Can B Corp certification anchor sustainability in SMEs?
Publikation: Beiträge in Zeitschriften › Zeitschriftenaufsätze › Forschung › begutachtet
Authors
B Corp certification is considered a viable instrument to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in adopting sustainable practices. However, there is a lack of evidence to what extent this instrument can anchor sustainability at the core of SMEs. This study investigates the B Corp certification process of a SME, a craft brewery in southern Sweden, regarding the extent to which it helped infusing sustainability into the business’ mission, practices, corporate form, certificates, and capacities. Results show that the B Impact Assessment, as part of the certification process, positively influenced the business’ mission, practices, and capacities. Limited influence on social commitment and adoption of a sustainable corporate form can be explained through regulatory context and time required for deep organizational change. To enhance the effectiveness of B Corp certification, we recommend making it even more adaptable to different geographical and social contexts and increase focus on impact business models.
| Originalsprache | Englisch |
|---|---|
| Zeitschrift | Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management |
| Jahrgang | 29 |
| Ausgabenummer | 1 |
| Seiten (von - bis) | 293-304 |
| Anzahl der Seiten | 12 |
| ISSN | 1535-3958 |
| DOIs | |
| Publikationsstatus | Erschienen - 01.01.2022 |
Bibliographische Notiz
Funding Information:
Belmont Forum and the Joint Programming Initiative Urban Europe (Program Sustainable Urbanisation Global Initiative ‐ Food‐Water‐Energy Nexus, SUGI‐FWE Nexus), Grant/Award Number: Globally and Locally‐Sustainable Food‐Water‐Energy; Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Grant/Award Number: Partnership Grant Program (895‐2018‐1009) Funding information
Funding Information:
The authors acknowledge funding for this research through the grant ?TRANSFORM: Accelerating Sustainability Entrepreneurship Experiments at the Local Scale?, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada (Partnership Grant Program), as well as the grant ?Globally and Locally-Sustainable Food-Water-Energy Innovation in Urban Living Labs (GLOCULL)? funded by the Belmont Forum and the Joint Programming Initiative Urban Europe (Program Sustainable Urbanization Global Initiative?Food-Water-Energy Nexus, SUGI-FWE Nexus). The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for valuable feedback on earlier versions of this manuscript and the Remmarl?v team for their enthusiastic collaboration on this project.
Funding Information:
The authors acknowledge funding for this research through the grant “TRANSFORM: Accelerating Sustainability Entrepreneurship Experiments at the Local Scale”, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada (Partnership Grant Program), as well as the grant “Globally and Locally‐Sustainable Food‐Water‐Energy Innovation in Urban Living Labs (GLOCULL)” funded by the Belmont Forum and the Joint Programming Initiative Urban Europe (Program Sustainable Urbanization Global Initiative—Food‐Water‐Energy Nexus, SUGI‐FWE Nexus). The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for valuable feedback on earlier versions of this manuscript and the Remmarlöv team for their enthusiastic collaboration on this project.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Authors. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management published by ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.