In Search of the “Benefits” in Certified B Corporations

Abstract

This article focuses on certified B Corporations in Atlantic Canada and attempts to understand the benefits in being certified. Telephone interviews and a questionnaire were used to solicit recipients’ feedback on the delivery of their brand promises and overall satisfaction of the benefits to being certified. The study finds that the main motivation behind being certified is validation in the market that the business is adhering to certain social and environmental standards. Interviewees view certification as a strategy to demonstrate that their corporate social responsibility activities are being performed as promised. This article shows how organizations that have opted in to holding the certification as a unique differentiator distinguish themselves from other companies in the marketplace.