Certification is a key driver of sustainability, confirming that a product or practice truly enacts social and environmental responsibility, as exemplified by B Rating and Cradle-to-Cradle certification. In June 2007, B Lab, a non-profit that certifies and supports B Corporations, a new type of corporation that uses the power of business to create a public benefit incorporating the interests of employees, the community and the environment, launched its B Rating performance and legal standards for B Corp. B Lab's independent Standards Advisory Council has already overseen the certification of over 80 B Corporations in 17 states and more than 20 industries, worth $650 million.

To support this work, the Rockefeller Foundation recently awarded B Lab a significant grant as part of its Rockefeller Impact Investing Collaborative, and also introduced B Lab to UK-based Social Stock Exchange, with whom B Lab is creating the BX public stock exchange for B Corps. The idea of the B Corporation aligns with the Fourth Sector notion of "for-benefit" organizations and social entrepreneurialism supported by the Skoll Foundation and recognized by the Fast Company Social Capitalist Awards. All advocate for the transformation of the corporate structure to integrate sustainability into the core business model.

Cradle-to-Cradle (C2C) Certification is another certification process that provides a company with a way to measure environmentally-intelligent design. According to Cradle-to-Cradle, this means, among other things: using environmentally safe and healthy materials, recycling, composting, using renewable energy and energy efficiency, efficient use of water, and instituting strategies for social responsibility.

When a product achieves the necessary criteria, it is certified as a Silver, Gold or Platinum product or as a Technical/Biological Nutrient (available for homogeneous materials or less complex products), and can be branded as 'Cradle to Cradle.' Len-Tex, which makes commercial wallcoverings free from PVC, heavy metals, plasticizers, and chlorine, is the latest company to earn C2C Certification pioneered by McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC.) Achieving Silver tier certification allows Len-Tex's Surface iQ non-vinyl coverings to qualify for Innovation in Design credit under the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED process for recognition of green building projects.

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Post a comment below: David Kam    2008-03-29 00:22:56 We are setting up North America's first social stock exchange connected to a green social network, called the Green Stock Exchange (GREENSX) at: http://greensx.com, which will be launched in the Summer of 2008 to begin trading. The Green Stock Exchange will trade shares in social businesses. A social business is a business that makes a profit, but benefits society as well. In the article, it is called a b-corporation. The Green Stock Exchange listed companies have a triple bottom line (economic + social + environmental). Since all the listed companies on the exchange are pre-screened, evaluated, and audited according to social and sustainable guidelines set by the exchange, it will make it much easier for green investors to find and support social businesses. The GREENSX provides opportunities for small green Issuers to access public equity capital efficiently, while providing early stage investors, angel investors, and venture capitalists with greater liquidity. This also includes a eBAY.com trading system for carbon credits. We have not made any press releases yet, so nobody knows about it yet. It is still in the beta stage testing. Check it out at: http://greensx.com. *Your Comment: *Name: *E-mail (will not be displayed):   Notify me when others add comments to this discussion. Verification String (Six characters shown at left)