As an example, B Corp certification was the catalyst for the implementation of Natural Forces’ paid Parental Leave Policy to support employees with new and growing families. And when B Corps survive, they benefit all of their stakeholders by creating social, environmental, and financial value. Why B Corps Matter "There’s a lot of negative feelings about capitalism right now,” says Kris Lin-Bronner who is the Strategic Advisor of Dr. Bronner’s. We know we are! B Corps meet rigorous independent standards of performance for how they treat their workers, engage in their communities, and steward our environment. More recently, there has also been a chorus of voices from thought leaders such as Sir Richard Branson, Thomas Friedman, Bill Gates, and Michael Porter who have recognized a growing trend among entrepreneurs and business leaders to create market-based solutions to our most pressing global challenges. Such listings include sole proprietorship, LLC, and various corporations. LEARN MORE ABOUT B CORPS I love talking about our company because ZEGO is so much more than delicious, Free From snacks. B Corps are businesses that meet the highest social, economic, and environmental standards and public transparency. B Corp certification turns the ambiguous concepts of "going green" or "being a good corporate citizen" into something tangible and measurable that people can easily identify, trust, and support. Since my cookie-inspired discovery, I have watched the B Corp movement grow rapidly and globally. Saved by Bridgette H. Miller. Joining the B Corporation movement is a big step in our journey, using business as a force for good. Why B Corps Matter | B Corporation. (Want articles like this sent right to your email box? Ask your vendors to become B Corps. At its best, business encourages collaboration, innovation, and mutual well-being, and helps people to live more vibrant and fulfilling lives. Find out more at BCorporation.net. That’s the kind of promise you can expect from B Corp Certified businesses. 5 Reasons Why Benefit Corporations Matter, Prefer to talk? “That seems silly,” I thought. The flour I was using—King Arthur’s unbleached all-purpose flour—had a Certified B Corporation logo on the side of the package. B Corps companies are dedicated to organic, local ingredients, lessening their environmental footprint, and giving back what they take from the earth. Why B Corps Matter Certifi ed B Corporations are leading a global movement to redefi ne success in business. In the United States, legislation to create benefit corporations—a new corporate structure based on the B Corp idea—has been passed in “red” states like Louisiana and South Carolina, “blue” states like California and New York, swing states like Colorado and Pennsylvania, and even in Delaware, the home of corporate law, where more than 63 percent of the Fortune 500 are incorporated. By voluntarily meeting higher standards of transparency, accountability and performance, more than 600 B Corps are It's time for capitalism to evolve from a model of short-term profits for a few to a model of shared and enduring prosperity for all. In a time of unfortunate political gridlock, the B Corporation is an idea that has generated incredible bipartisan support. The B Corp assessment gave us a framework that allowed us to ensure we are meeting the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability. Certified B Corporations include thousands of businesses, from more than 60 industries and 30 countries, that can speak with one voice when they collectively invite their 20 million closest family, friends, and followers to join them in celebrating the use of business as a force for good. Yes, it takes energy and effort, but the more companies that become B Corps and can advocate for higher corporate expectations from a position of strength, the more we will be able to ensure that additional states adopt legislation and the more we can shift the normative expectations for business. B Corps form a community of leaders and drive a global movement of people using business as a force for good. Method has built an imaginative, irreverent culture that allows its employees to express themselves through their work. Indeed, on its list of core values, B Lab says, “We stand for something, not against anything.” This positive, can-do philosophy is deeply appealing to me as a business owner, and I think it appeals to many other founders, investors, and executives as well. It has generated great returns for its investors through its mission-aligned sale to Ecover, a European home products company, and now Ecover is considering whether to become a founding European B Corporation. According to B Lab, between 2014 and 2019, there was a 347% increase in the total number of B Corps, and a 166% increase in beauty, wellness and personal care B Corps. We were honored to defend him. Natural Force is proud to join a growing community of more than 2,100 Certified B Corps from 50 countries and more than 130 industries. To find out which companies are certified B Corps and to learn more about how each is giving back to the environment and their communities, check out this directory. 10 months ago. We’re going to go out on a limb and guess you’re probably the type of person to buy organic produce and ask about the farms where your chickens lay eggs and your beef grazes grass – and we love you for that! There are now Certified B Corporations in more than 30 countries around the globe, including Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Kenya, and Mongolia (to name a few). There’s a lot of negative feelings about capitalism right now,” says Kris Lin-Bronner who is the Strategic Advisor of Dr. Bronner’s. B Corps matter because they redefine success in business. That’s not the case with B Corps. Sign in with your online account. Ryan Honeyman is a sustainability consultant, executive coach, keynote speaker, and author of The B Corp Handbook: How to Use Business as a Force for Good (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, October 2014), from which this article was adapted. There are thousands of others like them, creating businesses that are high growth and high impact. Greater potential both individually and collectively. Eligible companies complete the B Impact Assessment created by B Lab, the B Corps certifying body. Method’s products prevent triclosan, brominated vegetable oil, and other unpronounceable ingredients from getting into our homes and the environment. One decision being what type of business your organization will identify with during your filings to the government. By becoming B Corp certified, White & Elm strengthened its belief that business has a higher social purpose than simply generating profit. And at the very least, always look for the Certified B Corp logo! 5 Reasons Why Supporting B Corps Can Make the World a Better Place. Her words are indicative of the wide-scale erosion of trust between companies and consumers. B Corps are Creating Healthier Communities, Inside and Outside the Company. B Impact Report A more holistic look at how your company scores across multiple questions related to the same impact topic Inc. magazine has called B Corp certification “the highest standard for socially responsible businesses,” and the New York Times has said, “B Corp provides what is lacking elsewhere: proof.”