The Dutch media group, Impact Investor’s parent company and also home to financial newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad, BNR Nieuwsradio and UK-based IPE, received the certification for meeting high social and environmental standards.
FD Mediagroep, the parent company of Impact Investor, has been awarded a B Corp certification by B Lab. The Amsterdam-based media company, best-known for its Dutch-language financial newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad, BNR Nieuwsradio, as well UK-based IPE, received the certification for meeting high social and environmental standards.
B Lab assessed FD Mediagroep on five key themes: governance, environment, employees, customers, and community.
“We are proud to have achieved B Corp certification. Obtaining this certification means that our journalistic work and data products meet high standards of quality, transparency, social impact, and sustainability. For us, ESG is not just a non-binding promise but a structural pillar within our organisation,” said Eugenie van Wiechen, CEO of FD Mediagroep.
Van Wiechen added that the B Corp standards provided the company with a clear guide on how to keep growing sustainably and make a lasting, positive impact.
“The B Corp standards are standards for corporate responsibility. FD Mediagroep has had an ESG policy for several years, and we very much see the B Corp certification as a tool to strengthen and structure that policy,” Duco de Mol van Otterloo, manager ESG at FD Mediagroep, told Impact Investor.
High-quality, independent journalism
FD Mediagroep said its core values of delivering high-quality, transparent, and independent journalism, as well as reliable information based on business data, have become key during a time of rising misinformation, distrust, and polarisation.
In recent years, the Amsterdam-based media company has organised various initiatives with a strong social impact, including running ‘fake news’ workshops for students in secondary schools and cooperating with organisations dedicated to press freedom and the protection of journalists.
“As a pioneering media company, FD Mediagroep plays a crucial role in the dissemination of independent and factual information—an invaluable asset, especially in today’s world. B Lab strives for an economic system in which companies create value for all their stakeholders. Transparency about impact and continuous improvement are central to this mission,” said Tessa van Soest, executive director of B Lab Benelux.
Van Soest called the B Corp certification a “significant milestone” for FD Mediagroep.
Force for good
B Lab was founded in 2006 by three friends in the US who shared a common vision to turn companies into a force for good. Since then, the B Corp community has grown to more than 750,000 employees, spread across over 9,480 B Corps in 80 countries and 161 industries.
FD Mediagroep integrates its sustainability and social objectives into its decision-making process, based on its ESG policy. Apart from independent and high-quality journalism, its key priorities include ethical data usage, responsible employment practices, and a sustainable carbon footprint.
With the recent certification, this commitment is now also legally embedded in the company’s statutes. The firm clarified the certification applies to the operations of FD Mediagroep and is “clearly distinct” from the editorial independence of its editorial teams.
The B Corp certification is valid for three years. “After that, you have to recertify, and you have to show improvement. This shows the outside world that we consider this to be important, and that we want to develop our business operations even further,” De Mol van Otterloo said.
