Interested in B Corp Certification? This presentation is from the September Path to B Corp Certification webinar hosted by B Lab. Watch the webinar recording here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/4933086830584938242

1. B Corp Certification
Ben Anderson Andy FyfeJessica Friesen

2. 1. Overview of B Lab &Vision
2. Why certify as a B Corporation
3. How to Get Started
Agenda

3. B Lab is serving a global movement of
People Using Business as a Force for Good
So that one day all companies compete to be
Best for the World
And society enjoys a
shared and durable prosperity.

4. Evolu-on
of
Business

5. • A certification conferred by the non-
profit B Lab
• A company that meets a high level of
social and environmental performance
AND makes a legal commitment to
consider all stakeholders
• Any for-profit company in any country
can pursue certification (LLC’s included)
• A corporate form (taxed like a C-
corp or an S-corp) that has a higher
level of transparency, accountability
and purpose
• A legal entity that has protection and
permission to consider its impact on
all stakeholders, not just shareholders
• Available in 27 states in the U.S.
Cer-fied
B
Corp
vs.
Benefit
Corpora-on

6. People
are
Demanding
Be;er

7. Serving
a
Global
Movement
Stakeholder Governance
Impact
Measurement
Certified B
Corps
Verified High Impact
Companies Built to
Last with Legal
1,300
Mission
Alignment
Benefit
Corps
and
Companies
with
Legal
Amendments
2,500
Measure What
Matters
B Impact Assessment
Users: GIIRS, Best for
NYC, Suppliers
30,000
B the Change
Aspirational and/or
Aligned Companies,
Consumers, Citizens
Millions
Low
High
HighLow
People Using Business as a Force for Good

8. Poll:
How interested are you in B Corp Certification?
• I’m doing it
• Interested, but something is standing in the way
• I’m curious, but need to be convinced
• Not interested
• N/A

9. B
Corpora-ons
The B Corporation certification
is to business what
Fair Trade is to coffee or
USDA Organic is to milk.

10. 1. Social
Environmental
Performance
2. Transparency 3. Accountability
Companies using business as a force for good.
They meet verified higher levels of:
“B Corp certification
further signals to our
stakeholders (coworkers,
customers, suppliers, and
community) that our
values are truly at the
core of our business.”
What
is
a
B
Corpora-on?

11. B
Corp
Community
=
Good
Company
to
Keep

12. • San Francisco, CA
• Home Personal Care
ü Mission:To put the hurt on dirt
without doing harm to people,
creatures, or our planet
ü Pays suppliers to reduce their
carbon emissions
ü Bottles are made from 100%
recycled plastic
• Fort Collins, CO
• Beer Brewer
ü 100% employee-owned
ü $1 donated to non-profits for every
barrel of beer produced
B
Corp
Community
=
Good
Company
to
Keep

13. Recent
Developments

14. “There’s a lot more authenticity in the process today and there’s a lot
more strategy around long-term shareholder value.
- Dave Stangis,VP Corporate Affairs and Social Responsibility, Campbell
Soup Co.
B
Corps
in
the
Public
Market

15. Storytelling
and
Retail
Success

16. B2B
Consumer
Awareness

17. Community
Fun

18. Collabora-on

19. “The B Corp movement is one of the most important of our lifetime,
built on the simple fact that business impacts and serves more than just
shareholders – it has an equal responsibility to the community and to the planet.
Patagonia has been a 40-year experiment in what it means to be a responsible
company, and becoming a B Corp has ensured that our experiment will keep
pushing forward.”
- Rose Marcario, Patagonia CEO
Lead
a
Movement

20. The
Case
for
Cer-fica-on

21. B Corp Certification helps companies:
1. Maintain Mission
2. Differentiate from Pretenders
3. Benchmark and Improve Performance
4. Attract and Engage Talent
5. Collaborate with Peers
6. Save Money and Access Services
7. Generate press
8. Raise Capital
! Learn more here: http://www.bcorporation.net/become-a-b-corp/why-become-a-b-corp
Why
Cer-fy?

22. Why are you interested in becoming a B Corp?
• Maintain Mission
• Differentiate from Pretenders
• Benchmark and Improve Performance
• Attract and Engage Talent
• Other
!
!
Poll:

23. Adopting the B Corp legal standards:
• Bakes the values of the company into its legal
DNA
• Gives protection and permission to consider
non-financial stakeholders (community,
employees, suppliers, environment)
• Ensures that mission can survive through new
management, succession, or ownership
Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia
First to register as a benefit corporation in
CA
January, 2011
“Benefit corporation legislation creates the legal
framework to enable mission-driven companies like
Patagonia to stay mission-driven through succession,
capital raises, and even changes in ownership, by
institutionalizing the values, culture, processes, and high
standards put in place by founding entrepreneurs.” –
Yvon Chouinard
1.
Maintain
Mission

