Naslov
The Relevance and Distribution of Certified B Corporations in the European Union Economy

Autori
Lacmanović, Sabina ; Milec, Dario

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u zbornicima skupova, cjeloviti rad (in extenso), znanstveni

Izvornik
36th International Scientific Conference on Economic and Social Development - "Building Resilient Society": Book of Proceedings / Veselica, Rozana ; Dukić, Gordana ; Hammes, Khalid - Varaždin : VADEA, 2018, 337-346

Skup
36th International Scientific Conference on Economic and Social Development: Building Resilient Society

Mjesto i datum
Zagreb, Hrvatska, 14.12.2018. - 15.12.2018

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
B Corporations, certification process, European Union, impact

Sažetak
The origins of B Corp movement date back to 2007 when a non-profit organization B Lab introduced the B Corp certificate in the USA. The first B Corporations (the for-profit Corporations Beneficial to society) were certified in 2007. Since then 2655 companies in 60 countries around the world across 150 industries have been certified. The European B Corp movement, officially launched in 2015 with 60 companies, has now grown to more than 500 B Corps. The purpose of the paper is to elaborate the motivation behind the B Corp certificate, its application process and its effects on the customers, regional economies, and employee candidates. The authors analyse the growing presence of certified B Corporations in the European Union, its distribution across EU countries, and across different industries, and debate its advantages and shortcomings. The companies reach for B Corp certificate to visibly differentiate themselves, to protect their mission and to measure and improve their social and environmental performance/impact. However, the certificate recognizability is still to be further developed, especially in countries where B Corp certification has not yet taken place. The authors elaborate the pro and contra of the certification process (its transparency, the review and verification processes, and its recertification character). The paper is based on the desk research method (secondary data used in the paper are based on B Lab statistics) and on the critical analysis approach to the theme-relevant papers and research studies. The results indicate that the value of B Corp certificate is not fully realized in the modern EU economy, mostly because of a lack of knowledge and awareness on its effects. There is also an evident lack of academic papers on this subject. This paper’s aim is to fill that gap. The conclusions given in the paper could be a valuable input for future primary research.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Ekonomija

POVEZANOST RADA