GreenCitizen, Inc., a local environmental steward with four e-waste recycling eco-centers throughout the Bay Area, announced today that it has become a Certified B Corporation, joining a growing group of over 500 companies including Patagonia, Method and Etsy, to earn the important designation. B Corporations are a new type of company which use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.

Unlike traditional businesses, B Corporations:

• meet comprehensive and transparent social and environmental performance standards.
• meet higher legal accountability standards.  Certified B Corporations are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their employees, suppliers, community, consumers, and environment.
• build business constituency for public policies that support sustainable business.

A triple bottom line organization, GreenCitizen champions the proper disposal management of old electronics through repair, reuse and responsible recycling that is local, transparent and accountable all the way through de-manufacturing. The company educates individuals, businesses and groups on the environmental hazards of e-waste at its eco-centers located in four Bay Area counties and through ongoing public outreach and special events.

To achieve this designation, Green Citizen went through a rigorous certification process which included an impact assessment (overall impact of the company on its stakeholders) and adoption of the B Corp legal framework.

“We are proud to be a Certified B Corporation and to join the community of organizations who have committed to conducting business in a more sustainable and socially responsible manner and who are walking the talk through verifiable business practices,” says James Kao, Founder and CEO of GreenCitizen. “While we are honored to receive this designation as it reflects our company-wide commitment to serving the environment, we did not alter our practices in any way to achieve it.  We have been operating in this manner since the first day we went into business over seven years ago.”

GreenCitizen’s range of services include consumer recycling drop-off at eco-centers in San Francisco, Berkeley, Burlingame and San Mateo and comprehensive solutions for businesses and property managers such as professional recycling pickup, inventory, confidential data destruction, asset recovery and safe electronics disposal, and building-wide programs for tenants. Partnering with GreenCitizen can also earn eligible buildings points toward LEED certification.

"B Corps are helping set the bar for all businesses seeking to make a positive social and environmental impact," says Jay Coen Gilbert, co-founder of B Lab, the non-profit organization behind the community of Certified B Corporations. "We welcome GreenCitizen, which is doing its substantial part in redefining what it means to be a successful, high-growth, high-impact business and inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs to do the same."  

In the long term, B Corp certification will lead to a legally recognized new corporate form (like a C corp or an S corp) and tax incentives, procurement preferences, and a social stock exchange for sustainable businesses.  Already seven states (CA, NY, MD, VT, VA, NJ, HI) have passed Benefit Corporation Legislation, and the city of Philadelphia passed a tax break for Certified B Corporations in December 2009.  In April 2012, San Francisco passed legislation giving procurement incentive to Benefit Corporations in the Bay Area.

About GreenCitizen

GreenCitizen, Inc. is a socially and environmentally responsible business dedicated to helping consumers and businesses reduce their environmental footprint through proper disposal management of their unwanted or obsolete electronics. GreenCitizen achieves this through repair services (including computer and iPhone repair) that keep items out of the waste stream, closed loop reuse and donation, and convenient drop-off and responsible recycling for end-of-life electronics that is fully accountable all the way through de-manufacturing.

About B Corp

Certified B Corporations 1) meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance; 2) legally expand their corporate responsibilities to include consideration of stakeholder interests; and 3) build collective voice through the power of the unifying B Corporation brand.  As of May 2012, there are over 530 Certified B Corporations from over 60 industries, representing a diverse multi-billion marketplace. 

About B Lab

B Lab is a nonprofit organization dedicated to using the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.  B Lab drives systemic change through three 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 just good marketing; 2) accelerating the growth of the impact investing asset class through use of B Lab’s GIIRS impact rating system by institutional investors; and 3) promoting supportive public policies, including creation of a new corporate form and tax, procurement, and investment incentives for sustainable business. 

GreenCitizen

GreenCitizen

GreenCitizen, Inc. is a socially and environmentally responsible business dedicated to helping consumers and businesses reduce their environmental footprint through proper disposal management of their unwanted or obsolete electronics. GreenCitizen achieves this through repair services (including computer and iPhone repair) that keep items out of the waste stream, closed loop reuse and donation, and convenient drop-off and responsible recycling for end-of-life electronics that is fully accountable all the way through de-manufacturing.

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