Today, we’re delighted to announce that we are now B CorpTM certified – the first audiobook app in the UK to attain B Corp certification. xigxag joins only 5,700 companies in the world who have committed to positive social and environmental benefits as part of a conscientious movement to harness the power of business as a force for good.
From the beginning, co-founders Kelli Fairbrother and Mark Chaplin have been mission driven. B Corp Certification forms a cornerstone of our strategy to differentiate from big tech competitors. By putting accessibility and sustainability at the heart of our business, we aim to encourage everyone to enjoy more books: by modernising the digital reading experience and making reading more broadly accessible.
Through leading innovation in digital book experiences, xigxag intend to make it easier for everyone to enjoy more books, even those who struggle with traditional reading experiences. To this end, xigxag have launched the first-ever fully integrated listen-and-read experience in their x-book® concept. For the first time, users can switch between listening and reading or read along. It allows proficient readers to finish books more efficiently, while enabling less confident readers to enjoy books independently for the first time.
Chris Turner, Executive Director of B Lab UK, said:
“We are pleased to have B Corps of all shapes and sizes as part of our community – from startups to multinationals and across many different industries. Business is a powerful force and B Corps demonstrate that you can do good in any sector. Welcoming xigxag is an exciting moment because they have an opportunity to lead the way within the audiobook and publishing industry. We and the rest of the B Corp community are really pleased to support xigxag in paving the way for a new way of doing things”.
B Corp Certification means that a company has been verified as meeting B Lab’s high standards for social and environmental impact, that it has made a legal commitment to stakeholder governance and that it is demonstrating accountability and transparency by disclosing this record of performance in a public B Corp profile.
Commenting on their certification, co-founder Kelli Fairbrother said:
“I first learned about the movement in an inspiring meeting with B Corp pioneer James Perry, the co–chair and co–founder of COOK. Since then, I observed that the businesses that I most admired were achieving B Corp certification, like World of Books, AllPlants and Daye. Achieving B Corp certification is one of the best accolades to be awarded. It validates our ambition to make books more accessible, engaging and sustainable. And it allows us to credibly start a conversation in our industry about the essential role that digital books must play in the future of sustainable book consumption.”
For xigxag, there is always more to do. The team are focused on setting more ambitious impact targets for themselves and their users over coming months, improving performance, listening and investing in their community and ultimately ensuring that their impact and use is continually positive for the all.
