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:

• Benefit Corporation legislation continues to sweep across the country, as Illinois, Massachusetts, and Louisiana join the ranks of states that recognize this new corporate form. As Benefit Corporations spread to the Midwest, the Non-Profit Quarterly takes note that this also signals the rise of non-profit certifiers of businesses. In Massachusetts, a state with 18 Certified B Corporations, the question of the day is: Who will be the first Benefit Corporation?
• While many companies are moving forward to become Benefit Corporations, Forbes profiles one company in Louisiana that is waiting before becoming a Benefit Corporation.
• Think positive impact comes at a cost of business growth? Think again. Of the 5,000 fastest growing private companies in the U.S. named by Inc. Magazine, 27 are B Corps!
• Would you like to find B Corps near you? Wouldn’t it be nice if there was an app for that? The new Social Impact app -  a GPS social enterprise finder – seeks to do just that, and will include social ventures that meet B Corporation criteria, among others.
• Should your business become a Benefit Corporation? Smallbiztrends.com offers three reasons to consider becoming a B Corp: 1) walking the talk, 2) continuity of commitment, and 3) standing out.
• The global B Corp movement is also moving full speed ahead. B Corps go down under as Small Giants becomes the first B Corp in Australia, Ouro Verde Amazonia becomes the first Brazilian B Corp, and  Juhudi Kilimo becomes Africa’s first B Corp!

Finally, even former President Bill Clinton takes notice of B Corps:

What are your thoughts on the latest B Corp news?

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:

• Benefit Corp legislation is still pending in Michigan, noted in this article that explains how Benefit Corps are different from regular corporations. Care2 also has an online petition supporting legislation in Michigan. In South Carolina, one of the legislators who introduced legislation in that state explains how his plan mixes doing well with doing good.
• It seems like every day there’s a new blog post trying to explain what benefit corporations are – even Bill Moyers is getting in on the action with this post.
• B Corps are driving a new ecology of commerce, as detailed in this great post that explains how to become a B Corp, why companies choose to do it, and how they’re changing the corporate playing field.
• “Advancing the benefit corporation” tops the list of 10 ways finance can be a force for good, in an interesting post by a Yale Professor of Economics and Finance.
• California is currently home to 142 of the 505 Certified B Corps nationwide, and 61% of those are in the Bay Area, as noted in this piece on Oakland North that shines the spotlight on Oakland-based Give Something Back and Berkeley-based Sun Light and Power.
• A misconception continues to persist, in some circles, that doing good comes at a price for a business. Certified B Corp Harvest Power, however, shows that’s not true as they raise $110 million to turn waste to energy.
• Certified B Corp United By Blue brings sustainable apparel to the mainstream in a big way – its first production run of t-shirts made in the US has been picked up by Nordstroms.
• Have you met Aunt Bertha? You should. This Certified B Corporation is doing something quite interesting – picking up where Uncle Sam leaves off.
• Can a new kind of corporation save us and our economy? That’s the question asked in this article on Alternet, which showcases Certified B Corp Equator Coffee as a “B Corp in Action.”
• Congrats to Dogeared Jewels & Gifts, which recently announced their official certification as a B Corp!

Finally, in a piece prompted by their original B Corp profile (included in The Latest Buzz #6), PBS takes a closer at LEED Certification:

What are your thoughts on the latest B Corp news?

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:

• This year, in addition to release the 2012 B Corp Annual Report, B Lab took an additional step to recognize companies that it considers “best for the world.” These “Rock Stars of the New Economy” rank in the top 10% of all certified B Corps.
• Congratulations to Greyston Bakery on becoming the first Benefit Corporation in NY state!
• In case anyone doubts that integrating triple bottom line practices might jeopardize business growth, check out these 6 companies that are growing rapidly while doing good.
• The founder of Certified B Corp One World Futbol talks about why he chose people, planet, profit and became a B Corp.
• From the B Corp blog: Better World Books Drop Box Program collects books, diverts them from landfills, makes a book-for-book donation, and donates a percentage of every book sale to support literacy and education programs. Great example of how a business can do good!
• Benefit Corporations continue to gain traction across the country – Minnesota has now joined the ranks of states that have sought to pass legislation with the recent introduction of a bipartisan bill.
• New York Benefit Corporation Agrodolce for Fast Foodies was featured in the NY Times for incorporating a new corporate structure and a triple bottom line.
• Still trying to get a handle on the difference between Benefit Corporations as a legal designation and Certified B Corporations as a third-party certification? This post explains it all.

And, in case you missed it, here’s the piece that PBS did on B Corps – “Benefit Corporations Aim to Make Profit, Positive Impact.” It’s worth watching!

What are your thoughts on the latest B Corp news?

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:

• Forbes turned the spotlight to the rise of the charitable for-profit entity, examining “two new types of corporations [that] have been created to address the goals of making money, attracting private investors and addressing societal concerns: the benefit corporation and L3C.”
• The Wall Street Journal noted “That anything other than maximizing shareholder value should be considered in a company’s decision-making normally can open the door to investor suits”… Benefit Corporations, however, are now changing that.
• Why do companies choose to become Certified B Corps? Context Travel explains their reasons and the benefits of becoming a B Corp. Renewable Choice Energy also recently became a certified B Corp. On their blog, they share their experience getting certified as a B Corp.
• “B Corps are about changing (or rather growing) corporate laws, standards, systems, and cultures” – and in doing so, they’re driving a new ecology of commerce.
• B Corp Open Neighborhood is bringing idea of local communication to the digital age, with a unique social media platform, a free-wifi initiative, and a group purchasing program for solar energy. Learn more about Open Neighborhood on Care2.
• Though the B Corp certification is not intended for non-profits, have you ever been curious about what B Lab’s own B report would look like? Wait no longer. In the spirit of transparency, B Lab has released its own B report, impact assessment, and supplier list.

Finally, the CBS Evening News ran this piece about Benefit Corporations that focus on giving back:

What are your thoughts on the latest B Corp news?