On A Mission To B A Better Business

Certified B Corporations are leaders of the global movement of People Using Business as a Force for Good®. Certified B Corporations meet high standards of verified social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability, and aspire to use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) implemented organic standards (also known as the National Organic Program or NOP) 2002 and maintains the regulations that all farmers and manufacturers must comply with if they want to use the USDA organic certification seal. The organic standard does not allow for the use of artificial flavors or preservatives, toxic persistent pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, artificial hormones, antibiotics, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). It also requires organic farmers to put practices in place that work with nature to allow the soil, crops, pasture, and animals to flourish and reach their full potential. All farmers and manufacturers that participate in organic certification must have an annual inspection from an accredited certifying agency to demonstrate that they are in compliance with the standards.

B Corp certification is given after an assessment of a company’s positive impact on their workers, community, customers, and environment using the B Impact Assessment™. While organic standards look primarily at farming and manufacturing production practices, B Lab’s impact assessment looks at other factors such as a company’s environmental impact, labor practices, community engagement, and philanthropy to get a broader view on whether a company is being a good corporate citizen.

B Corp Certification is an ongoing process. A company must have and maintain a score of 80 or above on the B Impact Assessment to receive a B Corp Certification. The certification is not a one-time review; it is an ongoing framework and evaluation for improvement. Certified B Corps must re-certify once every three years . Together, Certified B Corporations are redefining what success in business means.

The B Impact Assessment looks at how companies impact the environment, their workers, their customers, and their community. There are also criteria for responsible governance.

Now that we measure our progress against the B Impact Assessment, we may be able to find ways to improve our impact scores by adjusting the way we do business. And that is the core purpose of B Corp Certification in the first place—to help us all do better!

Companies like Ben & Jerry’s, Seventh Generation, Patagonia, and Cabot have all obtained B Corp Certification, but the number is growing every day. You can search for companies on the B Corp website. Once you find the company you are looking for, you can view their scores and their full report.