Certified B Corporations (also known as B Corps or B Corporations) are a new type of business that is committed to balancing purpose and profit. This growing community of triple impact companies shares values that focus on implementing practices to improve the world. There are many compelling reasons why everyone should buy from B Corporations. Let’s take a look at what they are and why it’s important to do so.
Buying from B Corps has a social impact
Surely when you go shopping for something in your day-to-day life you think of the typical qualities of practicality, price, and convenience. However, when it comes to making a positive impact through our consumption we can look a little further and find ways to make our purchases help, for example, socially and environmentally.
B Corporations are known for carrying out fair trade and achieving more than just selling products, their business model is better for their workers, the community, and the planet. Here are some reasons that prove it:
- Diversity in Management: B Corps are committed to fostering inclusive workplaces. For instance, 3Degrees reported that the racial diversity of their talent pool grew from 12% in 2021 to 53% in 2023, with 31% of staff identifying as Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC).
- Renewable Energy Usage: B Corps often lead in implementing measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A B Lab report indicated that 76% of B Corps in the United States have implemented such measures, compared to 51% of non-certified businesses. This suggests that B Corps are approximately 49% more likely to adopt emission-reducing practices than their non-B Corp counterparts. They are also 250% more likely to be carbon neutral.
- Profit Donations to Social Causes: 2.5 times more likely to give employees paid time off to volunteer in their community and Are 68% more likely to donate at least 10% of their profits to social causes.
B Corporations are sustainable
One of the most valuable attributes of B Corporations is that they care about the future—a future based on sustainability. An example of this is that in 2020, B Corporations preserved close to 20,000 hectares of land, redirected 207,000 tons of waste, and saved around 225 million liters of water. All this was thanks to their sustainability parameters.
Alongside other 500 B Corporations, Win & Winnow committed to Net Zero 2030. In 2021, Win & Winnow became a carbon-neutral translation company after offsetting a total of 13 tons of CO2, the equivalent of its previous year’s emissions. This was achieved through the Corredor de Los Cedros Argentina, a conservation and forest management project carried out by The Carbon Sink, that seeks to preserve the Yungas-Jujeñas ecoregion and its biodiversity.
B Corporations make their team happy
In addition to caring about the services and products they offer to their customers, B Corporations also foster the well-being of their workers. Employees of these types of companies are often twice as committed to the company as a whole than their counterparts. This is because they can see how their values and interests are reflected in what they do and know that they make a difference not only locally but also globally.
Buying from B Corps is a matter of trust
As mentioned above, B Corporations openly adhere to the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, as well as public transparency and accountability. So when consumers see the B label on products, they are assured of responsible consumption.
Once B Corporations are certified, this means that they have passed a rigorous assessment that measures the impact within their organization on several levels: their customers, employees, their governance, and the community they serve. This rating also evaluates the day-to-day impact that each company has on its business model. In addition, all B Corporations must undergo a performance update every three years. Similarly, the certification parameters are updated, which requires companies to provide additional, detailed documentation. In other words, it’s not a case of when you’re in, it’s a case of continuously working to improve.
The B Corps community is a powerful movement. In this sense, their certification signifies a commitment to a new economy. It is a commitment that we need, and that dares companies to come together and say goodbye to the structure of the old economy.
In Win & Winnow we work hard to apply responsible practices in our daily activities to become one of the best companies for the world, so as part of our commitment to being a sustainable company, we decided to be certified as a B Corporation and contribute with our services to a more sustainable and social development of our planet.
