Tuesday, July 9, 2013

B Corporations and Organic Food

San Diego's Mamma Chia--a B Company that Produces Organic Food and Beverages

 
 
What's a B Corporation?  What's it got to do with organic food? 
 
In this blog, I keep coming back to the concept of organic.  Why?  Although I focus chiefly on organic food, from the points of view of farmers, middlemen, and consumers, organic food can not be developed, distributed, and consumed in a vacuum.  We only have organic food to the extent that the concept of health, well-being, and wholeness continues to dawn in our society, to us individually and to mankind worldwide--and to the extent that the earth is conceived as a living organism.
 

With B  Certification a Company Gets Certified

for Its "Organic Consciousness"!

 
B Lab or B Corporation  (www.bcorporation,net) is a nonprofit organization that certifies a company as a "B Corporation"--only  if the company seeking certification meets rigorous social and environmental tests, that will enable its investors to determine its performance, accountability, and transparency.
 

B Corporation Investors Can See What's Going On

 
 
B corporations get measured in four areas: Governance; Workers; Community; and Environment:
  • Governance:  B Lab evaluates mission, the extent stakeholders are engaged, and the overall transparency of the company's policies and procedures.
 
  • Workers:  B Lab looks at compensation, benefits, training, ownership, and the environment in which employees work.
 
  • Community:  B Lab examines relations with suppliers, diversity, and involvement with the community.
 
  • Environment:  B Lab checks on resources and the area of energy
 

San Diego's Mamma Chia Shines!

 
Mamma Chia, in the San Diego area where I live, sells organic chia-based products (food and beverages) in the U.S. to large markets such as Whole Foods, Vons, Ralphs, and other retailers.  The company has achieved 88 points out of a possible 200 (The minimum required is 80 points).  For more on Mamma Chia see www.mammachia.com and also "B Lab notes  companies with conscience," Barbara Bry and Neil Sentura, U-T San Diego (June 17, 2013).
 

B Lab Progress

 
B Lab explains itself saying: B Corp certification is to sustainable business what Fair Trade certification is to coffee or USDA Organic certification is to milk.
 
 
Today, there are over 760 Certified B Corps from 27 countries and 60 industries working together to redefine success in business.  To this end B Lab and its community of Certified B Corporations is working to establish legislation in the U.S. to create a new kind of corporation called the benefit corporation.  Eighteen U.S. states now have benefit corporation laws and 12 more are at work to get such laws passed.
 
 

Especially Noteworthy

 

On July 17, 2013, Governor  Jack Markell of Delaware, home to over 900,000 business entities, will sign a law establishing benefit corporations in the state.  Significantly, Delaware is the legal home of 50% of all public companies and of 2/3 of all Fortune 500 companies!

 

May the World See More B Corporations With a Conscience

 

And May They Lead Directly and Indirectly to

 

More Organic Food!

 
 
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