"B"-ing Good
While in Paris over the holidays, on a walk through the Marais with my daughter, I noticed signage in the window of a Nespresso Boutique communicating that Nespresso is now a Certified B Corporation.
I am a big fan of my Nespresso machine - it produces good espresso, fast - making me a somewhat of a regular consumer.
But the sign caught my attention because of the initial doubt it inspired in me.
Nespresso has been singled out for criticism for the negative impact of capsule coffee (portioned, pod, or whatever else you want to call it) on the environment. And there is no shortage of evidence for this.
At first, I thought, is B Corporation certification just campaignerie? Is it some new form of good-washing?
Or, can I let myself feel a little better about my coffee of choice?
I already knew quite a bit about Nespresso, so I needed to brush up on B Corporations in order to develop a point of view.
What are Certified B Corporations?
B Corporation certification is given by a nonprofit called B Lab to companies that apply for it, and that complete and pass a comprehensive impact assessment. The assessment requires that they:
Demonstrate high social and environmental performance by achieving a B Impact Assessment score of 80 or above and passing a risk review.
Make a legal commitment by changing their corporate governance structure to be accountable to all stakeholders, not just shareholders.
Exhibit transparency by allowing information about their performance measured against B Lab’s standards to be publicly available on B Lab’s website.
So far so good.
But there are known issues with B-stamping.
One common complaint is that it MORE reflects brand positioning to consumers rather than a true commitment to fundamental, underlying behaviors. That is to say, it doesn’t always come from a pure place.
Another is that the impact assessment required to qualify is a point-in-time measurement rather than an ongoing, standardized monitor of compliance after status is granted. So how can it reflect “sustainability”?
And specifically related to the Nespresso certification, B Lab was loudly criticized from already-certified brands worried about dilution of the mark because Nespresso's parent company (Nestlé) is not known for its progressive stance on capitalism like Patagonia or Aesop or Allbirds.
On this point, I browsed Nespresso's 500-page impact assessment (available online at the link below) and to keep it simple, I would say that while they scored an "80 or above" they still have a lot of work to do. And the assessment is of the brand, not the parent company, which may turn out to be a serious limitation (a loophole) of Certified B Corporations for driving real change in the world.
AND YET ...
Nespresso is making an effort.
They devoted much space in their impact assessment to where the coffee comes from, and fair trade sourcing. Nespresso works with more than 120,000 farmers through a Sustainable Quality Program to ensure sustainable practices are followed on coffee farms and in surrounding areas.
So here is where things fall for me.
Net net, I would say EVEN IF individual brands have mixed motivations for seeking B Corporation certification, including some that are self-serving, a mechanism like this incentivizes brands to compete to create a more inclusive, sustainable economy.
And open themselves up so that consumers can make more informed choices.
And those are not bad things.
More here, if you want to give it some more thought …
https://www.nespresso.com/us/en/b-corp
https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/nespresso-global
