Certified B Corporations® are companies that are committed to using business to build a more inclusive and sustainable economy. B Corps™ are rigorously tested to ensure they met the highest standards of social and environmental performance. They are committed to demonstrating continuous improvement of their impact on society and the environment through transparency and accountability.
It is the only certification that encourages businesses to grow and develop in the right way, using business as a force for good. There are now over 4,000 B Corps™ globally across 71 countries and 150 industries.
As a B Corp™, WWA aims to influence a more sustainable built environment for people, places and the planet, both now and in the future.
We are proud of our achievements during these initial steps of our B Corp journey, all the more so given the challenges of operating a business through a global pandemic, and all that has meant for our people and the communities in which we operate. Our three primary commitments to People, Places, and Planet continue to drive us as a business across all that we do.
Inspire, advise and inform the People we impact and influence
We will inspire, advise and inform the people we impact and influence; our team, clients, consultants and those communities we serve through the development of affordable, brilliant, sustainable places where we can live, work, learn, care, play and travel. We will promote quality and value to enable an uncompromised legacy for future generations.
• Ensure the mechanisms for the recruitment, support, growth and education of our people are in place and continuously reviewed to ensure progressive learning and best practice.
• Promote and ensure accessibility and diversity in every role we offer, targeting opportunities for candidates from disadvantaged areas and under-represented communities, where the influence of our progressive employment practices can start to impact social change.
• Empower our people to promote an approach whereby they can confidently challenge and promote alternative outcomes that will enhance the value or thinking of the built environment.
Support and advocate the delivery of resilient, adaptable Places with a sustainable future
We will support and advocate the delivery of resilient, adaptable places with a sustainable future, whether new or repurposed and which respect the need for value and viability to justify their existence.
• Develop and extend our collaboration with industry partners to openly share knowledge and learning that brings measurable beneficial change to the places we help create or impact.
• Ensure that the impact of the cascade effect of financial investment in the built environment is understood to maximise its potential and reach, to make a difference in all the communities where we have influence.
• Support the evolution of the built environment that enhance communities and the quality of life, and which places long-term value and future adaptability at the forefront of thinking.
Deliver projects that will urgently address the environmental decline of our Planet
We will ensure the services we offer and the projects we influence maximise the opportunity for enhancing environmental outcomes, adding value to our clients and communities and supporting our sector to deliver projects that will urgently address the environmental decline of our planet.
• Collaborate with partners to create new opportunities and business models for delivering truly sustainable development.
• Ensure that every project we deliver is guided by review and strategy for delivering low-carbon outcomes.
• Promote low-carbon low impact construction through our extensive network of clients, stakeholders and communities to ensure the transformation of construction takes place through the practical advice and guidance we excel in.
x3
Better gender diverse workforce than the industry average
9,350
Meals delivered to the vulnerable during COVID19 using WWA EVs
45t
CO2 saved by WWA using EV miles in the last 2 years
Being a B Corp™ is the start of a long journey
Our B Corp™ certification is the start of a journey of continuous learning and improvement. As a B Corp™, we recognise that this is just the beginning. We are focused on how we can directly impact People, Places and Planet by:
• Supporting our teams to develop personally and professionally in their roles.
• Listening to and influencing our partners and stakeholders in the built environment to deliver better outcomes for clients and communities.
• Establishing collaborative, long-lasting relationships with clients, consultants, and the wider community.
“The challenges facing humanity and the planet are huge and we need to be at our absolute best to meet them. Every construction project that does not have Intelligent Direction is a wasted opportunity and a failure to hear the alarms of the climate emergency and the increasing clamour for social uplift. We have to use every tool available and use them for the planet and the people. We have to believe and commit, passionately, to making this change happen. We can do this!”
We are so proud to have a B Corp™ score of 135.5! This places us 4th in the UK and in the top 10% globally. It reassures us that doing business in the right way really does count.
We score strongly on B Corps™ ‘Governance’ and ‘Workers’ themes, reinforcing our RICS and other recognised quality standards. This also reflects the inclusive structure of our business and how we aim to work better, with colleagues, clients, consultants and communities.
We are really pleased with our ‘Environment’ score too. Working with teams to develop sustainable places that enhance our environments is a major part of what we do.
This is just the start! As a B Corp™, we now need to continuously improve, and we are committed to that.
Declaration of Interdependence
We envision a global economy that uses business as a force for good.
This economy is comprised of a new type of corporation—the B Corporation®— which is purpose-driven and creates benefit for all stakeholders, not just shareholders.
As B Corporations® and leaders of this emerging economy, we believe:
• That we must be the change we seek in the world.
• That all business ought to be conducted as if people and place mattered.
• That, through their products, practices, and profits, businesses should aspire to do no harm, and benefit all.
• To do so requires that we act with the understanding that we are dependent upon another and thus responsible for each other and future generations.
Andy Snapes
Senior Partner
For more information about WWA’s B Corp Certification, please get in touch.