The following article is by B Lab, B:CIVIC founding member. This article features B:CIVIC members, B Lab, Danone North America, and Organic India USA.
This article was originally published on May 21st
Meet the 2018 Best For The World Honorees
Global Leaders Creating the Future of Business
The first half of 2018 has seen a large-scale embrace of purpose as the future of business. This is a future Certified B Corps have been working toward for more than a decade. B Corps are businesses that are verified by the nonprofit B Lab for their positive impact on people and planet, and their vision—that businesses can do good and turn a profit—has been gathering big attention this year.
The President of BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, sent an annual letter to CEOs that stated, “Without a sense of purpose, no company, either public or private, can achieve its full potential.”
Danone, a multinational food company that generated sales of more than €24 billion in 2017 and now owns the world’s largest B Corp, Danone North America, which includes brands Silk and Earthbound Farms. “We believe it will be a huge advantage, in the long run, to embed B Corp criteria and thinking into our organization and business from the very beginning,” says Deanna Bratter, director of sustainable development at Danone North America. Other large public companies, including Campbell’s, Procter and Gamble and Unilever, now own B Corp subsidiaries.
Gap Inc. joined the list of being a parent company to a B Corp subsidiary when women’s outdoor and fitness clothier Athleta certified in April. The company’s CFO, Chris Samway, led the effort, after meeting with leaders at the popular B Corp clothing and gear brand Patagonia, knew the move was smart for customer engagement, guidance on impact improvement, and financially.
“From a purely financial perspective, the return on investment (ROI) associated with aligning interests of business with those of society is compelling,” Samway says. “We know the next generation of consumers increasingly cares about brands that stand for something. We hear from our customers that putting people and planet right up there with profit is something that resonates with her.”
This global buy-in to people using business as a force for good has ready leaders in the companies honored as the 2018 Best For The World honorees. These businesses are proving that competing not only to be best in the world but best for the world is a winning strategy, and they can lead the way as mainstream businesses join the purpose-driven movement.
B:CIVIC Best for the World Honorees include:
- Organic India USA