Certified B Corporations ("B Corps") are socially responsible, for-profit businesses that uphold the highest ethical and environmental standards, public transparency, and legal accountability. It points to how the company benefits their workers, communities, and the environment.

Companies that receive “B Corp” certification seek to balance profit and purpose. Each member signs the B Corp Declaration of Interdependence and is genuinely committed to ensuring the highest social responsibility standards for their company. All of us can learn something about ethics and social responsibility from each of these companies!

After five months of diligent cleaning and repair work in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, IceStone’s Brooklyn factory floor is humming again.

“The machines started running last week,” said Sarah Corey, Marketing Manager for IceStone.

IceStone factory floor in wake of Superstorm Sandy

As a B Corp, PICnet knows the importance of putting people and environment before profits. So we always get excited when more companies join the ranks.  

Each quarter, B Lab, the nonprofit organization that supports and fosters businesses to solve social and environmental problems, holds a State of the B Corp address where they update all the B Corps on what success they've had in the last quarter. And from last week's call, I can tell you that B Corps had a banner 2012!

Here are some highlights:

We shared awhile back about the flexibility Soapbox provides in displaying Salesforce records within your website. We featured some snaps of Fozzy Bear to give a glimpse of how your Salesforce data can come alive on the web page.

Well, move over Fozzy. The B Corporation website sets a whole new standard for dynamic, visually-compelling Salesforce integration.

Take the Soapbox Two-Minute Tour in this video to see how those integrations power a directory of Certified B Corporations:

Yesterday, our fellow B Corporation member Arabella Advisors, wrote a great blog by Ginger Elsea about Why Foundations Should Care About B Corps.  She laid out the fantastic case for why foundations that are looking to increase their investing portfolio's diversity should invest in B Corporations.  As she wrote, "As more foundations pursue impact investing—channeling funds to for-profit businesses that also advance a social mission—B Corp certification can serve as a useful starting point in identifying such businesses."

We're big proponents of "if you're going to talk the talk, you better walk the walk", so her words definitely ring true to us at PICnet.

What about taking this a step further though?  What if foundations not only invested in similarly socially-conscious organizations, they also did business with these well-aligned businesses as well?  With the parent non-profit organization of B Corporation, B Lab, continuing to certify and play a watchful eye on the B Corporation community, foundations have a partner that can assist them in finding the best companies to provide them needed services and products.