Government Affairs & Collective Action
Here’s how Mightybytes supports collective action and responsible advocacy based on new B Corp performance requirements.
Responsible
Legislation
Regulatory guidance is crucial to address the challenges we face. Under new B Corp standards, Certified B Corps are expected to comply with existing governmental regulations, support collective action, and engage in responsible advocacy efforts. Details on how Mightybytes meets these requirements are below.
New B Corp standards differ from company to company based on a variety of criteria, including company size, location, and revenue. The standards below reflect those required for a small service business with a minor environmental footprint.
B Corps are credible advocacy leaders because they measure, manage, and maximize
— B Lab U.S. and Canada’s Policy Advocacy and Collective Action Toolkit for Business
positive impact across their businesses and incorporate accountability to all stakeholders into their organizational DNA. With a large and growing community of credible leaders, the B Corp community in the U.S. and Canada is ready to mobilize collectively on our region’s most pressing challenges — and model a way forward for fellow business leaders.
1.1.1 If the company is not engaged in lobbying, then it meets this sub-requirement by declaring this publicly.
1.1.2 The company’s lobbying policy states its approach to responsible lobbying, including:
- a statement that the company will lobby only to contribute to a positive impact on society or the environment
- a statement that its lobbying approach is based on either reliable or scientific data (or both)
- its approach to financial and in-kind political contributions
- its approach to anti-corruption and bribery
- its approach to responsible lobbying with intermediary organizations, including controls that ensure consistency with the lobbying policy
- which governance body within the company will formally review and approve the policy, and how frequently.
1.1.3 The company’s lobbying policy states its governance, control, and risk management practices, including:
- which governance body or executive-level position within the company is accountable for enforcing the policy
- how the policy is embedded within the company, including how the company puts it into practice
- how the company identifies, manages, and monitors risks of non-compliance
- how the company evaluates compliance with the governance and control framework
- how stakeholders can raise concerns about the company’s business conduct and lobbying practices, including reference to the company’s grievance procedure.
1.1.4 The company’s lobbying policy is:
- approved by the highest governing body
- published on the company’s webpage and accessible to all stakeholders.
Responsible
Lobbying
Mightybytes aligns advocacy efforts with our company mission to make the web more accessible, sustainable, and better for everyone.
We also support legislation related to the B Corp community’s collective goal to create a more equitable, inclusive, and regenerative economy that works for everyone.
Responsible Lobbying Policy
As one of Illinois’ first Public Benefit Corporations since 2013, Mightybytes commits to supporting responsible business and technology legislation that advances the goals listed above.
Our Responsible Lobbying Policy makes details of this commitment transparent and publicly available. In turn, this helps us better support new B Corp standards for Government Affairs and Collective Action.
1.3.1 If the company is not engaged in lobbying, then it meets this sub-requirement by publicly sharing that it is not engaged in lobbying.
1.3.2 The public report includes:
- the value and recipient of financial and in-kind political contributions
- a summary of the company’s material lobbying positions and the relevant recipients or intermediary organizations.
1.3.3 The public report is:
- overseen by the highest governing body or a committee of the highest governing body
- published on the company’s webpage and accessible to all stakeholders.
1.3.4 The company publicly shares its lobbying positions and political contributions:
- in the fiscal year before Year 0
- annually in each subsequent year.
Political Contributions
As a small business with limited resources, Mightybytes does not make financial political contributions.
However, we do maintain partnerships with select organizations whose advocacy efforts align with our own.
- We support advocacy efforts that are in line with those of B Lab and the B Corp movement.
- We support advocacy efforts that are in line with our mission to make the web more accessible, sustainable, and a better place for everyone.
We are also working on a system to track and publicly share a list of political engagements we participate in each year and will publish that to this page once complete.
2.2.1 The company takes part in collective action from the five options in this Impact Topic.
- GACA2.1a The company mentors others in its industry, profession, or value chain to advance their social or environmental impacts.
- GACA2.1b The company contributes to external research to advance social or environmental impacts.
- GACA2.1c The company collaborates with multiple stakeholders to advance social or environmental impacts.
- GACA2.1d The company promotes public policy to advance social or environmental impacts.
- GACA2.1e The company uses thought leadership to drive systemic change towards an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative economy.
2.2.2 The company takes part in at least:
- one collective action before Year 0
- two of the five collective action options for Years 3 and 5.
Collective Action
Here’s how Mightybytes engages in collective action.
- Education: Mightybytes provides workshops, one-on-one calls, webinars, and other educational resources to mentor others, including legislators, on responsible and more sustainable digital practices. We underscore the need for impactful tech legislation in these efforts.
- Standards research: We’re co-authors of the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Sustainability Guidelines which aspire to inform international regulatory guidance and move our industry toward more sustainable digital practices.
- Impact business models: Mightybytes employs several impact business models to ensure the social and environmental impact we aspire to achieve as a Certified B Corp and Public Benefit Corporation is woven into the business models of our company. Three of these include a theory of change.
- Public and board service: Mightybytes participates in public service events with other B Corps, nonprofits, and social enterprises. Some of our team also serves on nonprofit boards of directors for organizations that influence policy.
- Advocacy partnerships: We work with partner organizations to lobby for more responsible economic justice, social impact, and environmental stewardship legislation, especially in the tech sector.
- Petitions: We sign and share petitions to improve social and environmental impact issues that are important to the B Corp movement.
- Peaceful protest: Mightybytes team members occasionally participate in peaceful public protests and marches in the name of collective action on important social and environmental issues.
The Web Sustainability Guidelines
Poised to influence global policies in the same way the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) have, W3C’s Web Sustainability Guidelines (WSGs) provide a comprehensive roadmap to make web-based digital products and services better for people and the planet. We co-authored these guidelines to help our industry collectively improve its sustainability performance.
Related Policy Advocacy Resources
The following resources inform our policy work.
1. The Responsible Lobbying Framework
The Responsible Lobbying Framework seeks to establish the principles and practical steps that organizations should take to ensure their lobbying is transparent, accountable, consistent, and legitimate.
2. Policy Advocacy and Collective Action Toolkit for Business
The Policy Advocacy and Collective Action Toolkit for Business from B Lab U.S. and Canada includes resources, tactics, and templates for companies and B Corp networks to engage in responsible collective advocacy.
Related
Content
Finally, to help others, Mightybytes publishes articles under the Business Strategy section of our blog and on B the Change, the storytelling platform for the global B Corp community. We cover important lessons learned on our journey operating a social enterprise agency.
See the list below for content related to the Government Affairs and Collective Impact topic.
Still have B Corp Questions?
Want to learn more about how Mightybytes uses our B Corp certification to create positive change across communities and ecosystems? Schedule a conversation with Tim.