The communities we live and work in define us, and the choices we make affect the people around us. While every person can support their community on an individual level, businesses can also have a powerful effect as a collective. Now more than ever, businesses are uniting their green energy goals and their ethical impact to drive positive community growth. One of the best ways to achieve this goal is by becoming a B Corporation.
This esteemed label is difficult to earn and is indicative of a company that puts community first to foster a better world for all. The mission of B Corp (Benefit Corporation) is to empower businesses to prioritize social and environmental responsibility, fostering a positive impact on society and the planet.
One of the simplest ways to walk this path as a company is by increasing commercial solar usage and working with a B Corp solar panel installation company for your solar array. Learn more about what members have had to accomplish to earn this recognition, understand how this can benefit your company, and what you can do to become an esteemed member.
What Is a B Corp?
Benefit Corporation (B Corp) is more than a global network of green-focused companies. It also represents a certification that any business can attempt to achieve. It describes businesses that focus not just on profit, but on the impact the company has on all of their stakeholders, from customers and workers to suppliers and even the environment. By becoming a B Corp, a company commits to being held to stringent legal standards governing how they operate. This process is similar to how non-profits agree to be held to a different standard in the ways they earn and spend their money.
Being a B Corp does not define a business as a non-profit. These companies still seek to grow and adapt to the market; however, they have committed to doing this while maintaining ethical social performance, environmental impact, financial accountability, and transparency to the public. These companies seek to overcome the ties to unfettered profits and capitalism in favor of a global paradigm shift toward sustainability and inclusivity.
Becoming a B Corp is not a simple process; in fact, B Lab, the overseer entity of the certification, directly states that qualifying is not intended to be simple or fast. In this manner, only the companies that truly embody B Corp ethos can bear the title which is available to large and small businesses. As an example, small businesses interested in carrying this valuable status must:
- Register for the B Impact Assessment, which triggers comprehensive data collection. The collected data must demonstrate a commitment to community, financial authenticity, transparency, and high ethical standards for both humane behavior and environmental impact.
- Take the Assessment, which submits the company’s information for unbiased third-party review.
- Establish a Company Profile and Start the Disclosures, which commonly requires a legal team’s assistance in order to properly comply with and demonstrate the high level of precision necessary in each ethical area to achieve B Corp status. Many companies fail to achieve the minimum 80 points required on the assessment during this stage because the requirements are so stringent. Even if a company achieves a score of 80, it is not guaranteed to pass vetting to become a B Corp.
- Submit the Assessment, from which an analyst evaluates the business ownership, structure, industry involvement, and behavior to ensure it meets B Lab’s standards. If the company’s documentation passes assessment, it moves on, but the company is not yet a B Corp.
- Achieve Verification, which is the most intensive step. The company will be reviewed at a granular level through multiple rounds of evaluation, each of which considers governance, workers, community, environment, and how the business treats customers. The business must thoroughly defend its practices and be able to demonstrate ways in which it is actively engaging in its ethical goals. Verification includes numerous phone calls with analysts and multiple required meetings to demonstrate and defend practices.
Why Partner with B Corps for Your Commercial Solar Needs
When considering commercial solar panels, your business is already taking an important step toward embodying positive impacts in your community. By partnering with a B Corp, you can increase the power of this decision. Trust that the solar installers you select are doing their part to reduce pollution, offer opportunity and growth to their community, and model a transparent and ethical business practice throughout the entire solar installation process.
Working alongside a B Corp for your solar panel needs empowers your business to make its own positive impact. The B Corp model works best when companies understand that they are dependent upon one another and responsible both to each other and to the businesses and individuals of the future.
There are many benefits of working with a B Corp besides the ethical advantages, of course. They include:
- B Corp companies are not focused on just making money.
- The company will be forthcoming and transparent about your business’ solar needs and the potential expectations of managing the system.
- The quote you receive will be fair and honest, without hidden fees or unexpected surcharges that were not previously disclosed.
- Your installer will be able to also help you set up your system, including enrolling in programs such as net metering, as part of installation.
Individuals employed by a B Corp tend to enjoy better benefits and a more meaningful and inclusive workplace. This translates to dedicated installers who are more concerned about the satisfaction of your business throughout the process and long after the panels are in place. You’ll also be supporting your community in ways beyond just the environmental impact! Since B Corps take job creation seriously, working alongside a certified installer fosters a greater number of job opportunities achieved through mutual support.
Trust Ipsun Solar for Commercial Solar Panels
Ipsun Solar is proud to be a certified B Corp allowing us to continue developing the community impact that we believe in! If your business is ready to take the sustainable leap to commercial solar power, be sure to partner with a solar panel installer that takes its role in the community seriously.
Ipsun Solar will gladly provide a transparent and ethical approach to installing solar panels for your business or to ask any questions about the process. Get a free solar power estimate to lower your utility bill and make a positive impact in your community!
