Our current economic system is broken.
You have to be living under a rock to be unaware of the devastating impacts caused by the environmental and humanitarian crises we face today. Scientists have been ringing alarm bells for decades; we need to drastically reduce the negative impacts of companies and industries as a whole. While some companies have been tackling these issues for years — and sometimes have even been founded specifically to address one of these issues — we need ALL companies to take action.
B Lab and the B Corp movement were founded with the idea that a different kind of economy was not only possible, but necessary — and that business could lead the way towards a more inclusive, equitable, and regenerative future. B Lab certifies B Corporations, which are companies that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
Pursuing B Corp Certification enables businesses to deeply understand their impact on people, communities and the planet, providing a clear framework for companies to build a plan of continuous improvement that is transparently assessed for progress. B Corporations are beacons that inspire other businesses to behave like them: measuring and managing their impact, balancing profit and purpose.
The B Corp movement began in 2006 and by 2007 the first 82 Certified B Corps were certified in the United States. 10 years ago, the movement began expanding across borders starting in Latin America where Sistema B was founded, bringing a systemic perspective to the movement, and has continued to grow into a global network. Fast forward to today and there are almost 5,000 B Corps around the world, in 79 countries and 154 industries, including over 30 publicly traded companies, along with over 200,000 users who have engaged with the B Impact Assessment and SDG Action Manager worldwide to better understand and measure their performance.
Roughly 70% of B Corps today employ fewer than 50 people. But when you add those numbers up and look at the people behind the business, there are now over 400,000 employees of B Corps around the world — all potential advocates for change.
[bcorpeurope.com 26.04.2022]