B Corporations

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= B-Corp’s are companies that desire a broader mandate than simply “maximizing shareholder wealth.”

Certification for socially and environmentally friendly corporations.


URL = http://www.bcorporation.net/

Description

1.

"In many states, if a corporate board or officer strays from the task of maximizing shareholder wealth, they could be tried for violating the law. B-Corporations view their responsibility to all stakeholders, not just shareholders. These stakeholders include employees, vendors, and their local community and environment. The B-Corp concept is sometimes referred to as the Triple Bottom Line: people, planet, profits." (http://www.microclesia.com/?p=517)


2.

"B Corporations are a new type of corporation that are purpose-driven and create benefit for all stakeholders, not just shareholders. B Corporations are unlike traditional responsible businesses because they:

  • Meet comprehensive and transparent social and environmental performance standards.
  • Institutionalize stakeholder interests.
  • Build collective voice though the power of a unifying brand."

(http://www.bcorporation.net/about/)


Discussion

Walaika Haskins:

"States across the U.S. are considering laws to enable entrepreneurs to create corporations that do as much for society as they do for their shareholders.

Maryland was the first state to pass Benefit Corporations (“B-Corps”) legislation. Co-sponsored by State Senators Jamie Raskin and Brian Frosh and Delegate Brian Feldman, the law, which went into effect in October 2010, creates a new class of corporation committed to having a positive impact on the environment and society. Vermont and New York passed similar legislation in June. Legislators in other states, including California, Colorado, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington, are considering the issue.

Businesses incorporated under B-Corps laws have social goals and commitments written into company bylaws. This ensures that companies will no longer face the hard choice of sacrificing their socially beneficial goals in order to fulfill their responsibility to investors when, for example, an acquisition offer is on the table. Under traditional corporate law, company heads can’t refuse such an offer for fear of a lawsuit from shareholders.

“There have been a number of socially conscious companies that have been forced to sell out to large corporations and end up sacrificing the public side of the equation,” explains Raskin. “Ben & Jerry’s is an excellent example. The directors of the corporation were required to accept a handsome buyout offer even though they knew the business would lose its soul.”

B-Corps may choose any goals that will have a measurable “general public benefit.” They can go totally “green,” offer worker training or literacy programs, or host activities that promote the arts and sciences. Companies incorporated under the law will have to submit an annual report detailing not only their finances but also their good works.

According to Sean Smeeton, president of Taharka Brothers, the law is just the right match for his Baltimore-based ice cream company. The company works to dispel misperceptions about young men from Baltimore’s underserved communities, while helping them gain work experience, leadership skills, and the opportunity to become stockholders in Taharka Brothers.


“The Benefit Corp movement should bring a change in mindset to the business world and entrepreneurs,” says Smeeton. “The two will be able to acknowledge the vital role business can play in making the world a better place.” (http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/can-animals-save-us/benefit-corps-a-new-kind-of-company)

Consolidation at the Global Level: B Lab for B Corps

Henri Mintzberge et al:

"B Lab started as a plural sector initiative that “serves a global movement of people using business as a force for good.” It was established as a US nonprofit organization in 2006 by two ethically minded entrepreneurs who had sold their athletic apparel company and subsequently saw much of its commitment to social responsibility dissipate. Recognizing that the tendency toward social indifference was endemic to corporate governance systems worldwide, they promoted legislation for a new corporate form, responsive to all stakeholders.

B Lab leverages the strengths of all three sectors. It works directly with governments to introduce a new corporate charter, called a “B Corporation,” with explicit attention to a triple bottom line of financial, social, and environmental results. This frees corporate executives from judicial precedents and norms that have forced them to maximize shareholder value—a fiduciary duty that has hobbled many efforts to work climate change mitigation into strategy. B Lab certifies standards that enable companies to become B Corporations, and provides a rating system that supports the growth of impact investing for sustainability. The consolidation of efforts across the B Lab NGO, the supporting governments, and the B Corporation members exemplifies what can happen when the three sectors collaborate.

As of 2016, 31 American state governments had passed legislation providing for the new corporate charters, while a similar movement, Sistema B, was created in Latin America, as were initiatives in Canada and the United Kingdom. More than 1,800 firms in 50 countries and 130 industries have successfully completed B Lab certification, among them a handful of publicly traded companies such as Natura in Brazil and Etsy in the United States." (https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/2246/bc715c531f724b404a4fcdd53f25504ee9b6.pdf)