ‘entrepreneur for human progress’, Marcello Palazzi set the challenge to make Cork a BCorp city. Over the past 35 years Palazzi has successfully launched 30+ ventures, including B Lab Europe, where he has grown B Corps in Europe from zero to over 600 today.
Marcello is also the founder of B For Good Leaders, the first global cooperative of entrepreneurs for the planet. He shared examples of B Corp cities from New York and Rome to Barcelona and urged Cork to set an audacious goal to be a leading B Corp city, not just in Ireland, but globally. He stressed the importance of having an inspiring vision for the city and the country.
“If Ireland is creating a strategy for the future, B Corp companies have to be at the heart of it.”
He set the challenge to launch a ‘Cork Can B initiative’ and keep the momentum generated at the event.
Influential Cork-based corporations such as Merck and Barry Group joined panel sessions exploring the themes of the event – experience, expertise and influence, with sponsorship provided by Munster-based B Corp certified company Cully & Sully.
After the event, Hilary O’Shea, co-founder and Chief Corporate Officer, stated: “In an increasingly fragmented world, facing serious environmental and social challenges, companies need to act on their moral obligations to use business as a force for good. B Corp provides a transparent global framework to achieve this and brings a like-minded business minds together to elevate impact. Doing well in business and doing good in the world, has never been so critical”.
