There are currently over 8000 Certified B Corporations in more than 95 countries and over 150 industries.
B Corp Month is about sharing and celebrating what businesses can do improve the world we live in every day. For Busch, that means demonstrating our active commitment to reducing waste, building community, and doing what we can to leave the world a little better than we found it.
Before we dive in, let’s start at the beginning –
What is a B Corporation? ‘
Certified B Corporations®, or B Corps™ for short, are for-profit companies that are third-party certified for reaching the highest levels of verified environmental and social responsibility. B Corps are dedicated to using business as a force for good™.
How did the B Corp movement start?
B Lab was founded in 2006 in the United States by three friends who shared a vision to make business a force for good. The first 82 Certified B Corps were certified in 2007.
What’s the difference between a Certified B Corp and a benefit corporation
Certified B Corporations and benefit corporations are often confused. The non-profit B Lab administers B Corp Certification to companies who meet verified standards of social and environmental impact through the B Impact Assessment, commit to transparency requirements related to their business’ impact and operations, and commit to being legally accountable to all of their stakeholders.
Who certifies B Corps?
The development of the standards for B Corp Certification are overseen by B Lab’s independent Standards Advisory Council.
Once an application is submitted for the B Impact Assessment, the first step towards achieving B- Corp Certification, Standards Analysts evaluate answers to the entire assessment to ensure the minimum score of 80 points is achieved and that any supporting documentation is provided to verify company claims.
You can find out more information on the evaluation and verification process here.
Where do the standards for B Corp Certification come from?
B Lab recognizes that high-quality social and environmental business standards demand continuous improvement in order to meet principles of inclusion, independence, and credibility.
The standards are therefore independently governed by B Lab’s Standards Advisory Council and Board of Directors. They also seek input from external stakeholders and various Working and Advisory Groups.
The standards are updated and improved on a regular basis with all standards development projects informed by research and multi-stakeholder input. You can learn more about these Standards here.
B Corp Month 2024
From the B Corp Press Release March 1, 2024 – Over 8,000 B Corp Certified businesses celebrate B Corp Month 2024 around the glove by sharing how they move forward together to pave the way for better business.
The annual campaign launched March 1, uniting companies across 96 countries and 162 industries that employ more than 750,000 workers to show how the B Corp community is moving business forward. B Corps will celebrate how they are continuously improving their impact to create more inclusive workspaces, improve their climate impact, and respond to the world’s ever-changing issues. Because getting certified as a B Corp isn’t the end of the road – it’s just the beginning.
Throughout March, the improvement-focused community will showcase what it means to be a B Corp by sharing the inspiring breadth of ways they are moving, changing, and growing impact to create a better future for everyone.
****
Busch Systems is excited to be participating in the inspiring B Corporation Champions Retreat in Vancouver, British Columbia from March 18-22. This event includes two core days of conference programming where our staff will be participating in breakout groups including: Evolving the Standards for B Corp Certification; Building on the B Impact Assessment to Measure Progress on Your Purpose; Designing for Accessibility: Inclusive Practices for Your Digital Presence. Our team will also be participating in Integration Sessions including: Learning Integration in Three Acts and the keynote events that include: State of the B.
As stated in the B Lab Press Release from March 1, B Corp businesses are always on the move and looking for new ways to improve their impact – even after they’ve been certified! Busch Systems is excited to use this B Corp month to continue our improvement and find new ways to make an impact and implement change – within our organization and around the globe.
References.
B Corp Press Release
Who Certifies B Corps?
The Difference Between Certified B Corp and Benefit Corporation
How did the B Corp Movement Start?
