The process for becoming a B Corp requires meeting targets in five areas: governance, workers, community, environment and customers.

Businesses must provide evidence of socially and environmentally responsible practices relating to energy supplies, waste and water use, worker compensation, diversity and corporate transparency.

Once B Corp status is reached – certified by B Lab UK – the company must make a legal commitment to maintaining these standards through amendments to its articles of association.

There are almost 6,000 companies worldwide and more than 1,000 in the UK that have been accredited as a B Corp.

A statement from Ninth Seat said: “As a group of like-minded researchers, becoming B Corp certified was a natural step in the journey for Ninth Seat.

“We are trusted to help guide our clients through the current complex consumer world, so it felt natural to be leading the way in-terms of our responsibility towards conducting our own business.

“Now as a B Corp within the market research industry, we’re part of a global community of businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental impact and can now be counted among businesses that are leading a global movement for an inclusive, equitable and regenerative economy.”