KSV, a marketing and advertising agency with deep expertise in the energy, sustainability and outdoor industries, is proud to announce its certification as a B Corporation that voluntarily meets a higher standard of public transparency, legal accountability and verified performance.

Certified B – the B stands for “Benefit” – Corporations use the power of business to solve social, environmental and economic problems. Benchmarking and measuring the company’s social impact lets consumers, clients and employees know that a company is serious about doing good and doing well.

To understand the enormous pride in becoming a Certified B Corporation, think of it as a LEED Platinum, Fair Trade, or USDA Organic certification – but not just for a building, a bag of coffee or a carton of milk. B Corp performance standards are company-wide, comprehensive and rigorous.

“Profit and growth have for years existed side-by-side with social good at KSV; now, as a Certified B Corporation, the outside verification of our social agenda can help us create even greater opportunities for profit and growth,” said Yoram Samets, managing director of KSV.

“Like all of the other B Corps, we’re competing not only to be the best in the world, but to be the best for the world,” added Samets.

The vision of KSV, which is based in Burlington, Vermont and New York City with an office in Providence, is to move people to think, act and buy sustainably. As the newest Certified B Corporation, KSV joins 1,550 other for-profit companies around the world that are committed to using business as a force for good.

In Vermont, many of the state’s leading companies are Certified B Corporations, including Ben & Jerry’s, Seventh Generation, Gardener’s Supply, King Arthur Flour, Green Mountain Power, SunCommon, Sustain and Cabot Creamery Cooperative. Internationally, other leading Certified B Corps include Patagonia, Etsy, Danone, Warby Parker, and Method.

To become certified, a business must go through B Lab’s rigorous assessment, which measures the company’s governance, mission, and impact on the community and environment. B Lab staff closely review the multi-faceted assessment with the company, and if the company scores an 80 or higher, it can become certified. KSV scored an 82.3.

Jeffrey Hollender, the founder of Seventh Generation and current CEO of Hollender Sustainable Brands – both Certified B Corps – has been a leader in corporate responsibility for almost three decades. When he started Hollender Sustainable Brands, he noted that there was never a question about whether or not the company would become a B Corp, adding that B Corps are absolutely the best system of evaluating, improving and promoting corporate responsibility.

“As a next-door neighbor in Vermont who has benefitted enormously over many years from KSV’s sage advice and innovative marketing strategies, I’m absolutely thrilled to welcome KSV into the B Corp family of sustainably focused companies,” said Hollender.

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About KSV

KSV, with offices in New York, Vermont and Rhode Island, is a Certified B Corporation that moves people to think, act and buy sustainably. For more than 30 years, KSV has partnered with clients whose missions help drive an effective and more sustainable future. KSV’s marketing expertise is focused on three main industries: energy/energy efficiency, sustainability, and outdoor.

About B Corp

Certified B Corporations meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, legally expand their corporate responsibilities to include consideration of stakeholder interests, and build a collective voice through the power of the unifying B Corporation brand. There are more than 1,550 Certified B Corporations from 130 industries across 42 countries, representing a diverse and growing multi-billion dollar marketplace.

About B Lab

B Lab is a nonprofit organization that serves a global movement to redefine success in business so that all companies compete not only to be the best in the world, but the best for the world. B Lab drives this systemic change through a number of interrelated initiatives: 1) building a community of Certified B Corporations to make it easier for all of us to tell the difference between “good companies” and good marketing; 2) passing legislation to accelerate growth of social entrepreneurship and impact investing (24 states have already passed benefit corporation legislation); 3) developing B Analytics, a customizable platform for investors to benchmark and report on the impact of their global equity portfolios; and 4) providing free, powerful tools for businesses to measure, compare and improve their social and environmental performance (more than 16,000 businesses use B Lab’s free B Impact Assessment). For more information, visit www.bcorporation.net.

KSV

KSV

We move people to think, act and buy sustainably.

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