Jan. 3, 2008 When a socially responsible company like Ben & Jerry's sells to a corporate conglomerate, loyal customers wonder who's minding the store. A new certification scheme helps protect green companies by encouraging them to include social and environmental commitments in their articles of incorporation, Eye on Earth reports.

B Lab, a nonprofit organization launched in July, has created a rating system of B (for "beneficial) Corporations that meet exacting social responsibility standards. To qualify, companies must do two things: amend corporate governing documents to incorporate the interests of shareholders, employees, and the community; and take a detailed survey on the companys policies regarding environment, philanthropy, diversity, and transparency. Once accepted, a B Corporation must pay up to .1% of its revenue as a licensing fee.

"We want to help consumers separate good companies from good marketing,"ƒ¢â‚¬Å¡ƒâ€š‚ says Jay Coen Gilbert, co-founder of B Lab. "You run into fundamental problems in trying to grow good because neither for-profit nor nonprofit is set up to do what new entrepreneurs and others are trying to do namely, harness the power of private enterprise to create social benefit."

The scheme can also be a tool for workers seeking employment opportunities at responsible companies. There are a lot of people who have choices about where to work," B Lab co-founder Andrew Kassoy told the New York Times. "And those people should try to learn as much as they can about the companies they choose to work for."

Other green-business certification schemes loom on the horizon, but so far B Lab has garnered praise. Seventh Generation CEO Jeffrey Hollender, who has rejected at least ten other rating systems, told Eye on Earth there is a tremendous potential for the idea to lose credibility because of a lack of standards. "I don't want to say [B Lab] is perfect, but this is desperately needed right now."