With a holistic sustainability approach and a methodology based on multi-sector collaboration, it has developed projects that have already reached more than 1,000 people, creating local impact networks with a global vision
The initiative has already brought together 167 organizations—including companies, educational centers, and public entities—driving concrete actions to foster a more prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable city
Driven by B Lab Spain, EADA Business School, Ferrer, and Barcelona City Council, Barcelona+B is part of the B Corp movement, an international ecosystem working for a regenerative, equitable, and inclusive economy
Barcelona+B emerged in 2022 with the aim of restoring city pride and positioning Barcelona as a global benchmark in tackling social and environmental challenges at a local level, such as the lack of decent jobs and growing inequality
Barcelona, May 6, 2025. – Barcelona+B, a pioneering initiative in Spain that integrates the global B Corp movement for business transformation, celebrates its third anniversary after weaving a network of more than 165 organizations committed to building a more sustainable future for the city. Driven by B Lab Spain together with EADA Business School, Ferrer, and Barcelona City Council, through Barcelona Activa, Barcelona+B was founded in 2022 with the goal of positioning the city as a benchmark in managing social and environmental issues.
Using a methodology based on multi-sector collaboration, the initiative has developed projects ranging from awareness-raising and training for companies to citizen mobilization campaigns, the creation of community spaces, and the development of educational resources to promote social and environmental sustainability skills in classrooms, reaching more than 1,000 people. At the same time, it has designed and implemented more than 56 workshops and free awareness and collaborative work sessions, in which more than 600 companies have participated, and has organized and participated in more than 90 meetings that have brought together more than 3,000 people.
Among the most notable projects of recent months are Treballem+B and Eduquem+B. Through the former, more than 130 organizations have signed the manifesto for commitment to SDG 8, focused on decent work and inclusive economic growth. In the Eduquem+B project, more than 1,000 students and a dozen educational centers are already using the resources developed by Barcelona+B according to the GreenComp sustainability competence framework, promoted by the European Commission.
“The work of these last three years has shown us that the model we promote from Barcelona+B is necessary to foster a fairer and more equitable Barcelona. True change only happens when we involve all the people who live together in this plural and diverse city,” stated Elena Damiá, director of Barcelona+B at B Lab Spain. “We encourage the integration and participation of all actors involved, from educational centers, public bodies, and private companies, to lead the economic and social transformation of the city hand in hand, captaining the future of change together,” she added.
Elena Damià, director of Barcelona+B
The Catalan capital faces structural challenges such as the lack of decent work, growing inequality, and the housing access crisis. Overcoming them requires transformative solutions, driven by all sectors at the service of citizens. In this sense, Barcelona+B works to position the city as a global benchmark in building alliances to face sustainability challenges. Its mission is clear: to connect companies, educational centers, and public administrations to build a fairer, more sustainable, and interconnected city.
From a holistic view of sustainability, Barcelona+B promotes collective action as a way to generate real impact, understanding that only with the involvement of all actors can the complexity of today’s challenges be addressed. For this reason, it promotes both free awareness-raising sessions for companies to improve their individual impact and collaborative initiatives that encourage them to go further.
One of these ongoing initiatives is Board 2030, where executives and board members of large companies based in Barcelona work together on an action plan to consolidate the city as a benchmark for the impact economy, generating concrete social benefits.
Treballem+B was born as a response to an urgent need: for more companies to commit to generating quality, fair, and inclusive jobs. The initiative, fully aligned with SDG 8 (decent work and inclusive economic growth), has brought together more than 30 expert organizations from the city in a series of collaborative workshops with a clear goal: to build a shared diagnosis and map out concrete solutions to current labor challenges.
The data is alarming (Source: Barcelona Activa, 2023):
56% of unemployed people in Barcelona are over 45 years old.
30% of LGBTI people claim to have suffered workplace discrimination.
The unemployment rate for people with disabilities exceeds 20%, 9.2 points higher than among those without disabilities.
Faced with this reality, diversity and inclusion are not only a matter of social justice but also a strategic opportunity for companies. One of the main contributions of Treballem+B has been the creation of unprecedented spaces for connection between companies, social entities, and public sector actors. These meetings have facilitated dialogue, mutual understanding, and the generation of new alliances, revealing a previously unmet need: the lack of forums to jointly build solutions from different perspectives.
In a context where sustainability has become an urgent challenge, it is not enough to have aware talent: it is essential to have truly competent people to face it. Mario Rovirosa, CEO of Ferrer: “There will be more and more companies demanding these skills. Whether out of conviction (as in the case of Ferrer), because the client requests it, for compliance, or because it is the trend, companies will incorporate these criteria when hiring new talent.”
Eduquem+B is part of the response that Barcelona+B is providing to this situation. It is an educational project that brings high school, vocational training (FP), and university students closer to the concept of sustainability, understanding it from a systemic and social point of view, not just an environmental one. Its main objective is to foster skills so that students have the necessary resources to take proactive action on sustainability. These skills are detected through a test based on the European Commission’s GreenComp framework, which has allowed the participation of the European project ECF4Clim in Eduquem+B.
The climate crisis and growing social inequality make the coming years decisive for our society. For this reason, Barcelona+B continues to promote alliances between the public sector, the private sector, citizens, and social organizations, with a common goal: to generate a real impact on the city and the lives of those who inhabit it. The project remains active and is committed to initiatives where positive impact and social change are real drivers of transformation.
In the stage that is now opening, Barcelona+B aims to make visible the collective action work led by Board 2030; obtain a clear snapshot of the sustainability skills of Barcelona’s youth by analyzing the use of tests in the classroom; continue developing resources for training trainers; and continue supporting companies in their transition towards a fairer, more equitable, and regenerative business model.
