Animation as a force for good: Blue Zoo becomes a B Corp

We couldn’t be prouder to announce that Blue Zoo is the first major animation studio in the world to receive B Corporation certification and we’re challenging the animation and VFX industry to join and evolve to use the power of animation for good.

Our studio has been independently certified by B Lab, a non-profit organisation who awards the B Corp certification. With the catastrophic impact that businesses are having upon people and the planet, the B Corp certification verifies companies who are working to improve the lives of staff as well as industries as a whole. The exhaustive certification process involves over 170 rigorous metrics to improve the lives of our staff, customers, suppliers, and the local community, ensuring we are not just saying we are ethical with empty gestures, but independently evidencing it.

Working towards B Corp has helped us with our mission to build an animation studio with heart, putting people and teams first. We strive to foster a culture where talented, happy & diverse teams are nurtured in a positive environment, creating animations that they are utterly proud to have made together. On top of this, the animations we make primarily focus on joyful, comedic, and educational content, using the power of animation to have a positive impact on people’s lives.

An example of this is our BAFTA-winning show Numberblocks which helps teach children tricky mathematical subjects. The show has been so popular that the UK school curriculum has been brought forward to accommodate children’s improved understanding of maths. During the pandemic, Numberblocks saw a huge rise in views on BBC iPlayer as well over a hundred million views on YouTube. 

As part of B Corp’s focus on environmental impact, we have pledged to reduce our total emissions by 21% for 2023 and by 42% for 2028 in order to meet the goals set by the Paris Agreement. Our roadmap to this objective includes continuous measurement and reduction of electricity usage, business travel, non-ethical purchasing, water usage, and waste disposal.

Furthermore, we are actively involved in supporting diversity and inclusion programmes to build a more welcoming industry from the inside out. With our staff leading and volunteering in many organisations, including working with ACCESS:VFX, ScreenSkills and NextGen Skills Academy; running initiatives such as the Young Animator of the Year competition, which works to discover and champion new animation talent from all backgrounds.

Co-founder Tom Box said: “We’re hugely proud to be the world’s first major animation studio to be B Corp Certified! We see this as a pioneering move and a step in the right direction to building a better industry.”

“We want to ensure our animations are impacting audiences in positive ways, but also make sure we’re helping shape their future world too. Just saying it on a mission statement or website is not enough. B Corp holds us to account in a transparent way, to make sure we’re actually doing it.”

Chris Turner, Executive Director of B Lab UK, says “We are delighted to welcome Blue Zoo to the B Corp community. This is a movement of companies who are committed to changing how business operates and believe business really can be a force for good. Welcoming Blue Zoo is an exciting moment because they have an opportunity to lead the way within the animation industry. We and the rest of the B Corp community are really pleased to support Blue Zoo in paving the way for a new way of doing things.”