Benefit Corporations (a legal designation) and Certified B Corporations (a third-party certification) are changing the landscape of sustainable business. Here’s the latest from around the web about this important movement:

• Momentum continues to spread: Pennsylvania has become the 12^th state to sign B Corporation legislation into law!
• Ready to become a Massachusetts B Corporation on December 1st? The Massachusetts Secretary of State has released guidance on benefit corporations to help you.
• Best read this week: a great summary of the B Corp movement from the New York Times, which labeled B Corps as the yardstick for socially conscious companies.
• Ben & Jerry’s is now a B Corp! The Guardian provides a great summary of why this news is so big: Ben & Jerry’s is not only a huge, well known company, they are also the first subsidiary of a publicly traded company (Unilever) to become a B Corporation. For more details on the Ben & Jerry’s B Corp story, see what the Huffington Post, Fast Co, and Triple Pundit have to say about it. To read an interview with the Director of Social Mission at Ben & Jerry’s, check out CSRWire. Craving more? Ben & Jerry’s has made their B Impact Assessment public, which you can download here.
• For Etsy, simply passing their B Corp certification wasn’t enough. Soon after their certification was announced, Etsy employees dedicated a day of work to improving the company’s B score. In this Harvard Business Review article, B Lab co-founder Jay Coen Gilbert writes, “[this] may result in better policies and a higher B Impact Score, but there’s more to it than that. It’s already spurred employee initiative, innovation and intrapreneurship – all in the name of making Etsy better.”
• What are the biggest benefits to becoming a B Corp? Sustainable Industries notes 5 huge benefits noting that, “while other third-party certifications like LEED, Fair-Trade, and Energy Star are beneficial for any business, B Corp certification is particularly noteworthy and well-respected because it evaluates your entire business model.”
• But does it pay to be a socially conscious company? You bet it does! Forbes outlines 7 ways it pays to become a triple bottom line business and highlights B Corps as a means to this end.
• Ever enjoyed an article or infographic from GOOD? Now they’re a B Corp too!  You can read more on the GOOD website or check out Triple Pundit’s article on how GOOD bolsters the B Corp network.
• Congratulations to Easy Office (nonprofit accounting), Alterrus Systems (vertical farming systems for urban gardens), Lotus Foods (fair trade and sustainable rice), and Sleep with a Purpose (socially conscious bedding) for joining the B Corp Movement!

Finally, watch Ben and Jerry’s Director of Social Mission explain the company’s excitement in joining the B Corp community.

What’s your favorite piece of B Corp news from this list?

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