5 Maine B Corp companies are 'Best for the World'
Five Maine companies have been recognized as some of the world’s top-performing “B Corps,” an international designation showing they meet standards for social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.
Coffee By Design, Insource Renewables, MaineWorks, ReVision Energy and Wicked Joe Coffee were ranked in the top 10% of Certified B Corporations, out of 3,000 companies in 64 countries and spanning 150 industries, according to a news release.
To achieve certification, B Corps must be evaluated by a Wayne, Pa.-based nonprofit, B Lab, which considers each applicant's impact on natural resources, treatment of employees and vendors, and how it behaves in the community.
Unlike traditional corporations, Certified B Corps are legally required to consider the impact of their business decisions on stakeholders, including workers, communities and consumers. If a B Corp takes on investors or decides to sell, those other entities also must agree to the B Corp standards to keep in good standing.
The B Corp certification was created in 2007, and was awarded to 82 companies that year. Today, there are seven B Corps in Maine: Atayne LLC, Tom's of Maine, as well as the five companies recognized by B Lab as "Best for the World" honorees.
The top-performing B Corps are “proving that competing not only to be best in the world but best for the world is a winning strategy,” according to the nonprofit’s website.
“As the first B Corp in Maine, MaineWorks is proud to provide transformative employment for people in reentry and recovery,” said Margo Walsh, founder and president of MaineWorks, a Portland-based industrial staffing company.
“With the leadership of B Corp, using business to solve social and environmental problems will become second nature in our corporate consciousness.”
Editor's Note: This article was updated to reflect Coffee By Design's inclusion as one of the "Best for the World" honorees.
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Great post. B corporation certification validates company's employee-centric culture.
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