Using business as a force for good? Interested in exploring B Corp Certification? This presentation was given by staff from B Lab Canada. Learn more about the B Corp community and how your company can join the movement. This presentation was given on January 28th, 2016 by Joyce Sou, Director of B Lab Canada and Jessica Frieson from the B Lab Community Team.

1. B Corp Certification
Joyce Sou Jessica 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. The Global Movement
Canada

5. 5

7. Evolution of Business

8. People are Demanding Better

9. 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
• I’m a skeptic
• N/A

10. B Corporations
The B Corporation certification
is to business what
Fair Trade is to coffee and LEED is to
green buildings.

11. 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?

12. Environment
100% green energy
Workers
50% full time employee participate in
external professional development
Community
1% of sales donated to environmental
NGOs

13. 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
Areas of Assessment

15. B Corp Community = Good Company to Keep

16. 16

17. + 150 CAD B Corps
48%
26%
6%
1%
7%
2%
4%
6%

18. Benchmark performance
Attract and Engage Talent
Save Money and Access Services
Partner with Peers
B Corp Certification helps companies:
Show Leadership
Differentiate from Pretenders
Generate Press
Attract Investors

19. Why are you interested in becoming a B Corp?
• Maintain Mission
• Differentiate from Pretenders
• Benchmark and Improve Performance
• Attract and Engage Talent
• Other
Poll:

20. Maintain Mission
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

21. Differentiate from Pretenders

22. Jennifer McKaig
“The biggest surprise to me was realizing that our employees deeply
cared about the things the B Impact Assessment measured.”
Benchmark & Improve Performance

23. “87% believe that success of
business should be measured in
terms of more than just its financial
performance ”
“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.”
“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.”
• B Corp certification provides a platform to engage current staff and give
employees more meaning in their work
Attract & Engage Talent

24. Partner with Peers: The B Hive

25. Collaboration

26. • For-Profit Companies of Any Size
• Any Industry / Geography
• Customized assessment based on industry, size,
geography
• Any Legal Structure (sole proprietors, LLP’s,
Corporations, etc.)*
• Companies over 1 year old – special Pending B
Corp program for start-ups**
Who Can Become a B Corp?
** For more on Pending B Corp, visit: http://www.bcorporation.net/become-a-b-
corp/how-to-become-a-b-corp

27. Meet Performance Requirement
Complete the B Impact Assessment and earn a
reviewed minimum score of 80 out
of 200 points
Meet Legal Requirement
Determine the path for your corporate structure
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?

28. Step 1: Do the Assessment
Timeline: 1.5 – 3 hours
❑ Create a B Impact Assessment Login
❑ Take a first pass of assessment
❑ Review initial score
❑ See how you stack up compared to 20,000
+ that have taken the assessment

29. Step 1: Do the Assessment
• Visit www.bimpactassessment.net to get started

30. Step 1: Do the Assessment

31. Step 1: Do the Assessment
• Take a first pass – estimates are great at this stage

32. • Take a first pass – estimates are great at this stage
Step 1: Do the Assessment

33. Step 1: Do the Assessment

34. • Use ‘Revisit This’ and make sure to save your work
Step 1: Do the Assessment

35. Step 1: Do the Assessment

36. Step 2: Documentation & Review call
❑ Submit Assessment for Review (90% complete)
❑ Submit Documentation (as required)
❑ B Lab Staff will Schedule 90 minute call
❑ Review Assessment, refine score

37. Step 3: Follow up
❑ Update assessment (if necessary)
❑ Upload outstanding documentation
❑ Finalize score with B Lab staff

38. Step 3a: Fine Tune & Continuous Improvement
❑ If your score is below 80, use this opportunity to fine tune your plan to
improve your score and deepen impacts
❑ Celebrate success! Each action you take is moving you down the path toward
becoming a better company!
❑ Develop a timeline for certification & share with your team

39. Best Practice Guides
Step 3a: Fine Tune & Continuous Improvement

40. Step 3a: Fine Tune & Continuous Improvement

41. 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
Meet Legal Requirement

42. • A legal entity that has protection and permission to consider its impact on all
stakeholders, not just shareholders.
• Most benefit corporations are required to create annual reports on their positive
impact.
• B Lab is an advocate behind the legislation
Benefit Corporation

43. 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)
▪ Annual certification fees based on the tiered structure
Company Revenue Fee
$0 - $499,999 $500
$500,000 - $1,999,999 $1,000
$2,000,000 - $4,999,999 $1,500
$5,000,000 - $9,999,999 $2,500
$10,000,000 - $19,999,999 $5,000
$20,000,000 - $49,999,999 $10,000
$50,000,000 - $99,999,999 $15,000
$100,000,000 - $999,999,999 $25,000
$1B+ $50,000+
Make it Official

44. Poll:
What is your next step?
•Start or complete the B Impact Assessment
•Meet the legal requirement
•Improve my score to be over 80
•Complete documentation
•Engage my team internally

45. Join us.
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.

46. Resources
▪ B Corp Press: http://www.bcorporation.net/news-media
▪ How to become 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_investors_and_directors4.pdf
▪ Pending B Corp Certification for Start Ups: http://www.bcorporation.net/become-a-b-corp/how-to-
become-a-b-corp/steps-start-ups
▪ B Impact Assessment: http://bimpactassessment.net/
▪ Case Studies: http://bimpactassessment.net/case-studies
▪ Certification Fees; https://www.bcorporation.net/become-a-b-corp/how-to-become-a-b-corp/make-it-
official