Avon

Using B Corp’s online assessment tool as a structure for improvement

To become a B Corp a company needs to achieve a minimum score of 80 points on the B Corp assessment, which is an online tool that monitors the social and environmental impact of a business. This tool provides a structured approach to identify where a company needs to improve.

After partnering with Avon in summer 2021, Seismic looked at all areas of their business and they were given an initial B Corp score of 76. Seismic are now working with Avon to highlight where improvements can be made and advising them on what exactly needs to be done to increase this score, with a goal of Avon achieving B Corp certification in 2023.

After partnering with Avon in summer 2021, Seismic looked at all areas of their business and they were given an initial B Corp score of 76.

A particular challenge with huge global companies, such as Avon, is that B Corp can request multiple assessments across different sites. After an initial scoping process, Avon is completing four separate assessments, which is a significant undertaking.

To help Avon’s team understand their B Corp progress and manage the different assessments, our team set up an improvement plan tracker. Keeping in mind that B Corp is only one element of their overall sustainability strategy, our team also helped Avon to design a sustainability scorecard that they are using to measure progress against all sustainability KPIs internally.

A continuous improvement success story

Avon is embracing B Corp and the framework it provides for ESG strategy. They are the first company to go through B Corp’s new performance consultation process, which is a preparatory step to get the experience of how B Corp approaches verification, and helps companies to understand how to get ready for the resource-intensive verification process required for certification. Take a look at our services, we support businesses to achieve B Corp Certification.

Seismic is managing the B Corp scoping process to ensure the right information across Avon’s global facilities is collected. For large global companies like Avon, documenting everything is essential to measure impact, but it’s a daunting task. B Corp provides a valuable framework to capture this and implement meaningful change.

Partnership value add

Harry Foreman, consultant at Seismic, was seconded into the business as Avon’s sustainability manager, giving Avon even greater support and Seismic a more in-depth and holistic view into Avon’s social and sustainability practices.

“Choosing a sustainable product often means choosing a more expensive product. And that’s a luxury that many people can’t afford. To democratise not only beauty but sustainable beauty, the way that Avon is doing, is so exciting to see and we’re very proud to partner with them on their sustainability journey and truly embed ourselves in the business.” – Harry Foreman, Sustainability Consultant at Seismic