NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Thursday, April 2, 2015

The Case Foundation and B Lab recently announced a joint effort to encourage more businesses, especially those that aren’t triple-bottom line enterprises, to consider their social and environmental impact.

“We’re trying to widen the aperture of our lens to encourage all businesses to measure and manage their impact,” says Katie Kerr, director of public relations for Berwyn, Pa-based B Lab.

It’s all part of a new B Lab initiative called Measure What Matters aimed at revising the nonprofit’s impact measurement tools to appeal to regular, non-social enterprise companies. At the moment, there are 1,200 certified B Corps, meaning they’ve scored at least 80 out of 200 on an assessment evaluating social and environmental measures. About 20,000 companies have used the assessment and either haven’t made the grade or have decided they’re not ready to get certified, since that involves such steps as changing a company’s legal documents, according to Kerr.

But, as part of the Measure What Matters program, B Lab recently introduced a new, more user-friendly, less-intimidating assessment to help more businesses dip their toe in social enterprise waters. Called Quick Impact Assessment, it takes about 20 minutes to complete, while the lengthier, more in-depth B Impact Assessment requires about 90 minutes, according to Kerr. “It’s one more way to get people through the door, to start considering their impact and having a different view of what each practice and policy means,” she says. Both assessments are free, though certified B Corps pay a fee starting at $500.