Matthew Burl, Director, Buttress Architects on being B Corp - and why it matters.

March is officially B Corp Month. Held annually, the global campaign led by B Lab seeks to "celebrate, promote, and raise awareness of Certified B Corporations". It highlights businesses meeting high social and environmental standards, showcasing how they go "beyond" standard business practices to create a more inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy.

One such organisation, Buttress Architects, with offices in Manchester and Leeds, recently reaffirmed its commitment to responsible and ethical practice by completing its latest B Corp recertification, achieving an impact score of 141 (a significant increase from the practice's initial score of 81.4 in 2022).

This result places Buttress among the highest-scoring B Corp-certified architecture practices in the UK, and the leading practice headquartered outside London [Source: B Lab UK].

Keen to learn more about what being B Corp means to the day-to-day project work of the Buttress team, we caught up with Matthew Burl - a Director, and leader of the B Corp recertification process.

If you've ever pondered what's behind the B Corp badge, read on...

Can you tell us your role at Buttress and what it entails?

"I’m a Director at Buttress, and my role combines strategic leadership with hands on involvement in the projects and initiatives that shape the practice. I work closely with our project teams to ensure we deliver work that has meaningful impact - socially, environmentally, and culturally. A key part of my role is also driving our commitment to responsible business, including leading on B Corp and ensuring that we measure our progress, and that our purpose is embedded into every part of how we operate."

B Corp comes under your charge – what drove you to embark on that?

"For us, becoming a B Corp was never about obtaining a badge - it was about formally committing to the values we already held and creating a transparent framework for accountability. I was driven to lead the process because I believe strongly that architecture has a responsibility that goes beyond buildings. We shape communities, heritage, and places where people live their lives. B Corp gave us the structure to measure our impact, improve where needed, and keep challenging ourselves to do better."

What does B Corp mean? And why is it important?

"B Corp is a global standard that measures a company’s social and environmental performance, governance, and impact. To us, it’s a way of saying: we’re serious about being a force for good, and we’re willing to be assessed on that.

"It’s important because the built environment has enormous influence - from carbon emissions to social value - and practices like ours need to take a leading role. Being a B Corp brings rigour, transparency, and continuous improvement. It ensures that our decisions, from strategic direction to day to day operations, align with long-term value, not short-term gain."

You’ve just received recertification with one of the highest scores outside of London for an Architectural firm– congrats! How was that achieved?

"It’s a huge achievement for the whole team. Recertification has been significantly more demanding than initial certification, and this time we improved our score across every impact area.

"We achieved this by treating B Corp as an ongoing, practice-wide commitment rather than a one-off exercise. We started this process straight after our original certification, using it as a starting point not the destination. Over the last three years, we strengthened our governance, formalised policies that were previously implicit, expanded our community initiatives, enhanced environmental monitoring, and embedded social value into our project processes. We also invested in our people - through wellbeing, development pathways, and transparent career frameworks.

"We see B Corp not as a badge, but as a tool for accountability, continuous improvement and collective leadership within the profession."

"Becoming an Employee Ownership Trust has also played a big part in this achievement. Moving to an EOT model reinforced our commitment to transparency, shared responsibility, and long term thinking — all principles that directly align with the B Corp ethos. It’s helping us create a stronger, more engaged practice where everyone has a stake in our success and our impact. We believe that our collective ownership will be a powerful driver in pushing our standards, culture, and performance further forward."

B Corp feels more than a tick-box exercise for Buttress?

"Absolutely. B Corp only works if it becomes part of who you are. For Buttress, it guides decisions at every level - from procurement choices to project briefs to how we support our colleagues. It shapes how we engage with clients, collaborators, and communities.

"We see it as an ongoing promise: to keep questioning, keep improving, and keep aligning our commercial success with positive impact. It’s a mindset more than a checklist."

What’s the benefit to clients?

"Clients increasingly want partners who can demonstrate integrity, transparency, and responsible practise - and B Corp provides reassurance that our values translate into action. It means they’re working with a team that brings:

• Robust governance and accountability
• A clear approach to sustainability and social value
• A people-first culture that supports better project outcomes

"Ultimately, it supports clients in achieving their own social value and sustainability ambitions, whilst strengthening the cultural and environmental legacy of the projects we deliver together."

Can you tell us about some of the projects you’re working on at the moment?

"We’re currently working on a range of projects that reflect the breadth of the practice - from heritage-led regeneration to community-focused spaces and major cultural assets.

"Right now, we’re involved in the new welcome centre for Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, our ongoing work on at Coventry city centre Cultural Gateway, and the delivery of new homes in Collyhurst as part of Manchester’s major neighbourhood transformation programme.

"We’re also advancing several Passivhaus residential schemes, completing the Workington Innovation Centre to support local economic growth, and contributing to the ongoing development of the National Railway Museum in York. Each of these projects embodies our commitment to creating places with lasting social, environmental, and cultural value."

What’s next for Buttress - B Corp related, and beyond?

"Our next step is to build on the momentum of our recertification and push even further. We’re focusing on deepening our sustainability data, expanding our social value measurement, and continuing to evolve our governance to support long-term resilience. We’ll look back at the pledges we made in our first years of certification and establish new targets.

"Beyond B Corp, we’re investing across the practice - from design technology to heritage expertise - and strengthening our role in shaping places with purpose. Growth for us isn’t just about scale; it’s about impact. We want to continue proving that a values-led architectural practice can deliver great design while doing the right things for people, communities, and the environment."