The role of education in shaping a sustainable future
January 12, 2022
“When B Corps come together locally, progress becomes practical and collective action stops being a concept.”
Across South Holland, a growing group of Certified B Corporations is proving that sustainable business practices are not just an internal ambition. They are a shared commitment that gets stronger when companies work together. That belief sits at the heart of B Corps in South Holland, a community created to connect purpose driven organisations in the region, learn from one another, and turn values into action.
This community is also part of a wider movement. In collaboration with B Lab Benelux, the group is building towards becoming an official B Local South Holland. That direction matters, because it anchors local collaboration in the long term, while staying rooted in what already exists today: a diverse, active network of B Corps in the province, showing up for one another and shaping a regional agenda for impact.
What follows is the story of how the initiative started, who is guiding it, and what has happened so far through the meaningful meet-ups that have brought the community to life.
How the initiative started
The initiative began with a simple observation. South Holland is home to a large and varied set of B Corps, from professional services to manufacturing, consumer goods, and social enterprises. Many of these organisations are working on similar challenges:
- How can we embed sustainability into decision making?
- How can we keep improving year after year?
- How can we engage employees and stakeholders in a way that feels real and measurable?
Cilia Keser, took the first step. In coordination with B Lab Benelux, Cilia reached out to fellow B Corps in the region to explore what a local community could look like. The aim was to create a space where Certified B Corporations could connect around substance, support one another through practical exchange, and build momentum for collective action.
From the beginning, the initiative was strengthened by close partners. Together with Salacia Solutions – a partner organisation of Nexio Projects as well as Verstegen Spices and Sauces, and with No Dodos joining the effort, the initiative formed a board that could represent the community and organise events with continuity. The board reflects the spirit of the initiative itself: cross sector collaboration, shared leadership, and a focus on practical impact.
To launch the community properly, the team reached out to every B Corp in South Holland and invited them to a kickoff event. That first gathering set the goal and created the foundation for what would become a series of meet ups. Each meet up has built on the last, gradually shaping what the community stands for and what it can deliver.
As we’ll dive into what each evet brought, let’s set the stage on B Corp certification’s role in a consistent measurement of sustainability standards.
Why B Corps are uniquely positioned to lead locally
What makes the connection throughout B Corps is that they share a common framework. B Corp certification is based on verified performance across governance, workers, community, environment, and customers. It is assessed through the B Impact Assessment, which offers organisations a structured way to understand where they are doing well and where they can improve.
What makes that powerful in a local community is the shared language it creates. When B Corps come together, they are not starting from zero. They already have a baseline for what “good” looks like, and they are committed to continuous improvement rather than one off sustainability claims. In practice, this creates real benefits for community building: faster trust, deeper peer learning, and a clear way to turn values into action.
This is becoming even more relevant as the movement evolves. The new B Corp standards are raising expectations and sharpening what leadership means, with collective action becoming a central theme. For many B Corps, navigating these standards will require both internal work and external collaboration. A regional community is key for knowledge sharing and helping fellow companies through one’s own learnings.
Four meet ups that shaped the community
The B Corps in South Holland community has hosted four meet ups so far. Each one has had its own character, shaped by the host organisation and the questions the group wanted to explore.
Meet up #1: Setting the direction, together
The first meet up took place at the Nexio Projects office and served as the official kick off for the community. It brought B Corps together in a room for the first time, many of whom had not met beyond occasional encounters in the wider sustainability ecosystem.
The purpose of the gathering was twofold.
- To build relationships and create a shared sense of ownership.
- To define the ambition of the community and the themes that would guide future meet ups.
The session explored the B Corp philosophy and what it means to be part of Generation B, and it created space for participants to reflect on where they see the greatest opportunities for regional impact. The tone was open, practical, and energising. Participants left with clarity that this could become more than a series of events. It could become a platform for collaboration.
That kick off moment also reinforced the longer-term direction towards a B Local structure, grounded in local relationships and aligned with B Lab.
Meet up #2: Bringing employees into the impact journey
The second meet up was hosted by De Clercq Advocaten Notariaat in Leiden. This session shifted the conversation into a crucial part of what makes B Corps resilient over time: people inside the organisation.
The central question was how to better involve employees in shaping purpose driven businesses. The event combined networking with deeper discussion, using formats such as speed networking to spark connections, followed by facilitated discussions and workshops.
Participants exchanged real challenges and practical solutions around motivating colleagues through B Corp initiatives, embedding participation into daily operations, and strengthening collaboration between B Corps.
This meet up made something clear. The work of sustainable business practices is not only about setting targets or publishing commitments. It is also about culture, engagement, and governance. When employees understand the “why” and have ownership in the “how”, impact becomes part of how the organisation runs, not just what it reports.
Meet up #3: Circularity in spotlight
The third meet up was hosted at Boozed, continuing the community’s pattern of rotating locations and letting different organisations shape the experience. It brought a clear theme to the centre of the community’s work: circularity.
Circularity connects directly to the operational choices that shape measurable impact, from how resources are used to how waste is designed out. It also links closely to the new B Corp standards, having raised expectations around how companies embed sustainability into core business practices and demonstrate continuous improvement.
The afternoon combined a refresher in these new standards with interactive learning and peer exchange, leaving participants with practical examples to take back into their own organisations. This was followed by a circularity workshop that clarified how climate efforts and strategies can differ across sectors. Altogether, it was a strong reminder that the best progress often happens when companies learn side by side.
Meet up #4: Collective action in progress
The fourth meet up took place at the offices of Salacia Solutions in Rotterdam. The key theme was collective action, which is increasingly prominent in the new B Corp standards.
During the session, the B Lab Benelux team guided participants through what the updated standards mean in practice, with concrete examples of what organisations can do under the collective action lens. Participants then broke into smaller groups to share real life examples from their organisations and explore what stronger regional collaboration could look like going forward.
To make the theme tangible, the session also included inspiration from the Founding Partner of Maas Cleanup, showing how local communities can create visible environmental results through hands-on action. Following her presentation, our community organised a cleanup that is set to take place on the 20th of March, building the perfect bridge between local collaboration and real, trackable impact.
What comes next for the community
Communities like this are built one step at a time. The board has created an initial structure, organised four meaningful meet ups, and established a shared direction with B Lab Benelux. The next phase is about turning momentum into continuity.
That means continuing to host regular events, keeping topics anchored in the realities B Corps face, and widening participation across the region. It also means using the shared language of B Corp certification and the B Impact Assessment to support one another through practical improvement, especially as recertification pathways evolve under the new standards.
Most importantly, it means keeping the community grounded in action. In South Holland, B Corps are already showing that doing business differently is possible. The initiative exists to make that difference bigger, more connected, and more visible.
Are you a current or aspiring B Corp in the region? Subscribe here to receive updates and invitations for future B Corp events.
Nexio Projects, your B Corp partner
With the new standards in place, recertification is needed for most organisations. Now is the time to collaborate to make this process as smooth as possible. Nexio Projects offers advisory throughout your whole B Corp certification journey. As a B Corp Way partner and a certified organisation since 2019, our experts are highly specialised in supporting your journey.
Work on your certification and join the B Corps in South Holland community for sustainability and business resilence!
