B Lab on Wednesday recognized 92 companies from 15 countries and 31 industries for creating the most positive, overall social and environmental impact.
The "B Corp Best for the World" list honors businesses that earned an overall score in the top 10 percent of all Certified B Corporations on the B Impact Assessment, a rigorous and comprehensive assessment of a company's impact on its workers, community and the environment. Honorees were recognized among micro, small and mid-sized businesses.
The ‘Best for the World’ companies come from 31 different industries such as manufacturing, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals and real estate. A majority operate in a service industry, including 17 honorees in financial services and 15 in environmental consulting. Some 30 percent of honorees are based outside the US, with 15 companies operating in emerging markets, such as Afghanistan, Kenya and Colombia.
Highlighted companies include CDI Lan, a Brazilian education and training company generating income and employability in low-income communities through Internet cafes; d.light design, a manufacturer and distributor of solar lighting and power products providing access to reliable, affordable, renewable energy for nearly 30 million people in 60 countries; and Sunrise Banks, a Minnesota community bank supporting affordable housing, small business development and not-for-profits.
Each honored company is a Certified B Corporation, B Lab says. They leverage business to solve social and environmental problems and have met rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Today there are over 970 certified B Corporations across 60 industries and 32 countries, unified by one common goal: to redefine success in business.
“Employees, consumers, investors and policy makers increasingly want to support companies that create a positive impact in the world and the Best for the World honorees are the best of the best,” said Jay Coen Gilbert, co-founder of B Lab. “It’s particularly inspiring that 21 percent of the 2014 honorees are first-time winners but long-time B Corps. They’re winning the race to the top.”
According to a recent survey by Net Impact, 80 percent of Millennials want to work for a company that cares about its impacts; more than half said they would refuse to work for an irresponsible corporation. Justin Yuen and Richard Rosen, president of B Corps FYMI and ROSEN, respectively, say the B Corp certification — which hardwires economic, social and environmental aspirations into the structure of a business — has helped their companies attract, and keep, the people they want working for them.
Well-known B Corps include Ben and Jerry's, Method and Patagonia, the latter two of which were featured in the first 'Best for the World' list in 2012.
Get the latest insights, trends, and innovations to help position yourself at the forefront of sustainable business leadership—delivered straight to your inbox.
Founder & Principal Consultant, Hower Impact
Mike Hower is the founder of Hower Impact — a boutique consultancy delivering best-in-class strategic communication advisory and support for corporate sustainability, ESG and climate tech.
Published Mar 21, 2014 12am EDT / 9pm PDT / 4am GMT / 5am CET