B Companies are those that include among their objectives, in addition to economic return, the impact of their activities on communities and the environment. Already in Argentina There are 220 certified companies and this year 8 have joined. In addition to the commitment to sustainability, this path can become a good business, in a world where suppliers who respect social responsibility parameters are increasingly sought after.
To obtain certification as a B Company, five areas of activity: Governance, Workers, Customers, Community and Environment. Sistema B together with B Lab is responsible for granting certifications in Argentina.
The country’s 220 B Corps span 30 different sectors. They have an annual revenue of $2,029 million and employ directly 23,960 people.
“It is encouraging to see how more and more companies are interested in embarking on this path of commitment and managing their impact. In this moment that we are going through as a country and as a planet, traditional models that seek to optimize economic return at all costs must transform”says Marina Arias, Executive Director of Sistema B Argentina.
“They are not perfect companies, but they are committed to a process of continuous improvement and to demonstrating that this paradigm is both possible and necessary,” he adds. Globally, There are more than 8,400 B Corps in 96 countries.
One of the companies that has chosen this path is Sustainable agriculture which develops 100% organic fertilizers and products to improve the quality and yield of crops.
Its president, Joaquín Basanta, points out that it took two and a half years to obtain certification as a second-class company. “It was a huge challenge. The certification opened doors for us and gave us visibility as a company“.
Part of Agro Sustentable’s challenge is to go beyond the agricultural producers engaged in this journey. “Most of our producers are conventional customers. The work we need to do is to show them that they can maintain their productive performance by using these products. Some choose us for the good results, others for the certification or because they want to move towards more sustainable agriculture. We have very competitive prices; The prices of traditional fertilizers have increased significantly in recent years.
Unplastify is a social enterprise that aims to do this minimize the use of disposable plastic to fight pollution and regenerate the oceans. “Less than 20% of plastic is recycled, so what we do is accelerate systematic solutions to reduce plastic use. We do this through education with a youth program. Additionally, in public policy we support regulations and laws at national level, together with a solution in the sector”, explains Agustina Besada, co-founder.
Zafrán produces foods with whole, natural ingredients. It produces granola bars, cookies and granola, among other products. They give priority to purchasing directly from small local producers, who take care of the soil with organic, agroecological or biodynamic practices. .
“We worked with healthy products without chemicals or preservatives. We have been there for 12 years and today we are 42 people, half with a high barrier to employability ranging from disability to being migrants or illiterate.“says Nito Anello, founder of the company.
March is the month in which they try to spread the B-series companies. Thus, the supermarket chain La Anónima intervened in the gondolas of 8 branches in different parts of the country. The “Góndola B” highlighted products from 18 B companies, including Aguas de Origen, Arytza, Babasal, Bosque Gin, Bodega Lagarde, NotCo, PuraFrutta and Bodega Trivento.
Source: Clarin