24. 2.
Differen-ate
from
Pretenders

25. Jennifer McKaig!
“The biggest surprise to me was realizing that our employees deeply
cared about the things the B Impact Assessment measured.”
3.
Benchmark
Improve
Performance

26. “B Corps are 46% more likely to have satisfied and
engaged employees than ordinary businesses.” – B
Analytics
“Employees who are satisfied in their jobs because they
believe in what they are doing have 16% better overall
performance and 125% less burnout than their peers.”
Harvard Business Review
“Almost two-thirds of millennials said they would rather
make $40,000 a year at a job they love than $100,000 a year
at a job they think is boring.” Forbes
• B Corp certification provides a platform to engage current staff and give
employees more meaning in their work
4.
A;ract
Engage
Talent

27. 5.
Collaborate
with
Peers:
The
Hive

28. Champions Retreat 2015
Oct.13-15 in Portland, OR Skamania Lodge

29. Access to a suite of partnerships and
discounts
• NetSuite – ERP software discount
• Salesforce – Software discount
• TrustLaw – Legal advice
• Intuit – Software discount
• B Corp Jobs Board – Free postings
Tuition Discounts / Forgiveness
• Yale School of Management
• NYU Stern School of Business
• Presidio Graduate School
• Golden Gate University
6.
Save
Money
Access
Services

30. 7.
Generate
Press:
Examples

31. • The B Corp certification helps attract
aligned investors so that companies can
scale their impact
8.
Raise
Capital
We raised capital and our lead investor was
also a Certified B Corporation. The B Corp
connection meant access to capital from
mission-aligned investors.
David Murphy, Chairman

32. 8.
Raise
Capital

33. The
Path
to
Cer-fica-on

34. • For-Profit Companies of Any Size
• Any Industry / Geography
• Customized assessment based on industry, size,
geography
• Any Legal Structure (sole proprietors, LLC’s,
Corporations, etc.)*
• Companies over 1 year old – special Pending B
Corp program for start-ups*
Who
Can
Cer-fy?

35. Step 1: Meet Performance Requirement
Complete the B Impact Assessment and earn a
reviewed minimum score of 80 out
of 200 points
Step 2: Meet Legal Requirement
Determine the path for your corporate structure
and state of incorporation
Step 3: Make it Official
Sign the Declaration of Interdependence, pay
certification fees and and put a profile up on
bcorporation.net
To learn more, visit:
www.bcorporation.net/become-a-b-corp/how-to-
become-a-b-corp
How
Does
a
Company
Cer-fy?

36. Governance
• Transparency
• Ownership
Workers
• Job Growth
• Compensation Benefits
• Employment Practices
• Work Environment
• Employee Ownership
Community
• Suppliers
• Local
• Diversity
• Charity /
Volunteerism
Environment
• Energy Use
• Facilities
• Supply Chain
• Manufacturing
+ Impact Business
Models
• Direct Impact
Products /Services
• Targeting
Underserved
Communities
• High Impact Supply
Chain
Step
1:
Meet
Performance
Requirement

37. Adopting the B Corp legal
standards:
• Bakes the values of the company into its
legal DNA
• Gives protection and permission to
consider non-financial stakeholders
(community, employees, suppliers,
environment)
• Ensures that mission can survive over
time
Step
2:
Meet
Legal
Requirement

38. Legal RequirementsTerm Sheet Certification
Fees
q Sign B Lab Term Sheet
§ Certification term is 2-years
§ Participate in on-site review if randomly
selected (10% of Certified B Corps randomly
selected each year)
q Sign the Declaration of Interdependence,
q Pay certification fees
• Annual certification fees based on the tiered
structure
q Put a profile up on bcorporation.net
Step
3:
Term
Sheet
Fee

39. What’s your next step for moving forward?
• Start or complete the B Impact Assessment
• Improve my score to be over 80
• Preserve my mission
• Complete documentation
• Other
!
!
Poll:

40. Explore
the
Handbook

41. § B Impact Assessment: http://bimpactassessment.net/
§ How to Certify as a B Corp:
http://www.bcorporation.net/become-a-b-corp/how-to-become-a-b-corp
§ Legal Requirements:
http://www.bcorporation.net/become-a-b-corp/why-become-a-b-corp/protect-your-mission
§ FAQ for Investors Directors:
http://www.bcorporation.net/sites/all/themes/adaptivetheme/bcorp/pdfs/
faqs_investors_and_directors4.pdf
§ Pending B Corp Status for Start Ups:
http://www.bcorporation.net/become-a-b-corp/how-to-become-a-b-corp/steps-start-ups
§ Case Studies: http://bimpactassessment.net/case-studies
§ B Corp Press: http://www.bcorporation.net/news-media
Resources
Jessica Friesen
B Lab: CommunityTeam
jessica@bcorporation.net

42. Redefine success in business.
Help create the new economy.
Build a better business.
Compete to be not only
the best in the world,
but the best for the world.
Join
us.