B Lab and Impactree Join Forces to Empower Real Action
When we partnered with Impactree, it was a game-changer. It solved our long-standing issue of tracking impact and our immediate need to drive voter turnout as in our 'B Corps Vote' campaign. The Impactree team has become strategic partners advising us on the most meaningful actions and vetted organizations for our goals. They significantly leveled-up our efforts by creating a B Corp ecosystem that enables B Corps to customize to their brand and focus but still take and track action collectively.
The world is in flux. As the very nature of our society, politics and environment change before our eyes, customers and employees are looking to companies with ever-higher expectations and urgency. In a defining decade, brands must marshal their resources and clout to stand up for their core values and inspire their communities to do the same — all for the betterment of people and the planet for generations to come.
But with so many urgent issues to address, brands are understandably struggling to support advocacy and engagement on so many fronts, while still delivering the quality goods and services that allow them to keep the lights on. So how can brands not only make it easy for customers and employees to take action on a range of issues, but also build a sense of collective impact across those issues as one community?
Impactree has some ideas and is working with one of the best in the business around supporting the next generation of purpose-driven businesses: B Lab.
B Lab is transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. A leader in economic systems change, our global network creates standards, policies, and tools for business, and we certify companies—known as B Corps—who are leading the way.
B Lab – About Page
However, the path to positive social transformation is by no means a straight line, nor will it be easy given the current political backdrop. From sports to politics, polarization is not unique to us or the country we live in. When it comes to the United States, politics is currently top of mind and the mere mention of the topic evokes strong emotions. This focus means that, although important, many of the unmitigated problems like climate change, rampant poverty, and the worst pandemic in a century continue to take their global toll.
Enter B Corps.
In the face of this overwhelming and constantly growing conundrum, there are over 3,500 certified B Corporations across 150 industries in 71 countries, including well-known brands like Patagonia, Seventh Generation, Ben & Jerry’s, Lemonade, Athleta and Guayaki, that have committed to using their collective power to address the world’s most pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges. Their mantra is to “do no harm and benefit all” by making a positive impact for their employees, communities, and the environment.
B Corps form a community of leaders and drive a global movement of people using business as a force for good.
B Lab
To that end, B Lab, the nonprofit that confers B Corp certification on businesses that comply with its mission, is utilizing the Impactree platform and its broad range of civic and environmental actions to create its own action hub. Much like B Lab is unifying brands around purpose-driven business, Impactree aims to unify how these brands, their employees, and their customers inspire collective action and shared purpose. By leveraging B Lab’s custom action hub, clients and employees alike can work together to tackle the core social issues they care about most.
B Lab is working closely with its members to drive meaningful change by leveraging the Impactree platform and its ability to adapt to the needs of each brand. B Corps such as EO Products and The Body Shop, in turn, are taking this opportunity to customize their own Impactree action hubs to stand up for their values and priorities, addressing the issues that matter most to their employees and customers.
Business as a Force for Good
For decades, nearly 200 national governments and thousands of nonprofits and NGOs around the world are trying to tackle big issues like climate change and systemic poverty, but seem unable to create sustainable solutions. In his Ted Talk, Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter says these institutions lack the resources and efficiency to bring meaningful solutions to a global scale. As illustrated in the graph below, businesses in the world’s largest economy have far more capital than the U.S. government and the country’s NGOs combined.
For-profit corporations are designed to reach scale in the most efficient way possible in order to maximize profits. As professor Porter explains, this profit motive also drives financial sustainability. However, the business world is recognizing that social and environmental problems affect their bottom line – upwards of $1 trillion in the coming decades. They also recognize that they have the most powerful tools to do something about it.
This is where B Lab comes in. It administers the certification process to help companies become the drivers of this change. B Corps membership helps companies build public trust not only through B Lab’s third-party validation, but also through it’s requirement of transparency and legal accountability.
The goals of B Corps might sound lofty, but they’re grounded in clear and measurable objectives:
- less inequality
- lower levels of poverty
- a healthier environment
- stronger communities
- more high-quality jobs with dignity and purpose
The First Focus: Take Action and GOTV
With a highly competitive US election underway, B Lab is using Impactree to focus on increasing voter turnout as a way to engage the public in its results-oriented approach. B Lab is pushing for increased voter registration, awareness, and better access to the polls. B Corps Action Hub is replete with simple actions like checking your registration or your vote-by-mail status, reaching out to friends in swing states, and learning about local ballot issues.
As the B Corp Declaration of Interdependence states:
We are each dependent upon another and thus responsible for each other and future generations. We must be the change we seek in the world.
Whether you represent an impact-oriented company or just want to do your part, join Impactree and B Corps in their quest to make business a force for good.
