What are Certified B Corporations?

B Corps are organizations that B Lab has certified to meet a stringent set of standards related to social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. 

Put simply, it’s a movement that aims to steer companies away from mentalities that put profit above all else and focus on making purpose a focal point of their strategy. 

There are currently more than 5,000 Certified B Corporations spread over 80 countries — organizations that have decided on a genuine path toward improving the world. Unlike some accreditations that work well for the company’s image but require no actionable change, B Corps are legally bound to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment.

Why do businesses aim to become Certified B Corporations?

One of the key reasons behind the rise of B Corps is that a new, socially conscious generation is taking over the reins of power. Unable to avoid news of inequality, racism, climate change, and an international food crisis, business leaders cannot allow themselves to chase profits without compassion. 

Nathan Stuck, the founder and CEO of Profitable Purpose Consulting, says, “It’s not just a stamp of approval that you get…just because it’s going to be a marketing tool. You’re not doing it because of the ROI. It makes you a better business — it is who you are, and it is what you want the brand to stand for.” (01:09)

Josh Brown, co-owner of Wander North Georgia, knew that he couldn’t run a business without aligning it with his own values. Becoming a B Corporation not only allowed the company to include those values, but it gave a measurable framework to operate in. He says, “The B Corp was a natural fit because it allowed us to measure and quantify what being decent looks like.” (00:47)

How hard is it to become a Certified B Corporation?

On the surface, becoming a B Corp is pretty easy. All you have to do is score 80 out of 200 points on an online survey and provide supporting documentation. However, standards are high and you can’t expect to be certified without taking well-intentioned and well-informed steps.

Fortunately, business leaders who aim to run a better company are likely to qualify eventually. As UGA graduate Jenna Franke, who worked with Wander North Georgia, states, “If B Corp comes back and tells you, ‘No, you still need to get a couple more points,’ your whole goal is to be a good company or be a better company.” (01:33)

The entire process is a way of structuring how to reach those goals. Through the process, Brown discovered, “B Corp just gives us a scorecard, a way to measure and quantify and talk about these things in a way that’s tangible. So, we know if we aren’t quite where we want to be here, there’s a way I can improve that.” (01:42)

How did Terry College of Business students benefit from helping Wander North Georgia become a Certified B Corporation?

The Terry College of Business Full-Time MBA program includes a focus on social innovation, which sees students reach out to companies to help them implement more ethical business practices. In this case, Emylee Connally and Franke joined Wander North Georgia to help with their B Corp certification.

Terry College of Business Director of Student Engagement Jake Mosley says, “As somebody who works in an MBA program, there’s nothing better for me to model for students. If you want to have an impact, you can. And now with our B-Collaborative, we’re giving you that roadmap.” (00:57)

Aside from learning how a business works from the inside, students enjoy the experience in general. The feeling of satisfaction from starting and succeeding in a project is a real motivator in the future. Franke reflects, “I think we did a great job. I mean, obviously we did because we hit the score that we wanted.” (02:39)

How does working on a B Corp consulting project improve your business skills as a whole?

By adding a vision and structure to the way you work, you give a “why” to everything you do. This helps inform your decision-making and maintain a solid, recognizable brand moving forward. However, as they say, if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it. Working toward B Corp certification provides a quantitative structure to shape your efforts as a business. 

The experience allows owners to see their businesses in a different way. Looking back at his journey to making Wander North Georgia a B Corp, co-owner Brown remarks, “I’ll actually be able to use this toolbox as a way to stay aware of what’s actually going on in the life and health of my business that maybe I didn’t have before.” (02:04)

With Certified B Corporations on the rise, we are already starting to see a changing business landscape. Those choosing to study subjects such as management, finance, and marketing are now often more focused on doing good, rather than purely making money. Watch this space!