Why DG+ became a Certified B Corporation

When we started DG+, the idea was pretty straightforward: build a marketing and creative agency that helps climate and clean energy companies succeed.

Our clients are working on some of the most important challenges of our time, including deploying solar projects, building EV infrastructure, modernizing the grid, and scaling technologies that reduce emissions. From the beginning, we knew we wanted to support organizations doing that kind of work. It felt like a place where our skills could contribute to something bigger.

But alongside that, there was another question I kept coming back to as a founder: if we are helping mission-driven companies grow, what kind of company do we want DG+ itself to be? Not just in terms of the industries we support, but in how we operate. That question ultimately led us to pursue B Corp certification. In the summer of 2023, we were thrilled to achieve it.

A closer look at how a company actually runs

Certified B Corporations are companies that meet high standards for social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. To qualify, companies complete the B Impact Assessment and must score at least 80 points.

DG+ earned a score of 82.6, compared with a median score of about 50.9 for companies completing the assessment. But for me as a small business owner, the most valuable part wasn’t the score. It was the process.

What I didn’t fully appreciate going in was how deeply the certification examines the inner workings of a business. The assessment doesn’t just look at your mission statement or the industries you serve. It evaluates everything from governance and decision-making to employee policies, environmental practices, community engagement, and customer impact.

In practical terms, it meant taking a detailed inventory of our company across finance, HR, operations, and leadership decisions. For a growing agency, that kind of scrutiny is actually incredibly valuable.

The process forces you to step back and ask questions you might not otherwise stop to consider:

• Are the values we talk about actually reflected in how the company runs?
• Are policies documented, or just assumed?
• Are we measuring the impact we say matters?

In many ways, the certification process became a holistic audit of our own company. And I have to say, I was genuinely impressed by how thoughtful and rigorous it was (even if it did take us a couple years to qualify). It forced me to be a better business owner and move more quickly on best practices. 

For example, the process pushed us to create an employee handbook, add better employee benefits, create a formal impact statement, better protect company data, and improve corporate governance with an internal leadership team. Some of these improvements might have happened anyway, but certainly not as quickly. It also helped reduce the number of things that I didn’t know I didn’t know as a business owner.

Reinforcing our values

Going through the assessment also reinforced something that has always been core to DG+. Our mission is to help climate-focused companies communicate clearly and scale solutions that address climate change. But that mission is supported by a broader set of values that shape how we approach our work every day.

It probably comes as no surprise that our focus also directly supported us becoming a certified B Corporation. Because our work delivers impact for purpose driven clients, this further supported our certification process.

That’s why our values include putting climate first, valuing creativity and craft, embracing diverse perspectives, and acting as true thought partners to our clients. We also pride ourselves on staying curious and continually learning about the technologies, markets, and policies shaping the clean energy transition.

The B Corp framework pushed us to make sure those values exist not just in our messaging, but in how we operate as a company. That alignment matters.

Why this matters for our clients

DG+ works with organizations across clean energy, climate tech, and sustainability. Many of them are building technologies and infrastructure that will shape the future of our economy and systems. At the same time, expectations around transparency, accountability, and measurable impact are rising across every industry.

Being part of the B Corp community signals that we’re holding ourselves to the same standard of responsibility we encourage in the companies we support. Not because certification itself is the goal, but because continually evaluating and improving how a company operates is worthwhile in its own right.

Going through the certification process also deepened our appreciation for other companies that have made the same commitment, including several of our clients. As marketers, we often find ourselves seeking out and supporting other B Corps when possible, because we know firsthand the level of transparency, accountability, and operational rigor the certification requires. Even before we achieved certification, some clients supported our journey. Pivot Energy is one of those companies, having achieved their own B Corp certification in 2022. Our shared values are part of why we have worked together effectively for so long.

Looking ahead

One of the things I appreciate most about B Corp certification is that it isn’t really a finish line. Companies recertify every few years, and the standards evolve, making the assessment more of a framework for continuous improvement than a one-time milestone.

Becoming a B Corp is something we’re proud of at DG+. But what stayed with me most from the process wasn’t the score or the designation; it was the opportunity to take a closer look at the company we’re building and ensure it reflects the values we talk about.

That perspective is something we’ll keep building on as DG+ continues to grow.