Why The Bare Home Became a B Corp: Our Commitment to Continuous Improvement

I can still remember the exact moment I knew The Bare Home needed something bigger than our own word to prove our commitment to sustainability. It was during a conversation back in 2019 with a long-time customer in Toronto who said, "I want to trust brands that walk the talk- but it's so hard to tell who's real." They weren't wrong.

In Canada's cleaning industry, greenwashing companies making vague or inflated sustainability claims are an all-too-common reality. As an ethical cleaning brand and sustainable cleaning company, I didn't want The Bare Home to be another business making big promises without proof. I wanted an internationally recognized standard that would hold us accountable and allow our customers to see how we measure up. That's when I started looking seriously at becoming a Canadian B Corp certified company.

B Corp certification is a globally respected designation given to businesses that meet high standards for social and environmental impact. It's not a label you buy- it's a status you earn through hard evidence and rigorous assessment. This blog is a transparent look at the journey- what it took to get here, what it means for our customers, and why for The Bare Home, certification is just the beginning.

The Decision to Pursue B Corp Certification

The Bare Home started in my kitchen- literally. It was born out of my desire to create ethical cleaning products that were safe for my family, our home, and the planet. But as the business grew, I became uneasy about how easily companies could claim to be sustainable without providing proof.

One evening, while reviewing our supply chain documents, I realized: We were doing the work, but without a trusted third party to verify our claims, customers still had to take our word for it. I didn't want that. I wanted a framework that would reveal where we were strong- and where we had room to grow.

Initially, I hesitated; I wasn't sure if we were ready. B Corp certification is known for its complexity. Would we even pass? Did we have the infrastructure to document every detail? But I kept coming back to one idea: If we truly believed in transparency, we needed to open ourselves up to the process-even if it meant uncovering some uncomfortable truths.

Why B Corp and not another certification? Simple: B Corp doesn't just measure environmental performance. It looks at governance, worker practices, community engagement, and customer stewardship. It treats sustainability as holistic, not a checkbox. For a transparent cleaning brand like ours, it was the only choice that felt aligned.

What the B Corp Assessment Actually Involves

The B Corp assessment covers five key impact areas: Governance, Workers, Community, Environment, and Customers. A business needs to score at least 80 out of 200 points to be certified, and the process is nothing short of thorough.

For The Bare Home, certification took just over 2 years- and it meant revisiting every part of how we operate:

• Worker Benefits & Compensation - We had to verify that every team member was paid a living wage, given benefits, and had opportunities for professional growth.
• Supply Chain Documentation - Every supplier was asked to share proof of their environmental practices, which wasn't always easy to come by.
• Carbon Footprint Calculations - We measured emissions across our entire supply chain- not just in production.
• Community Engagement Metrics - Our partnerships with local organisations were documented, including volunteer initiatives and donation records.
• Governance Structure - We locked our mission into the company's legal framework to ensure it remains beyond just my personal commitment.

The reality check was humbling. We scored strongly in environmental impact thanks to our refill system and Canadian-made production, but had room to improve in areas like formalizing worker policies and increasing community contributions.

We didn't see these gaps as failures-they became our roadmap. We introduced new employee benefits, shifted suppliers to improve environmental scores, and developed more measurable community initiatives to meet B Corp standards.

One of the most important things to understand is that B Corp certification isn't a one-and-done achievement. We'll be reassessed every three years, and our score is public knowledge. The Bare Home achieved an overall B Impact Score of 84.5, which is well above the minimum requirement of 80 points and significantly higher than the median score of 50.9 for ordinary businesses.

Our B Impact Score reflects performance across all five categories, and peer comparisons keep us grounded. Here's how the framework is shaping our daily decisions at The Bare Home:

• Supplier Selection - We prioritize Canadian suppliers and verify that packaging partners meet environmental standards. Choosing Toronto-based partners reduces transportation emissions and supports local jobs.
• Worker Policies - We've increased transparency in compensation and implemented professional development plans for every employee.
• Environmental Commitments - We are actively working to further reduce our carbon footprint, and our refillable system continues to evolve based on assessment feedback.

Beyond the business itself, the B Corp community holds us accountable.

Why This Matters for Canadian Families

For customers, B Corp certification is your assurance that the products you bring into your home meet verified sustainable cleaning standards- without relying on marketing claims.

It means:

• You can check our certification through official B Corp channels.
• You're supporting a brand that pays fair wages and invests in Canadian communities.

It also connects you to a bigger movement. Choosing Canadian B Corp cleaning brands is like voting for the kind of marketplace you want to see- ethical, transparent, and committed to continuous improvement. Every refill, every bottle of B Corp Certified cleaning products, is part of that ripple effect.

Certification Is Just the Beginning

We're proud of where we are, but we're not perfect. Some areas still need improvement- like deepening our community partnerships and reducing emissions further.

For our next B Corp assessment, we're working on:

• Updating our refill station packaging to even more sustainable options.
• Increasing diversity within our supplier base.
• Launching more concentrates to reduce CO2 emissions when shipping.

B Corp has given us a framework for growth, not a finish line. We invite our customers to share feedback, hold us accountable, and join us in this ongoing journey.

Why We're Proud to Be B Corp Certified (as well as Leaping Bunny Certified and Plastic Neutral Certified)

For the team and me, earning B Corp certification wasn't just about a badge- it was about proving, to ourselves and our customers, that The Bare Home is dedicated to doing better at every level.

We wouldn't be here without you- our customers who believe in supporting ethical cleaning brands and sustainable cleaning companies. If you're curious, you can explore our full B Corp profile and impact report. And when you choose our products, know you're supporting a truly Canadian-made company committed to transparency,  accountability, and continual evolution.

Because being a sustainable cleaning company isn't about perfection, it's about progress, and about making every choice count- for people and for the planet.