In a message delivered at the launch of B Lab UK on 24 September 2015, Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, announced that Unilever will participate in the Multinationals and Public Markets (MPM) Advisory Council of B Corp.
The MPM Advisory Council was established with the objective to help multinational private and publicly listed companies to earn the B Corp Certification despite currently existing systemic, institutional and practical barriers, while also supporting B Lab to meaningfully assess and verify their performance. Both B Lab and these companies are committed to creating standards and a certification process that is both meaningful and manageable.
The MPM Advisory Council will be comprised of people with experience working in and with large complex businesses on issues of sustainability and impact, as well people with experience in the pubic capital markets, including practitioners, consultants, investors, attorneys, intermediaries, regulators, shareholder groups, and exchanges.
“B Corp is a critical part of the shift to a more inclusive, purpose-driven economy,” said Mr. Polman, and encouraged more businesses to work towards shared and durable prosperity for all.
A growing number of multinational companies are interested in engaging with the B Corp movement. Such companies commit to instilling a Triple Bottom Line (People, Planet, and Profit) approach to business into their companies’ DNA by amending their companies’ articles and meeting the rigorous standards of the B Impact Assessment.
Business School Lausanne is an official representative of B Corps in Switzerland since November 2014. As a representative of the movement in Switzerland, BSL serves and supports the local community of B Corps and helps new businesses to obtain the B Corp Certification. The school conducted the first hands-on training session on how to use the B Impact Assessment Tool to become a B-Corp in Switzerland on 8th July 2015.