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Natura joins B Corps: will other big business embrace sustainability certification?
December 12, 2014
Natura joins B Corps: will other big business embrace sustainability certification?
Bruce Watson
Friday 12 December 2014 17.55 GMT
Natura, Brazil’s top cosmetics, fragrance and toiletries maker, this week became the largest ? and first publicly traded ? company to attain B Corps sustainability certification.
The certification program, which is run by B Lab, is designed to encourage high standards of environmental and social stewardship and transparency among businesses.
Until now, in some ways, B Corps has seemed like a noble ? if limited ? experiment, a method for ideologically driven companies to pursue sustainability while still surviving in a business environment that is red in tooth and claw.
While the program has had considerable growth ? currently, there are more than 1,170 B Corps businesses located across 37 countries ? the majority are small and privately owned. The question arises: for all the good that the B Corps does, can it appeal to major economic players?
Natura’s recent move suggests that the answer is yes. And the Brazilian company isn’t the only prominent, well-funded business that has recently sought certification. Earlier this month, crowdfunding platform Kickstarter and energy company Green Mountain Power both announced that they have attained B Corps certification.
Read more at The Guardian.
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