Unhappy employees and high turnover rates can cost companies millions. What is the point? Instead, we, like so many other B Corp Certified businesses, are committed to the health and happiness of our employees. Director: Cyrus Sutton Producers: Charles Post, David Karr. Natural Force completed the B Impact Assessment in less than 6 months and as of May 2018, we’re proud to announce that Natural Force is both a certified B Corp™ as well as a legally recognized Benefit corporation. Method’s products prevent triclosan, brominated vegetable oil, and other unpronounceable ingredients from getting into our homes and the environment. It is not hard to see why this idea receives strong bipartisan support. For our third “Around the Corner” interview, Community Manager Mo Manklang spoke with Koedyker about why B Corps matter , why people are more inclined to measure their impact these days and what she wish she knew when she started Forsei. Pinterest. 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. The flour I was using—King Arthur’s unbleached all-purpose flour—had a Certified B Corporation logo on the side of the package. Why do B Corps matter? That’s not the case with B Corps. We know we are! What are the B Corp certification requirements? • B Corps matter because they help us live to higher purpose. I first found out about B Corporations while baking cookies. B Corps are pro-business, pro-environment, pro-market, and pro-community. 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. 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. B Corps form a community of leaders and drive a global movement of people using business as a force for good. B Corps meet rigorous independent standards of performance for how they treat their workers, engage in their communities, and steward our environment. 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. This belief ... constrains our imagination and ability to live to our full potential as human beings. 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. “The B Corp movement is one of the most important of our lifetime, built on the simple fact that business impacts and serves more than just shareholders—it has an equal responsibility to the community and to the planet.” *Hubbub Enterprise is now a certified B-Corp* We're super excited to announce that the enterprise arm of Hubbub is now a B-Corp! (Editor’s note: Utne Reader is published by Ogden Publications, which is proud to be a Certified B Corporation. From there, each business can objectively analyze their business practices and create strategic improvement plans to improve their score. The products sold on this website are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Already a Member but 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. 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? ZEGO is a B Corporation – Why This Matters! February 20, 2018. Already a Member? 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. 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! Why do B Corps matter? 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. Business is, for better or worse, one of the most powerful forces on the planet. Excellent writing and explanation. B Corps are businesses that meet the highest social, economic, and environmental standards and public transparency. And Lowry and Ryan are not alone. 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. • The B Corp movement stands for positive, innovative, and practical solutions to global problems. There’s a reason why Rick Warren’s The Purpose-Driven Life is among the best-selling books of all time. 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. The what, who, and why mentioned above can be answered through a discussion of how a company becomes B Corp certified. This is "Why B Corps Matter" by Grrr on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. 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. The following excerpt explains what it means to be designated a B Corporation, and how the model benefits everyone involved.). Koedyker is the cofounder of Forsei Consulting, a social and environmental consulting company that’s both a B Corp and a benefit corporation. Are you excited to change the world? 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. That’s the kind of promise you can expect from B Corp Certified businesses. By voluntarily meeting higher standards of transparency, accountability and performance, more than 600 B Corps are (Want articles like this sent right to your email box? At its best, business encourages collaboration, innovation, and mutual well-being, and helps people to live more vibrant and fulfilling lives. 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.”. Why B Corps Matter B Corps •Accelerate the evolution of capitalism •Redefine success in business •Concrete and measurable •Build collective voice •Better businesses •Help us live to a higher purpose •Stand for something, not against anything Greater potential both individually and collectively. 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. You know how a product will say it’s “natural,” but that doesn’t really mean anything? As more people support B Corps, it will encourage more and more companies to pursue B Corp certification. Copyright © 2009-2020 Natural Force. 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. B Corps are Creating Healthier Communities, Inside and Outside the Company. Hi, thanks for stopping by. Ask your vendors to become B Corps. And when B Corps survive, they benefit all of their stakeholders by creating social, environmental, and financial value. A great example of this is Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan, the cofounders of Method. Instead, we, like so many other B Corp Certified businesses, are committed to the health and happiness of our employees. Lowry and Ryan took an uninspiring product category—soap—and built a movement around stylish, eco-friendly products that make cleaning safe and fun. 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. don't have an online “That seems silly,” I thought. How do B Corporations fit into this bigger context? So why should you support the B Corp mission? 