The ATA Chronicle - September/October 2024 - 18

Building a sustainable future
means shifting our mindset and
framework for doing business.
The B Factor of
Attraction
from underrecognized
populations.
With now over 9,000
Certified B Corporations in
the world, what's certain is
that we're not going back.
We can no longer afford
business as usual. Certified B
Corporations are winning the
favor of many stakeholder
groups. But don't take my
word for it. Let the numbers
speak for themselves.
According to data analyses
conducted by B Lab U.S. &
Canada, in comparison to
non-certified companies:
y Certified B Corporations
are 1.1 times more likely
to pay 100% of their
employees a family
living wage.
y Certified B Corporations
are 2.4 times more likely
to donate more than 1% of
top-line revenue to charity.
y Certified B Corporations
are 4.5 times more likely
to use 100% renewable
energy.
y Certified B Corporations
are 4.2 times more likely
to have supplier diversity
policies or programs
that give preference to
suppliers with ownership
The Certified B Corporation
intellectual property (that
" B " you see on many a
product pack) has also proven
to be a differentiating factor.
B Lab U.S. & Canada further
reports that, for mediumsized
Certified B Corporations
in the food industry, 80% of
potential customers affirm
that B Certification is a strong
deciding factor in their
purchasing decision.
The Relevance of
Certified B Corporations
for Language
Professionals
As entities and individuals
that are for-profit, it's
important to maintain good
financial health to remain
viable. After all, financial
viability is what allows us to
generate positive social and
environmental impact in
the world. Whether we have
our own companies or seek
more fulfilling employment,
adopting a triple-bottomline
approach to doing
business (that is, people,
planet, and profit) could
be part of how we future18
The ATA Chronicle | September/October 2024
proof our careers and foster
abundant longevity.
Certified B Corporations
are bound by a Declaration
of Interdependence,
meaning that only through
reliance on each other can
scalable transformation
occur. As such, Certified
B Corporations have a
heightened enthusiasm
to work with each other
and with values-aligned,
mission-driven companies
in general. This element is
most salient when it comes
to vendor relationships,
because part of being a
Certified B Corporation
means rethinking the supply
chain. Being able to recognize
the " B " logo may direct
the attention of language
professionals everywhere
to certain partnership
possibilities they know will
benefit the world.
Strengthening the
alignment of language use
will also be essential as the B
Impact Assessment becomes
more refined and malleable
across different markets and
cultures. As translators and
interpreters, we have a unique
value to offer in this area.
The B Impact Assessment
was created in English, with
versions currently available in
French, Italian, Portuguese,
and Spanish. Achieving a
more sustainable future
means having buy-in and
participation beyond the
Romance family of languages.
And it doesn't stop there.
Not only is it vital to expand
language availability, but
it must be accompanied by
accurate cultural context.
Part of this movement's
growth potential lies in
making the B Impact
Assessment and its standards
more accessible on these
fronts. With greater access
comes more conversations,
and more conversations
beget more collaboration
among nations and cultures.
It's at these junctures that
language professionals are
in their prime.
What began as a single spark
in 2007 has since ignited a
brilliant fire of creativity and
sustainability development.
Yet, from a general awareness
angle, Certified B Corporations
have flown somewhat under
the radar throughout the years.
One thing for language
professionals to consider in
building a more sustainable
future is how we show up.
Shifting our mindset to
contemplate the benefit of a
wider group of stakeholders
will be paramount in those
considerations.
Jeffrey D. Stewart, CT joined ATA in
2020 and has never looked back. As an ATAcertified
Portuguese>English translator who also
works from Arabic into English, he founded
Enharmonic Encounters LLC in 2021, a Certified
B Corporation. In tandem with his sustainability research as a
Global Reporting Initiative-certified sustainability professional,
his consulting expertise covers the entire B Certification
review process, having personally conferred B Certification
to hundreds of companies as an analyst at B Lab. He
currently serves as a member of ATA's Ethics Committee and
the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Belonging
(DEIAB) Task Force, as well as blog administrator of ATA's
Portuguese Language Division. jeffrey.ds@enharmonicenc.com
www.atanet.org

https://usca.bcorporation.net/process-requirements-fees/#:~:text=B%20Corp%20Declaration%20of%20Interdependence&text=That%2C%20through%20their%20products%2C%20practices,each%20other%20and%20future%20generations https://usca.bcorporation.net/process-requirements-fees/#:~:text=B%20Corp%20Declaration%20of%20Interdependence&text=That%2C%20through%20their%20products%2C%20practices,each%20other%20and%20future%20generations https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1qq-cQi5QOpPxCoDelJoC0s6L76pR0D29/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=100835522542218118542&rtpof=true&sd=true https://infogram.com/1pdpweyd0gwrp5tmw5gj626rkxbk3kdm2rp?live https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/news/blog/5-things-to-know-resilience-financial-performance-b-corps/ https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/news/blog/b-lab-global-2021-annual-report/ https://blab.infogram.com/1tvwz0w62wlyvqczopy0m3o86ou2k4vwd30 http://www.atanet.org

The ATA Chronicle - September/October 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The ATA Chronicle - September/October 2024