Celebrate B Corp Month: Small Changes for Big Impact
Learn More About the Community of B Corporations and How You Can Help Build a New Economy
February may be best-known for the time to celebrate the ones you love on Valentine’s Day. This year it’s also B Corp Month, a time to recognize, celebrate and share the love for companies that take their social and environmental responsibility and impact seriously. Business, one of the most powerful forces people have created, can and should be used for good. And everyone, from business leaders to policymakers to employees and consumers — can make changes that change the system.
Let’s start at the beginning.
What Is a B Corp?
Certified B Corporations are for-profit businesses using the power of the marketplace to help solve social and environmental problems. Unlike other certifications, B Corps complete a third-party-verified assessment, administered by the nonprofit B Lab, for the entire operations of the business, from how the products and services are created and deployed to how their workers are treated, and more. B Corps meet comprehensive, rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. Every two years, B Corps are re-assessed, and with every assessment must earn an average of 80 points out of 200 possible to gain and retain certification.
B Corps are not just looking to limit their negative impact; they are actively looking to leave the world and communities in which they operate better than they found them. The Certified B Corp logo is one you can trust, and because the assessment comes around every two years, the logo serves as a marker of companies continually striving to improve their positive impact. The B Corp stamp is the difference between slick marketing and a truly good company.
Commitment defines the B Corp movement, because helping to solve social and environmental problems through business isn’t easy. Doing so takes extra resources, a lot more time, and costs that competitors don’t take on.
But companies are taking up the challenge: There are now more than 2,300 B Corps — including names you probably recognize, like Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, Eileen Fisher and King Arthur Flour — operating in more than 50 countries and 130 industries. And more are signing up every week.
How Can Everyone Celebrate With Us?
- Find B Corps making products you use. The everyday products you shop for are probably also made by B Corp brands—from dish soap to toothpaste to baby food to t-shirts, and so much more. Look for the Certified B Corp logo (shown above) when you shop, and search for products by B Corp brands here.
- Join and follow B Corporation on Facebook, Instagram, Medium and Twitter. We share updates about the growth of the movement of people using business as a force for good every day. This month, we’ll be featuring all sorts of stories and photos, and even several giveaways — follow along to learn more and enter for a chance to win some awesome, do-good prizes.
- Sign up for the weekly B the Change newsletter. Each Friday, we share stories, along with our insights about why they are important and what they mean for the big picture, about businesses building a better world. Get our free updates each week, delivered to your inbox.
B the Change gathers and shares the voices from within the movement of people using business as a force for good and the community of Certified B Corporations. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the nonprofit B Lab.
