From the beginning, Northtree’s founders were determined that the future growth of the company would be sustainable and make a positive contribution to both people and the planet.
Our commitment.
We first demonstrated that commitment by achieving Pending B Corporation status in our first year of operation, by implementing the legal requirement to balance profit and purpose and completing the B Impact Assessment (BIA) based on future intentions. As a Pending B Corp, we joined a rapidly growing group of companies who are reinventing business by pursuing purpose as well as profit. Utilising the BIA, we focused on creating a baseline to benchmark future performance, putting robust data gathering and management systems in place and developing an effective stakeholder engagement strategy.
Certified by B Lab.
We were absolutely thrilled when we were certified by B Lab, the not-for-profit organisation behind the B Corp movement, as having met their rigorous social and environmental standards, realising the good intentions set out in our Pending assessment.
Our first full B Impact score is 102.9, well in excess of the 80-point certification threshold.
You can find out more about what the score means and how it breaks down to its constituent parts by viewing our entry in the B Corp directory.
An endorsement of our approach to commercial real estate investment.
Our approach to commercial real estate investment and asset management was a major contributor to our overall score. The integrated approach we take to implementing our Net Zero Pathway unlocked the Environment Impact Business Model, a recognition that our company’s business strategy is designed to deliver a specific, material, positive environmental impact. We also exceeded the benchmarks for our country, sector and company size in the Governance, Workers and Customers areas.
The global B Corp movement continues to go from strength to strength.
There are over 6,000 businesses globally certified by B Lab. However, the number of businesses in the real estate sector who are certified B Corporations is tiny, with Northtree among one of the first real estate businesses of its kind to certify. Given that the built environment accounts for 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions, we hope to see many more businesses in our sector follow our example. We will actively participate in the evolution of the B Corp standards to ensure that the BIA continues to demand, and reward, true leadership in the efforts to make the built environment more sustainable.
B Corps must undergo recertification every three years and publish annual Impact Reports in the intervening years. Northtree’s first Impact Report will be published in June 2024.
