We are excited to announce that after more than one year's process, we are now a B certified company, and joined the pool of more than 9000 B Corp certified companies in the world! In Finland, so far, there are 8 other B certified companies. It is delightful for us to see that the number of companies prioritizing sustainability is growing day by day!
When it comes to the language services industry, Youpret is a leader in sustainability. We are proud that, both in Finland and among the Nordic countries, we are the first language services company that has a B Corp certification. We believe that interpreting has a meaningful impact on society, and language service providers like us can amplify this impact with their commitment to being fair, transparent, and responsible in all aspects of their operations.
Why were we able to be certified?
At Youpret, sustainability is not just a recent trend but an integral part of our company structure. From the very beginning, fairness, diversity and transparency have been the top values of the company. As we grew, we remained true to our values and made thoughtful decisions to develop our services. However, the B Corp process allowed us to be evaluated by a third party, helping us better organize and strengthen our business approach to sustainability.
In order to start the B Corp process, companies need to have a sustainable basis. This basis is recognized through obtaining a minimum score of 80 points from the B Impact Assessment (BIA). The BIA consists of approximately 200 questions in five impact areas: governance, workers, community, environment, and customers. After achieving the minimum score from the BIA, companies can pay the initial fee and start the B Corp process. For us this process took about 13 months. To learn more about the BIA and what stages Youpret has gone through, you can read our commitment to sustainability part I.
What steps have we taken after the evaluation stage?
After waiting in the verification queue, at the B Corp verification stage, we were required to disclose different types of documents to support our answers to the BIA. Two analysts went through our answers and documentations. At this stage, we experienced fluctuation in our score several times. Even though we lost some points, we were still well above the minimum score. We believe that our score sets a strong foundation for our sustainability journey. In fact, to us, the B Corp’s strict evaluation added to its reliability because meeting the standards for certification requires companies to demonstrate a genuine commitment.
After our score was verified, we signed the Agreement for B Corporation Certification and committed ourselves to the requirements and terms of the agreement, paid the required fee and received our B Corp certificate.
Alongside our involvement in the B Corp process this past year, we have been preparing Yopret's first-ever sustainability report! Our sustainability report, which is a reflection of our commitment to transparency, outlines our operations and provides detailed information about our B Corp scores in different impact areas. The report has just been published and is now available for download. Going forward, you can find the sustainability report on our sustainability webpage.
The show must go on!
The truth is that the B Corp certification for us is just a beginning. While we are happy that our efforts have already earned us a sustainability certificate, obtaining it has never been a final goal for us. Through the B Corp journey, we learned about new ways for developing our operations more sustainably. We learned the importance of recording and documenting all of our valuable services. Additionally, we explored the social aspect of sustainability and identified ways to further engage our stakeholders, while continuously striving to make Youpret an even better employer and partner.
The B Corp certification must be renewed every three years, which aligns with our approach to sustainability. For us, sustainability is a way of operating, not just about achieving one-time certifications. We are fully committed to continuously improve our impact further and consider sustainability in our everyday operations.
“For us, occasional contributions to social and environmental organizations are good but only complementary attempts. We aim to create a more meaningful and lasting impact by integrating sustainability into our daily operations.” Aida Jodeiri, sustainability coordinator, Youpret.
Join us on this journey!
We are excited to continue our commitment and encourage others to get involved! Finnish society needs more companies that prioritize responsibility in their operation. We aim to highlight the importance of having more responsible companies and bring this to the forefront for clients.
Since a third party sustainability certificate such as B Corp is a trustworthy certificate, we would like to, wherever possible, choose our business partners among those who are certified or commit themselves to third-party sustainability standards. On the other hand, we hope that more people would appreciate and support companies who voluntarily choose to commit themselves to benefit society and the environment, in addition to benefitting their shareholders.
To learn more about B Corp and our score please go and check our B Corp page. You can download our sustainability report 2023-2024 and visit our sustainability webpage.
For further questions, feedback or collaboration on sustainability, please contact Aida by sending an email to aida.jodeiri@youpret.com
Author:
Aida Jodeiri
Sustainability Coordinator
aida.jodeiri@youpret.com
LinkedIn
Aida has a master's degree in Environmental Policy and Law from the University of Eastern Finland and her first master's degree is in human rights law. At Youpret, she has focused on topics related to sustainability and sustainability reporting as well as interpreter and customer satisfaction surveys. In her free time, Aida likes to dance and play badminton.