B Corp Month – A conversation with James Tutton

For more than four decades, Neometro has approached development with a simple but enduring belief, that the homes we create shape the way people live and the cities they inhabit. In 2014, Neometro became a B Corp, joining a global community of companies committed to balancing profit with purpose.

Today, that community, led by B Lab, has grown significantly, but for Neometro the underlying question remains the same – how can residential development deliver lasting social, environmental and cultural value?

James Tutton (JT): My professional life had always been divided between the for-profit world, and the not-for-profit world. Neometro on one side, and Smiling Mind, which I co-founded, on the other. I was also on the founding board of B Lab Australia & New Zealand, so I had a strong understanding of what it meant to be a B Corp.

I’ve always believed you can run a profitable business that also delivers meaningful social, community and environmental outcomes.

B Corp created a structure around that idea in two important ways. Measurement – through the rigorous benchmarking exercise companies need to complete to qualify, and community – that social and cultural momentum that builds when multiple for-profit businesses have a stated non-financial purpose. That combination felt really compelling.

At the time, it was the very beginning of B Corp in Australia, and it felt like a way to formalise something that had already been part of Neometro’s thinking for a long time.

JT: That was something I thought about seriously. B Corp could have become a group of like-minded voices preaching to the converted – well meaning, but not driving meaningful change. Real social change was always going to come from commercially-oriented businesses with genuine market profiles identifying as B Corp. That’s what gives the movement credibility and that’s largely what has happened.

JT: It’s become a far broader church. You now see B Corp filtering through to businesses of all kinds and in various locations. People increasingly understand what the certification represents, particularly in the inner suburbs of Melbourne where our team is based. Personally, if I’m choosing between two comparable products and one is B Corp-certified, I’m naturally inclined to gravitate toward that option.

JT: There’s a brand integrity to B Corp that lowers perceived risk and signals a set of values that meaningfully informs how a business operates. It’s a credible shorthand for the kind of organisation we are and the standards we hold ourselves to.

JT: Residential development is an interesting industry because there can be a veneer of design integrity that’s applied to projects. Sometimes that veneer is genuine and sometimes it’s simply a mechanism to facilitate sales. The challenge for buyers is that it can be difficult to distinguish between the two. Two developments might use the same architect or builder, but the philosophy and long-term approach of the developer behind them can be very different and therefore, the outcome will be different. When people purchase from Neometro they’re not just buying an apartment or townhouse, they’re trusting us with something that is ultimately their home. That carries a very real responsibility. More broadly, good work is contagious. If Neometro doing things well raises expectations, and those expectations make buyers more demanding, then the overall standard of residential development lifts, which is positive for everyone.

JT: Design literacy and the idea of continuous improvement runs through our entire business. Much of our team, across development, marketing and sales, have studied and worked as architects. That shared lens means we notice and care about things others might overlook, be it acoustic treatment, the quality of materials, how light moves through a space, and the important relationship between a building and its surroundings. There’s also a virtuous loop that comes from having our sales team in-house. Our buyers are often very specific and articulate about how they live – what works, what doesn’t, what they’d change. Because we hear that directly, and because we engage personally with them, it feeds back into how we approach every new project, which means continuous progress. Ultimately, being a B Corp isn’t a fixed point, but a commitment to keep refining what we do. And in our case, that means continuing to create great homes that support everyday life and contribute positively to the city over time.