B Corp and Simplyhealth

The UK's first B Corp Health Insurer

In 2022, B Corp recognised our significant achievements in sustainability and our ambitious environmental and social responsibility goals.

Let’s move forward, together

#ThisWayForward

All in a year’s work

Our first year as a B Corp is just the beginning of an exciting journey that has already seen us amplify our voice and deliver our Purpose more powerfully.

Please enjoy reading about our latest progress, impacts and next steps – we’re not perfect and will never claim to be, but we are committed to always improving our impact as a B Corp business and growing in the process.

Our Purpose

For 150 years we have been committed to one Purpose: Improving access to healthcare for all in the UK.

We've never answered to shareholders - instead, we reinvest our profits into helping our customers and clients access the healthcare they need, and supporting our communities.

Our role

Today, we improve over two million peoples' access to healthcare across the nation.

Through our network of over 8,000 (and growing) corporate clients, together we're continuing to use business as a force for good.

Our journey

Becoming B Corp certified is a natural next step in the journey we've been on for decades.

We believe the more B Corp businesses, the better the outcome for us all, our health, our people, our communities and our planet.

What being a B Corp means

Mother carrying child on her shoulders amongst trees

What is a B Corp?

A B Corp is a business that meets the highest standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose, verified by B Lab.

To become a B Corp, you must be externally and independently certified by achieving a minimum verified score on the B Impact Assessment. This is a rigorous assessment of a company’s impact on governance, workers, customers, community, and the environment.

Learn more about the B Corp movement

What the B Corp movement means to us

In November 2022, Britain celebrated having one of the largest and fastest-growing communities of sustainable businesses in the world, as B Lab UK announced reaching over 1,000 certified B Corps in the UK.

As part of the B Corp movement, we're:

Joining UK household names like Innocent Drinks, JoJo Maman Bébé, The Body Shop, Baringa, and Gousto
Supporting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Delivering impact for all stakeholders
Collaborating with other like-minded, leading businesses

Watch the video to find out more.

How we became B Corp certified

In 2022, we completed our first online B Impact Assessment. To become B Corp certified, the company needs to score over 80, we're thrilled to have scored 91.9.

We answered over 200 questions on how we run our business and care for our customers, community, colleagues, and the wider environment.

Here’s a summary of those areas and our scores:

Governance

score: 19.6

Governance evaluates a company’s overall mission, ethics and transparency. This also evaluates the ability of a company to protect its mission and formally consider stakeholders in decision-making through its corporate structure or corporate governing documents.

Workers

score: 33.8

Workers evaluate a company’s contributions to its employees’ financial security, health and safety, wellness, career development, engagement and satisfaction.

Community

score: 14.6

Community evaluates a company’s engagement with and impact on the communities in which it operates, hires from, and sources from. Topics include diversity, equity and inclusion, economic impact, civic engagement, charitable giving, and supply chain management.

Environment

score: 12.5

Environment evaluates a company’s overall environmental management practices as well as its impact on the air, climate, water, land and biodiversity. This includes the direct impact of a company’s operations and, when applicable, its supply chain and distribution channels.

A patient discusses treatment options with her dentist

Customers
score: 11.4

This evaluates a company’s stewardship of its customers through the quality of its products and services, ethical marketing, data privacy and security, and feedback channels.

Read our B Corp journey case study

What's next in our B Corp journey?

We may well be the first UK health insurer to have become a B Corp, but we certainly hope we won’t be the last. Becoming B Corp certified gives us the chance to support other businesses on their journey to become a force for good – to carry the beacon that others can follow.

We are extremely proud to be part of such a forward-thinking, caring, responsible and impact-orientated community. Undertaking the rigorous B Impact Assessment and collaborating with other B Corps has encouraged us to explore how we can further our own impact.

You can learn more about our progress and our areas of focus for the coming 12 months by reading our most recent B Corp Force for Good 22/23 Report. You can also view our latest updates as part of our 2022 Annual Report.

Looking to become a B Corp?

To learn more about our B Corp journey, to collaborate with us, or get support with your own B Corp journey, please contact Charlotte Cook, Simplyhealth’s ESG and B Corp Lead, who will be pleased to help.

REBA Technical Training Guide:

Creating a sustainable rewards strategy

Full of practical tips, this guide provides a great starting point for any organisation wanting to implement and improve its approach to sustainable reward and benefits.

Read the guide