Rob Sinclair founder of Conscious Brands talks about being a Founding Canadian B-Corporation

1. Sustainability 4 breakfast - B-Corp
Rob Sinclair
Nov 29, 2012

2. Overview
‣ Who is Conscious Brands
‣ What is a B-Corp?
‣ The B-Corp Benefit
‣ The B-Assessment
‣ The Community
‣ Q&A

3. Who are we
Purpose:
‣ Activating Sustainability
Mission:
‣ To help support the transition of 1,000 brands from the old
economy to the new economy by 2020.
Core Values:
‣ "How you do anything is how you do everything." and
‣ "If you want to go fast go alone - if you want to go further go
together”

4. Our Services
Strategic Action:
Visioning, Sustainability Action
planning, BCorp certification support,
Chief Sustainability Ambassador,
Incubator and
Collaborative Learning:
Spiral Table™

5. Who we work with

6. B Corporations - Public Policy - Impact Investing

7. This is about the evolution of capitalism
B Corporations - Public Policy - Impact Investing

8. It’s no longer just about good products
B Corporations - Public Policy - Impact Investing

9. It’s about building a new sector of the economy
The community of B Corps is
building a global movement that
will create a more inclusive and
sustainable economy.
650 B Corporations
60 Industries
20 Countries
1 Unifying Goal
B Corporations - Public Policy - Impact Investing

10. What is a B Corporation?
Certified B Corporations use the power of business to solve social and
environmental problems.
• B Corp is like fair trade certification but for the whole company, not just a bag of
coffee.
• B Corps meet higher standards of social and environmental performance,
accountability, and transparency.
B Corporations - Public Policy - Impact Investing

11. Who are B Corporation?
Diverse and growing group of business leaders…
Financial Services Consumer Products Bus. Services Canada (26)
Other Examples
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650 B Corporations 60 Industries 20 Countries 1 Unifying Goal

12. How does a company become certified?
Step 1: Meet Performance Requirement
Complete the B Impact Assessment and earn
a reviewed minimum score of 80 out
of 200 points
Step 2: Meet Legal Requirement
Determine the path for your corporate
structure and state of incorporation
Step 3: Make it Official
Sign the Declaration of Interpendence
B Corporations - Public Policy - Impact Investing

13. B Corps meet high standards of transparency
B Corps make their scores transparent on www.bcorporation.net.
B Corporations - Public Policy - Impact Investing

14. Flow of funds in a local economy
Project

15. What is measured?
Governance Environment
Accountability
Energy Use
Transparency
Facilities
Supply Chain
Workers
Manufacturing
Job Growth
Compensation & Benefits
Social Enterprise Business Models
+
Work Environment
Beneficial Products/Services
Employee Ownership
Targeting Underserved
Communities
Community
Beneficial Supply Chain
Suppliers
Local
Diversity
Charity/Volunteerism
B Corporations - Public Policy - Impact Investing
Appendix

16. Things to know about the B Impact Assessment
The B Impact Assessment is:
Comprehensive
Evaluates impact in terms of accountability,
employees, consumers, community and
environment
Adaptable
Metrics tailored to industry and company size
Transparent
Criteria and weightings made transparent
Dynamic
New survey created every 2 years incorporating
community feedback
Independent
Developed by third-party Standards Advisory
Council
B Corporations - Public Policy - Impact Investing
Appendix

17. The B Corp Legal Framework helps companies
protect their mission
The legal requirement bakes sustainability into the DNA of the company
What are the benefits?
Legal protection for officers and directors to
consider all stakeholders, not just
shareholders
Additional rights for shareholders to hold
directors and officers accountable to these
interests
Expanded rights limited to shareholders
exclusively -- non-shareholders are explicitly
not empowered with a new right of action
B Corporations - Public Policy - Impact Investing
Appendix

18. Why Become a B Corp?
B Corps want to be part of something bigger than themselves, but for many, becoming a
B Corp also has to make business sense. B Corp Certification helps companies:
• Differentiate from Pretenders
• Generate press
• Attract Investors
• Benchmark performance
• Attract and Engage Talent
• Save Money and Access Services
• Partner with Peers
B Corporations - Public Policy - Impact Investing

19. B Corporations are Better Companies
B Corporations - Public Policy - Impact Investing

20. Who certifies B Corps?
B Lab serves the world’s leading entrepreneurs that use business to
solve social and environmental problems through three separate but
interrelated initiatives:
B Corporations - Public Policy - Impact Investing
Appendix

21. What is a B Corporation?
Leaders of a global movement
to redefine success in business.
So that one day all companies
will compete not just to be
the best in the world,
but to be the best for the world.
B Corporations - Public Policy - Impact Investing

22. Our inspiration

23. Want to learn more?
• Log onto bcorporation.net to take the free
B Impact Assessment
• Read B Lab’s 2012 Annual Report for stories on B Corps
B Corporations - Public Policy - Impact Investing

24. How you do anything...
When you support a B Corporation,
youʼre supporting a better way to do
business. Governments and nonprofits
are necessary but insufficient to solve
todayʼs most pressing problems.
Business is the most powerful force on
the planet and can be a positive
instrument for change.

25. Leaving thoughts
We Live in a world of
participation, not
consumption
To conspire means to
breath together
Rob Sinclair
ph: 403.697.9314
e: rob@consciousbrands.com
t: www.twitter.com/Consciousbrands
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