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Comment by zahma | Hacker News Reader

This site is a solid way of seeking work at a good company or being a responsible consumer.

When I was looking for work in environmental policy around 2016/18, I looked at this tool and it was sparsely populated. Now it feels like many companies have made attempts to conform to the standards, which is no simple feat, especially for multi-nationals.

It’s exciting to see alternate means of assessing value in a company. Such an evaluation is essential if we want to rethink classical economics and value companies who add value to their employees, the earth, or sustainable practices.

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> Now it feels like many companies have made attempts to conform to the standards, which is no simple feat, especially for multi-nationals.

You're right, actually conforming to the standard is no easy feat, but luckily, you can do the bare minimum[0] and continue your greenwashing processes.

[0] https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/nes...

Your comment is disingenuous. While there are certainly many businesses who do not undertake sustainability efforts in earnest or at all, we (as consumers) have to want companies to try. Otherwise they are even further disincentivized to make an effort. I agree that it’s a bad look when a Nestle company can obtain a B Corp score, but that’s not to discredit the entire program.

B Corp certifying makes a critical distinction for consumers. Is it a panacea for climate crises? Of course not. Will it single-handedly fix profit-incentivized business models that exploit natural resources? Of course not. It’s a start, and you shouldn’t assume that all companies undertaking its certification are merely greenwashing.

You could try to make the argument that enabling greenwashing is detrimental to them environmentalism effort, but then I’d have to get a sense for what you think is a meaningful step toward adjusting business practices.

Your reply can be summarized as "even the biggest players are successfully abusing this to greenwash, but it's good"

> I agree that it’s a bad look when a Nestle company can obtain a B Corp score, but that’s not to discredit the entire program.

Can you explain why this shouldn't discredit the entire program? What distinction does b-corp certification actually make? I realize the point is it's supposed to signify that the corporation intends to make a positive impact, but clearly that's not actually a requirement.

> Will it single-handedly fix profit-incentivized business models that exploit natural resources?

It will do this not at all, indeed. It's the materials scientists and the VCs and the investors and the logisticians and the engineers who will solve the problems. B Corp is a marketing thing to allow companies to access middle class wallet share.

And fair enough; whatever differentiates you. But it's not going to solve anything.

To be clear, I did not write my comment to discredit the entire system. B-Corp is certification is the best thing we have to make these decisions a little easier on the consumer.

I made the comment to make people aware that it should still be looked at with caution, as corporations are going to try to game the system.

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