. August 18, 2017 Written by: Danielle Schnake 0 Comment. Unhappy employees and high turnover rates can cost companies millions. Instead, we, like so many other B Corp Certified businesses, are committed to the health and happiness of our employees. Compare your answers to thousands of other businesses and see how you stack up. Certified B CorporationsTM (aka B Corps) are for-profit businesses that have the highest standards when it comes to social and environmental performance and accountability. So why should you support the B Corp mission? From there, each business can objectively analyze their business practices and create strategic improvement plans to improve their score. Many movements, from clean tech, microfinance, and sustainable agriculture to the buy local and co-op movements, are all manifestations of the same idea: How do we use business for good? By using the B Corp directory you can make each purchase count. Why B Corp Matters. Like to read more content, Join the Utne Community Today! Functional Medicine for Autoimmune Diseases, Your Revolution at Home: Radical Fossil Fuel Divestment. • B Corps matter because they help us live to higher purpose. Jesse Pentecost. At its worst, business—and the tendency to focus on maximizing short-term profits—can lead to significant social and environmental damage, such as the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill or the loss of more than $1 trillion in global wealth in the 2008 financial crisis. The statements made on this website have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Certified B Corps are a new kind of business that balances purpose and profit. This is a laudable achievement. This can help your business stand out in a crowded market, attract the best talent, and turn your customers into evangelists. Even publicly traded companies are B Corp certified, so you have better choices when it comes to investing your cash. No matter who our shareholders are or who’s on the board of directors, we hold ourselves to the highest social and environmental standards. In addition to King Arthur Flour, big-name B Corps include companies like Ben & Jerry’s, Cabot Creamery, Dansko, Etsy, Method, Patagonia, and Seventh Generation. Well, to avoid burying the lead here: B Corp certification is the gold standard for better business practices, providing the rigorous standards and accountability necessary to certify truly socially responsible companies. I was obviously missing something. We have big news to announce – ZEGO is now a B Corporation! What are the B Corp certification requirements? Jay Coen Gilbert is cofounder of B Lab, a nonprofit organization dedicated to using the power of business to solve social and environmental problems and help businesses become certified B Corps. By allowing managers to lash themselves to the interests of employees, the community and the environment as equity’s equals, the B Corp can resist the siren call of short-term profits. Thought leaders such as former president Bill Clinton and Robert Shiller, the winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Economics, have taken an interest in the B Corp movement. It is not hard to see why this idea receives strong bipartisan support. This means that our mission - to help people live happier, healthier lives through quality nutrition while minimizing our impact on the planet – is baked into our corporate DNA. Indeed, Certified B Corporations were 63 percent more likely to survive the Great Recession (2007–2009) than the average U.S. small business. Since the companies publish annual Impact Reports, you know a B Corp is actively practicing what it preaches, and by supporting them, you’re contributing to these do-good missions. Here are some more reasons why B Corps matter: • B Corps matter because they are concrete and measurable. Business is, for better or worse, one of the most powerful forces on the planet. Public Benefit Corporation is a new term in the business world. Having said that, the B Corps movement matters. “B Corp is to business what USDA Organic certification is to milk.” A Certified B Corp is a for-profit corporation that has been certified by B Lab, which is a non-profit company that measures a company’s social and environmental performance against the standards in the online B Impact Assessment. Why being a B Corp matters to Dog and Bone. Already a Member but The B Impact Assessment is a series of questions that help quantify how your business affects the environment, your employees, and how the company gives back to the community. The B Corporation amplifies the voice of this diverse marketplace behind the power of a unifying brand that stands for a better way to do business. There’s a reason why Rick Warren’s The Purpose-Driven Life is among the best-selling books of all time. ZEGO is a B Corporation – Why This Matters! “Wouldn’t you want to be an A Corporation and not a B Corporation?” The carton of eggs I was using was rated AA. Business for the greater good! Many businesses tend to focus on short-term profits, not because they are inherently greedy or evil but because short-term profits are the metric that is most often measured and rewarded. B Corporations, or B Corps, are a product of this shift in values. In sum, B Corps matter because they are leading a global movement to redefine success in business, so that society will enjoy a more durable shared prosperity. Instead, we, like so many other B Corp Certified businesses, are committed to the health and happiness of our employees. The following excerpt explains what it means to