What do you think of when you hear the word corporation? Most people think of the word corruption. A gross generalization has been made that all “corporations” are evil. It’s easy to think of a corporation as being a tall building where the shareholders get the top floor with a view and scrutinize executives to make their company more profitable. In turn the executives’ lower employee wages and cut benefits in order to do so. This is a real disheartening picture we all have of most corporations.

In all reality a “corporation” is just a file folder protecting company owners from liability. It has nothing to do with a tall building with thousands of employees getting screwed out of their livelihood. Our belief about corporations is somewhat valid because this scenario does happen and sadly very often by companies that are incorporated.

This article is to paint a different picture because ethical corporations are on the rise. You may poo poo the idea of an ethical corporation because all business is of course profit driven; however, there is nothing wrong with that. Business would go under if they did not focus on profits. It’s how environmentally friendly or good to their employees they are that make them ethical.

Just a few years ago a new style of corporation was created called a B Corp which stands for Benefit Corporation. B Corps are certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. It’s such an awesome model and companies that incorporate under B Corp status follow strict bi-laws on how they operate, manufacture and treat their employees. The really cool part is that several large established businesses such as Patagonia and Ben & Jerry’s were the first to make the switch of their corporate status. There are 1,115 businesses that are now B Corps in 35 different countries.

By supporting companies that are B Corps, you can know that they are operating under the most ethical means possible. These brave companies at the forefront of this new business model deserve praise. The days of the big bad corporation will dwindle because of information technology, awareness and consumer choice. Please go to www.bcorporation.net to see what companies have taken the ethical pledge and where you should be spending your hard earned dollars.

About Charles Perry

Charles is a bit of a renaissance man, a citizen of the planet, a building inspector by trade, devoted father & husband and one of the funniest people he knows. He is deeply passionate about peace, social justice and respect and equality for all living creatures. Charles thought up the World Minded ideology several years ago and has made it his goal to inspire people around the world to care for themselves, others and the planet we share by exposing what’s right in the world. He resides in the Eastern Sierras and loves life in the mountains, but longs for the beach because of some ridiculous “grass is always greener” notion.

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