Circle is officially certified B Corp with a total score of 96.1!
After more than a year and a half of analysis, it is an immense pride for the entire team and our partners to join the community of certified B Corp companies. This certification marks a real accomplishment, recognition of work well done.
What is B Corp and what does it mean to be B-Corp certified?
B Corp is the world leader in certification. It is the most reliable and internationally recognized label which certifies compliance with rigorous criteria in terms of environmental and social impact.
”B Corp certification monitors the overall impact of a company through a series of questions aimed at assessing our performance in five key areas: governance, employees, community, environment and customers. Each component is carefully evaluated through a rigorous process which consists of a series of questions followed by a collection of documents aimed at verifying each answer”
Zoe Loevenbruck
Circle Sportswear Production Manager
Why did Circle decide to engage in this initiative?
Since day one, we have had one goal: to be a positive company and maximize our environmental and social impact. We seek to promote a new business model based on the principles of circularity and the values that result from it. After in-depth research, B Corp emerged as the reference player and the most complete and aligned label with our values.
“We have decided to engage in the B Corp labeling process in order to measure our social and environmental impact and identify areas for improvement in these areas.”
Zoe Loevenbruck
Circle Sportswear Production Manager
We therefore began the process at the end of 2022. It took us nearly a year and a half and hundreds of hours of work to answer a questionnaire of more than 200 questions in order to take stock of our actions and compare them with demanding criteria evaluated by B Corp.
What was our score and what does it mean?
“We obtained an overall score of 96.1 which allowed us to significantly exceed the minimum score (80 points) required to become a certified B Corp company. This score reflects our efforts to do things ethically and sustainably, and pushes us to continue improving in this direction.”
Zoe Loevenbruck
Circle Sportswear Production Manager
Discover all the details of our score.
Environment
38.9 / 40
This category evaluates Circle's overall environmental management practices as well as the impact on air, climate, water, land and biodiversity. This includes both our direct impact as well as that of our entire supply chain and distribution channels.
Our strong points : Reduction of the impact of our products (recycled materials, innovative process), local manufacturing, product life cycle analysis.
Our areas for improvement : Ecological construction and green energy and water conservation.
Governance
15.2 / 20
In answering these questions, the goal is to assess Circle's contributions to the financial security, health, well-being, professional development, and engagement satisfaction of our employees.
Our strong points : Employee satisfaction,
Our points for improvement : Training and development of employees. We will focus on development to help our teams progress and grow with Circle.
Collaborators
21.3 / 40
In answering these questions, the goal is to assess Circle's contributions to the financial security, health, well-being, professional development, and engagement satisfaction of our employees.
Our strong points : Employee satisfaction,
Our points for improvement : Training and development of employees. We will focus on development to help our teams progress and grow with Circle.
Customers
3.1 / 5
In this category, we evaluated how Circle manages relationships with all customers, with a focus on the quality of the products and services we offer, as well as data privacy and security.
Our strengths : Integration of our community in the development of products and our solutions, measurement of customer satisfaction and the impact of our products on our customers.
Our areas for improvement : Customer engagement
Community
16.8 / 40
The community section assesses our involvement and impact within communities. This encompasses diversity, equity and inclusion, economic impact, civic engagement, charitable giving and supply chain management.
Our strong points : Participation in working groups, work with students, choice of partners with CSR criteria, long-term relationships with our partners.
Our points for improvement : Measuring the diversity and economic impact of our partners.
And now ? What are the next steps for Circle?
This is obviously only the beginning. The B Corp assessment allowed us to identify all areas to focus our efforts on and chart a roadmap to continue progress and maximize our positive impact. There is still much to accomplish, and we are committed to moving forward on each of these actions.
We are extremely proud to join the community of Certified B Corp businesses. Only 8,000 companies in the world have currently obtained this certification, including 400 in France (i.e. 0.14% of French companies). We are therefore at the very beginning of the movement and we will continue to push it as far as possible!
To find out more and discover the impact of Circle since its beginnings, we invite you to explore the 2023 impact report. You will find in detail our circular model, the actions since its creation, the impact of our materials and products, our partner ecosystem, and much more. Click here to find out more.