00:00This might be a familiar logo to you if you consume products by companies like these.
00:05And yesterday, Tunbridge Wells was the host of Kent's Local Impact Summit,
00:10where B Corp leaders across the county discussed how businesses could be better.
00:15I'm here to represent Grips, but I'm also here as an interested person in Kent.
00:21Grips is very proud to be a B Corp and bringing other B Corps together.
00:25We meet quite often as Kent B Corps, and I think it's really important to keep the momentum of what
00:32we're doing.
00:32We all believe in a number of things which has led us to become a B Corp.
00:36And it wasn't just tradesmen in attendance.
00:39Tunbridge Wells is certainly the place to be if you want to establish a business.
00:45Fantastic, motivated workforce. We've got a great community. All of the businesses work together.
00:51It's that when we come back to this B Corp business, which is about your community, your staff and your
00:58business,
00:58all of those work together really well in Tunbridge Wells.
01:02Mike Martin is a supporter of the Better Business Act, a campaign led by B Lab
01:07that is lobbying to change UK law by amending the Companies Act.
01:11Section 172 of the legislation currently states that a director of a company must act in the way he considers,
01:20in good faith, will be most likely to promote the success of the company for the benefit of its members
01:25as a whole.
01:26But the Better Business Act wants to change this, to make it a legal requirement for directors to act in
01:32ways
01:32that considers their stakeholders, workers, customers, communities and the environment.
01:37It's March right now, which is B Corp month, and we run this campaign every year.
01:42And really what we're trying to do is we're spotlighting B Corp within the movement.
01:46And we're really demonstrating through B Corp what purposeful business looks like.
01:51And the idea is that it inspires companies not only to potentially become B Corp themselves,
01:56but to actually act like B Corp.
02:00Now all that might seem good in principle, but in practice, what does it really mean?
02:05B Corp, that is Better Corporations, have made a legal pledge to not just consider profit when running their businesses.
02:11Instead, things like the impact on people, that includes both customers and the employees,
02:16and the environment are factored in to how a business is run.
02:20And here on the high street of Tunbridge Wells, there are many different businesses, big and small.
02:25And one of them, Cock, was founded in Sittingbourne.
02:28They manufacture frozen ready mills like this one here.
02:31And one of the co-founders, Edward Perry, was one of the founding members of B Corp here in the
02:36UK in 2013.
02:37And with notes being made and business cards exchanged, the summit may have been a success.
02:43But the next time you find yourself on the high street, what a so-called Better Corporation be at the
02:49top of your list.
02:50Or just plan B if your usual choice is unavailable.
02:55Megan Shaw for Kame TV in Tunbridge Wells.
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