What always bothered me about "B corps" was that the name suggests something analogous to C corp or S corp, which in most states is not actually the case. I think my home state of Massachusetts does it well and labels them as "Public Benefit Corporations" instead of "B corps".
Find a B Corp
11–20 of 38 posts
Re: Find a B Corp
#12It's a nice idea and website, but the structure seems very…nonideal. Why should this be governed by a private entity that they have to pay to monitor and recertify them? What's to stop a company from being "for society and the environment" until they get big enough to not care? As far as I can see, nothing's legally binding. At any point, the shareholders can just amend the bylaws to give up their little badge and do whatever makes them more money.
I think something like a benefit corporation or L3C is far more meaningful. Having all the capital legally tied into having society and the environment as beneficiaries thereof is way better than having a private company give you a little badge to advertise with as long as you do what they want.
Re: Find a B Corp
#13This site is a solid way of seeking work at a good company or being a responsible consumer. When I was looking for work in environmental policy around 2016/18, I looked at this tool and it was sparsely populated. Now it feels like many companies have made attempts to conform to the standards, which is no simple feat, especially for multi-nationals. It’s exciting to see alternate means of assessing value in a company.…
> Now it feels like many companies have made attempts to conform to the standards, which is no simple feat, especially for multi-nationals. You're right, actually conforming to the standard is no easy feat, but luckily, you can do the bare minimum[0] and continue your greenwashing processes. [0] https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/nes...
Your comment is disingenuous. While there are certainly many businesses who do not undertake sustainability efforts in earnest or at all, we (as consumers) have to want companies to try. Otherwise they are even further disincentivized to make an effort. I agree that it’s a bad look when a Nestle company can obtain a B Corp score, but that’s not to discredit the entire program.
B Corp certifying makes a critical distinction for consumers. Is it a panacea for climate crises? Of course not. Will it single-handedly fix profit-incentivized business models that exploit natural resources? Of course not. It’s a start, and you shouldn’t assume that all companies undertaking its certification are merely greenwashing.
You could try to make the argument that enabling greenwashing is detrimental to them environmentalism effort, but then I’d have to get a sense for what you think is a meaningful step toward adjusting business practices.
Re: Find a B Corp
#14This is the first I've become aware of B Corp and I like the idea. I dug into what defines a B Corp. Notably the self-described "stringent" rules for becoming licensed. Pardon my ignorance, but it seems like a lot of regulatory checks to adhere to for keeping the company accountable? Seems.. like a lot of overhead. I've been silently cheering on Teamshares.com over the past year hoping their idea catches on. I'm not…
From a brand perspective, being a B Corp is certainly a positive for both the socially conscientious end-consumer and any sustainable organisations which want a B2B relationship.
That overhead is the extrinsic price you pay for B Corp status, and like any other organisation membership programme, I'm sure some organisations will eventually drop from the certification due to time or restriction on their trade. But that is actually desirable, if its valuable to you, you'll find a way for your organisation to do it. And if you can't meet those requirements, and drop/don't apply, then it only adds more value to those who do have the status.
I'm not aware of anything which makes B Corp a particularly new idea — there are a few membership programmes (or even corporate awards which require membership) which have sustainable or fair work requirements. Subjectively, I feel that B Corp is executed well and the brand value it provides, for the time being, is worthwhile for smaller organisations to consider.
Re: Find a B Corp
#15What always bothered me about "B corps" was that the name suggests something analogous to C corp or S corp, which in most states is not actually the case. I think my home state of Massachusetts does it well and labels them as "Public Benefit Corporations" instead of "B corps".
While I agree, those aren't the same thing.
C/S corporation status are two types of tax status for companies, whether regular corporations, benefit corporations, or even LLCs.
Benefit corporations are a type of corporation provided for by state law that has society and the environment as inherent beneficiaries of the company, along with the shareholders.
B corporations are a label B Lab (itself a not-for-profit corporation) gives to companies that comply with its ESG goals. It has nothing to do with its tax status or its legal obligations. B Labs requires amending the bylaws, but legally the shareholders are still supreme and there's nothing preventing the changes from being undone at any time.
I realize that that makes the name even more misleading though lol
Re: Find a B Corp
#16Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Now it feels like many companies have made attempts to conform to the standards, which is no simple feat, especially for multi-nationals. You're right, actually conforming to the standard is no easy feat, but luckily, you can do the bare minimum[0] and continue your greenwashing processes. [0] https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/nes...
Your comment is disingenuous. While there are certainly many businesses who do not undertake sustainability efforts in earnest or at all, we (as consumers) have to want companies to try. Otherwise they are even further disincentivized to make an effort. I agree that it’s a bad look when a Nestle company can obtain a B Corp score, but that’s not to discredit the entire program. B Corp certifying makes a critical disti…
Your reply can be summarized as "even the biggest players are successfully abusing this to greenwash, but it's good"
Re: Find a B Corp
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Now it feels like many companies have made attempts to conform to the standards, which is no simple feat, especially for multi-nationals. You're right, actually conforming to the standard is no easy feat, but luckily, you can do the bare minimum[0] and continue your greenwashing processes. [0] https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/nes...
Your comment is disingenuous. While there are certainly many businesses who do not undertake sustainability efforts in earnest or at all, we (as consumers) have to want companies to try. Otherwise they are even further disincentivized to make an effort. I agree that it’s a bad look when a Nestle company can obtain a B Corp score, but that’s not to discredit the entire program. B Corp certifying makes a critical disti…
> I agree that it’s a bad look when a Nestle company can obtain a B Corp score, but that’s not to discredit the entire program.
Can you explain why this shouldn't discredit the entire program? What distinction does b-corp certification actually make? I realize the point is it's supposed to signify that the corporation intends to make a positive impact, but clearly that's not actually a requirement.
Re: Find a B Corp
#18It's a nice idea and website, but the structure seems very…nonideal. Why should this be governed by a private entity that they have to pay to monitor and recertify them? What's to stop a company from being "for society and the environment" until they get big enough to not care? As far as I can see, nothing's legally binding. At any point, the shareholders can just amend the bylaws to give up their little badge and do…
For anyone else who doesn't know what an L3C is, Google says it's L3C a low-profit limited liability company.
Re: Find a B Corp
#19It would be neat to have a feature that let you search for careers at these places as well. Maybe something on LinkedIn or another job search site?
Re: Find a B Corp
#20for those looking for b corp jobs, i'm not sure if this is actually maintained