There are over 1,200 Certified B Corporations (B Corps) in 38 countries including 110 in Canada.
Most successful business owners understand the importance of looking beyond the spreadsheet. Factors such as environmental performance, corporate social responsibility, and strong values can influence and impact buyer decisions, employee morale, and reputation. Now, a new designation is available to certify businesses that are meeting a prescribed set of rigorous standards.
What are B Corps?
For-profit companies successfully completing the certification process are known as ‘B Corps – having met a high standard of social and environmental accountability and transparency.
Reasons to Become a B Corp:
Reasons to become a b-certified business are as varied as businesses themselves, from seeking improvement in benchmarks, attracting the best talent, partnership opportunities and generating positive media coverage. Perhaps the number one reason to pursue this unique designation, however, is simply to be a part of something bigger than oneself. Simply put, the designation is a reflection of values – being the best for the world versus being the best in the world. It’s about harnessing the influence, power, and intelligence of the business community to address social and environmental issues.
How to Pursue a B Corp Designation:
The process to become a B Corp certified business is meant to be rigorous but not onerous, to maintain high standards and credibility. The process begins with completion of an impact assessment which will generate a score out of 200. Scores of 80 or higher will be invited to further participate in the process which includes an assessment review, follow up questions, additional documentation and references.
Certified B Corps are redefining what success in today’s business looks like. It is important to note that this classification has no bearing on the tax status of your corporation.
For more information or to begin the assessment process click here