be designated a B Corporation, and how the model benefits everyone involved.). B Corporations believe that capitalism needs to evolve from a 20th-century model that focuses on creating profits for shareholders to a 21st-century model that creates shared and enduring prosperity for all stakeholders (including workers, suppliers, the community, the environment, and shareholders). Most people are motivated by a higher purpose, not profit. Here are some more reasons why B Corps matter: -Advertisement-. B Corps compete to be not just the best in the world, but the best for the world. Already a Member? In a Huffington Post blog, Gilbert summed up how B Corp taps into this energy: “Whether by law or custom, we believe and act as though business can have no purpose other than the maximization of profits. A full life is a life of service to something more than oneself, whether that something be family, friends, community, the environment, society, or future generations.”. Every B Corp certified company passes rigorous certification requirements and is reevaluated annually, which means these companies are continually working hard to be better and do better. B Corps create a new narrative, a new set of expectations, and a new focus on using the power of business for more than just profits. As a result, we will make progress toward alleviating poverty, building stronger communities, creating great places to work, and restoring the environment, for generations to come. The B Corps idea was launched in 2006 by B Lab , a non-profit group led by entrepreneurs Jay Coen Gilbert and … Director: Cyrus Sutton Producers: Charles Post, David Karr. Many business owners have told me that B Corp certification has helped them become a better business on many different levels—from attracting talent, to raising capital, to winning new business. The B Corp Handbook: How to Use Business as a Force for Good. STEP 2. But we wouldn’t be in this business at all if it weren’t for the nutrient-dense bounty that mother earth provides! The products sold on this website are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. B Corp certification also allows us to improve our business practices through metrics that will measure and ensure our continued successful growth. The entrepreneurial journey promises adventure, risk, and a host of decisions that could help or hurt our brand new organization. This is "Why B Corps Matter" by Grrr on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. As more people support B Corps, it will encourage more and more companies to pursue B Corp certification. There are more than 2,100 certified B Corps, which means there are many different businesses you can support that are doing more than simply selling a product for profit. Why B Corps Matter "There’s a lot of negative feelings about capitalism right now,” says Kris Lin-Bronner who is the Strategic Advisor of Dr. Bronner’s. Excellent writing and explanation. In an effort to participate in the first global activation of B Corps, Dog and Bone has been asked to outline what being a B Corp means to us and why we care. Michael Pirron, Impact Makers founder, fought for the right to donate $13.4 M of his company's equity to Virginia charities. Lowry and Ryan took an uninspiring product category—soap—and built a movement around stylish, eco-friendly products that make cleaning safe and fun. Copyright © 2009-2020 Natural Force. How do B Corporations fit into this bigger context? What is B Corp certification? And because the certification process holds every company accountable with annual assessments, you know that their promises are worth more than just writing them in their online mission statement. B Corps matter because they accelerate the evolution of capitalism. B Corps accelerate this existing trend by creating, using, and promoting new legal structures that aim to create value for all stakeholders, as well as transparent, credible, comprehensive, and independent third-party standards of social and environmental performance that create a more efficient and effective marketplace. Putting money and energy back into employees, the earth, and our communities is no longer solely synonymous with non-profit organizations. There are no furious tirades about politicians or corporate greed. All Rights Reserved.Natural Force is a registered trademark of Natural Force Benefit Co. in the United States and other countries.Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Refund Policy | Accessibility | Sitemap, What is a Certified B Corp? Compare. Why do B Corps matter? Government budgets are already constrained and are likely to be more constrained in the future, and nonprofits, for all the great work that they do, are structurally limited in their ability to attract and retain talent, to rapidly grow to meet demand, and to adapt to new challenges, because they are heavily dependent on charitable funding. They believe that business should impact way more than just shareholders’ wallets and instead, create a new definition for success that includes the planet, the community, and employees. Over the past 30 years, there has been a tremendous growth in the number of “conscious consumers,” “socially responsible” investments, and “triple bottom line” businesses that believe that business should strive to do no harm. • B Corps matter because they are better businesses. Happy employees = happy people = happy communities. Happy employees = happy people = happy communities. Unhappy employees and high turnover rates can cost companies millions. Hi, thanks for stopping by. B Corporations (B Corps) are for-profit companies that break the traditions of most companies by going through a rigorous transparent assessment to measure the impact on their key stakeholders. (Editor’s note: Utne Reader is published by Ogden Publications, which is proud to be a Certified B Corporation. The B Corp represents the only legal innovation in the past decade that addresses and improves the fundamental cracks in our economic system. Governments and nonprofits, moreover, are necessary yet insufficient to address society’s greatest challenges. They are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment. Being an active member of the B Lab Australia and New Zealand Ltd community is an important part of Redvespa's philosophy of being in Business For Good. A discussion of how a company becomes B Corp movement stands for,... 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