B Lab

= B Lab is a non-profit organization dedicated to using the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. “B Corporations” explicitly seek to balance the needs of all stakeholders, and this requirement is written into their charter.

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

Description

"B Lab is a nonprofit organization dedicated to using the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. B Lab drives systemic change through three interrelated initiatives: 1) building a community of Certified B Corporations to make it easier for all of us to tell the difference between “good companies” and just good marketing; 2) accelerating the growth of the impact investing asset class through use of B Lab’s GIIRS impact rating system by institutional investors; and 3) promoting supportive public policies, including creation of a new corporate form and tax, procurement, and investment incentives for sustainable business."

Status Update

Two States (Maryland and Vermont) have passed B Corp legislation, and many others are considering it, including New York.

John Fullerton:

" It had been a while since I’d checked in with my friends at B Lab on their progress, and progress it has been! They now count over 300 “B Corporations,” representing $1.5 billion in revenues. This is hopeful progress and the energy in the room was palpable. There is no doubt that a wave of social entrepreneurs and purpose-driven businesses, many more than those who currently identify themselves as B Corporations, will play a vital role in building the “new economy” that is socially just and environmentally sustainable.

A wave of “impact investing,” in which investors align their capital with their values, will continue to fuel this movement as it accelerates into the mainstream. The newly launched Toniic, an inspiration of Charly and Lisa Kleisner which I'm pleased to have joined, is but a recent example. I’ve encountered many such “impact investors” in my own Level 3 Capital activity, many of whom have probably never heard the term! Legendary investors ranging from Vinod Khosla, to Tudor Jones and Boone Pickens are practicing "impact investing," most likely without considering it as a new asset class.

B Lab’s upcoming Global Impact Investing Rating System (GIIRS) will be a critical addition to the multitude of efforts seeking to integrate social and environmental impacts into a company’s performance reporting." (http://www.capitalinstitute.org/blog/b-lab-advances-stakeholder-capitalism)