What Is a B Corp?
Many people who buy brownies and/or order gifts from Greyston Bakery often ask, when learning that the Yonkers, N.Y.-based Bakery is a B Corp, “What is a B Corp, and why did Greyston Bakery become one?” “We get asked that a lot,” says Sarah Boden, Continuous Improvement Leader at Greyston Bakery, who keeps tabs on the Bakery’s commitments. “Basically, it’s a different mindset on how you look at your business activities, and what you are emphasizing when it comes to your business.”
Specifically, Boden notes that there is a “triple pillar” set of priorities that B Corp companies adhere to – People, Planet and Profit. “With People, it’s about what you do for your community, for women, diversity and equity inclusion,” Boden says. “With Planet, it’s environmental sustainability, and conserving the amount of water and energy usage. With Profit, it’s traditional in what your company’s annual turnover is. With B Corp, People and Plant always come before Profit. The focus remains there – what is your company doing to improve and enhance your community and employees, and what steps are you taking to help the environment? We feel our policies and the way we approach our day-to-day activities falls right in line with the objectives.”
How And In What Ways Can You Achieve Success As A B Corp?
Boden and Joe Kenner, President and Chief Executive Officer of Greyston, are both proud of the fact that Greyston Bakery has distinguished itself among B Corp companies by being named a “Best for the World” by B Lab, a global nonprofit organization that scores the 4,000 certified companies worldwide on five “impact areas” evaluated according to it B Impact Assessment. The five “impact areas” that define a certified B Corporation are: Accountability, Transparency, Performance, Availability and Cost.
B Lab’s “Best for the World” awards are given to companies whose scores in one or more of the five impact areas assessed towards the certification reach the top 5% of all B Corps worldwide. As all B Corps are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose, this is a recognition that makes Greyston Bakery’s commitment to B Corp principles especially noteworthy.
“It’s always nice to be recognized as the ‘best’ in something,” said Kenner. “We consider our Bakery the best in many categories besides the obvious one, making delicious brownies. That B Lab awarded our efforts in the community and with regard to how we treat and support our employees is very gratifying.”
Did B Corp Take Note Of Greyston Bakery’s Commitment To Open Hiring?
“The Open Hiring methodology that B Lab employed checks a lot of the boxes in the B Corp criteria,” said Boden. “They not only applauded our efforts to employ individuals who had a very difficult time finding employment, they also noted that our employee retention rate and promotion rates were laudable.”