The Body Shop has announced that it has become a certified B Corporation.

B Corp certification is awarded to businesses that meet the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability to balance profit and purpose.

A pioneer of ethical business, The Body Shop was founded by Anita Roddick in 1976. The Body Shop joins a rapidly growing number of B Corps worldwide who are using business to address society’s most challenging problems, such as poverty, inequality and climate change.

David Boynton, CEO at The Body Shop said: “It is not enough just to be concerned with making short-term profits. Consumers, employees and even shareholders recognise this shift and are changing their behaviour to reward the companies and brands they see as supporting a sustainable future.”

The Body Shop is the world’s largest B Corp to have been founded by a woman. There are now more than 3,000 B Corps in 65 countries spanning 130 industries, including Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, Innocent, and Brazilian cosmetics giant, Natura (who bought the Body Shop two years ago).

To become a B Corp, companies must go through a rigorous assessment process that measures their performance across all aspects of the business. It goes well beyond certifying individual ingredients as organic or packaging as recycled.

B Corp certification means customers can be confident that they are purchasing from a responsible and sustainable business.

The Body Shops says: “B Corps are businesses that live the highest social and environmental standards for people and the planet. It’s how we’ve always done business. It’s in our DNA. Now we have the stamp to prove it.”