Agronutris becomes a B Corp™ company

Agronutris, a French biotech company specialized in rearing and transforming black soldier flies into proteins for food, has just obtained B Corp™ certification. 

An international certification recognising the responsible approach taken by Agronutris

Agronutris has been awarded the B Corp™ label, which certifies that the company meets high standards in terms of environmental, social and societal impact. 

Agronutris joins the exclusive community of more than 8,000 companies worldwide that are B Corp™ certified. This is the result of a several month long in-depth audit carried out by the independent international NGO B Lab.

“We are delighted to welcome Agronutris to the B Corp movement. The development of a fairer and more sustainable food supply chain is a key issue for the future of the sector. Agronutris’ experience of shared governance is a model that we find particularly interesting: transparency, collaboration and interdependence are key values of the B Corp movement. By choosing to put people at the heart of its business, Agronutris is shaking things up! ,” says Augustin Boulot, CEO of B Lab France.

This certification confirms Agronutris’ strong commitment to the five ‘pillars’ of environment, customers, employees, governance and communities; with a special mention for governance and the development of its employees.

A symbiotic approach to sustainability

“At Agronutris, we are trying to create a collective adventure that offers an environmentally virtuous circular economy solution. Together, we are building a collaborative culture based on shared governance and freedom, and aim to create relationships of transparency and trust with stakeholders. We believe that these are the ingredients for sustainable performance,” explains Mehdi Berrada, co-founder of Agronutris.

Since its creation, Agronutris has made sustainability the backbone of its entire venture. This holistic approach is based on a vision, a mission and values shared by all its employees. The ‘how’ is just as important as the ‘why’. People are at the heart of the company’s project, with particular highlights being paid to the development of its employees and the quality of its relationships with its partners.

By making the bold choice of  “shared governance”, Agronutris is also at the forefront of innovation in management. Its organizational methods have been completely rethought to make them democratic spaces of freedom, co-construction and trust. At the same time, the hierarchical and functional organizational systems have been replaced by a neural organization in project mode, based on strategic goals that encourage individual and collective commitment.

What is shared governance at Agronutris?

– Work groups are made up of employees elected during elections without candidates (using the principles of sociocracy) and having actual decision-making power. To name only a few  examples, the remuneration group defines collective and individual pay rises;  the investment group defines budget priorities.

– Agronutris has introduced transparency of pay in 2021, breaking a taboo that is widely held in companies, while promoting a principle of fairness.

– Agronutris operates cross-functional working groups in which all employees can participate according to their aspirations.

– All employees are shareholders in the company and all receive the same amount of shares each year, regardless of their position or salary level.

– All employees receive training in non-violent communication over a period of  several years.