5 Reasons Why Benefit Corporations Matter, Prefer to talk? Call to order (844) 927-3733. STEP 2. The information provided by this website or this company is not a substitute for a face-to-face consultation with your physician, and should not be construed as individual medical advice. The statements made on this website have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 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. We were honored to defend him. B Lab is making it easier than ever for buyers to find companies that support causes that matter. 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. Such listings include sole proprietorship, LLC, and various corporations. No matter who our shareholders are or who’s on the board of directors, we hold ourselves to the highest social and environmental standards. 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. 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 compete to be not just the best in the world, but the best for the world. There are many reasons why B Corps matter, but the following are some of the reasons that are most meaningful to me, and to the hundreds of B Corps I spoke to during the writing of my forthcoming book: The B Corp Handbook: How to Use Business as a Force for Good (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, October 13, 2014). Most importantly, these standards—and information about how other B Corps perform against them—are transparent. Why being a B Corp matters to Dog and Bone. Here's the sign up!). 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. Her words are indicative of the wide-scale erosion of trust between companies and consumers. They go beyond producing quality jobs and products, and ensure good practices across the entire company and their supply chain. One decision being what type of business your organization will identify with during your filings to the government. 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. The B Corps idea was launched in 2006 by B Lab , a non-profit group led by entrepreneurs Jay Coen Gilbert and … 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. 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. 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. Governments and nonprofits, moreover, are necessary yet insufficient to address society’s greatest challenges. • B Corps matter because they are concrete and measurable. The B Corp Handbook: How to Use Business as a Force for Good. B Corp certification also allows us to improve our business practices through metrics that will measure and ensure our continued successful growth. 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. This can help your business stand out in a crowded market, attract the best talent, and turn your customers into evangelists. • B Corps matter because they are better businesses. They are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment. I was obviously missing something. 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. This is a laudable achievement. Joining the B Corporation movement is a big step in our journey, using business as a force for good. 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. In a time of unfortunate political gridlock, the B Corporation is an idea that has generated incredible bipartisan support. LEARN MORE ABOUT B CORPS But we wouldn’t be in this business at all if it weren’t for the nutrient-dense bounty that mother earth provides! An online search revealed that the B logo was not a scarlet letter for second-rate baking products. Why B Corps Matter? 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. 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. 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. Why B Corps Matter | B Corporation. Why B Corps Matter Certifi ed B Corporations are leading a global movement to redefi ne success in business. 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? “Wouldn’t you want to be an A Corporation and not a B Corporation?” The carton of eggs I was using was rated AA. There’s a lot of negative feelings about capitalism right now,” says Kris Lin-Bronner who is the Strategic Advisor of Dr. Bronner’s. Why B Corp Matters. Read on to find out what exactly a B Corp is, what rigorous environmental and social standards are required to become certified as a B Corp, how B Corps are making the world a better place, and how you can join in this mission for positive change. 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. Public Benefit Corporation is a new term in the business world. By using the B Corp directory you can make each purchase count. Indeed, Certified B Corporations were 63 percent more likely to survive the Great Recession (2007–2009) than the average U.S. small business. 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. 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. You will receive two types of feedback: Quick Snapshot A simple look at which questions your company already excels at and which practices it could improve on. It’s time for profit-driven businesses to take sustainability and environmental and social issues into account in a serious way, and as a consumer, you can "vote with your dollars" to make these values heard. Business for the greater good! We have big news to announce – ZEGO is now a B Corporation! B Corporations, or B Corps, are a product of this shift in values. Subscribe to get special offers, free giveaways, and once-in-a-lifetime deals. By becoming B Corp certified, White & Elm strengthened its belief that business has a higher social purpose than simply generating profit. 10 months ago. Eligible companies complete the B Impact Assessment created by B Lab, the B Corps certifying body. You care about where your food comes from and that you’re supporting sustainable business practices, both environmental and social. 2017 | 6 min North America USA Language: English. Jesse Pentecost. 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). 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.