B Corp Certification is a certification for for-profit companies conferred by the non-profit B Lab. It requires companies to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Becoming a certified B Corp can help companies maintain their mission over time, differentiate themselves, improve performance, attract talent, collaborate with peers, access services and capital from aligned partners, and generate positive press. The certification process involves completing the B Impact Assessment to earn a minimum score, adopting appropriate legal structures, and paying annual certification fees.

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. Evolution 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.
Certified B Corp vs. Benefit Corporation

6. People are Demanding Better

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 Corporations
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 Corporation?

11. B Corp Community = Good Company to Keep

12. • San Francisco, CA
• Home & Personal Care
Mission: To put the hurt on dirt
without doing harm to people,
creatures, or our planet
Pays suppliers to reduce their
carbon emissions
Bottles are made from 100%
recycled plastic
• Fort Collins, CO
• Beer Brewer
 100% employee-owned
 $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. Collaboration

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 Certification

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 Certify?

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. Differentiate 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. Attract & 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 Certification

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 Certify?

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 Certify?

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
 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)
 Sign the Declaration of Interdependence,
 Pay certification fees
• Annual certification fees based on the
tiered structure
 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_investor
s_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: Community Team
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.