Our CFO Hanan Levin said it best in his blog last week: “Impact investing is no longer a trend. It’s a constant.” In fact, we first wrote about this impact investing “trend” almost a full year ago in our blog. February is B Corp Month, so let’s talk about impact investing, B Corporations, and CoPeace!

Impact Investing

Impact investing focuses on using the power of capital to promote the greater good, while achieving a positive financial return. It addresses a broad scope of social and environmental issues through investments in companies with demonstrable solutions to said issues: from increasing access to clean water and energy for underserved populations to establishing equitable labor practices.

Certified B Corporations®

B Corporation – or B Corp, for short – refers to companies that receive certification from the non-profit B-Lab. Certified B Corps seek to create value for all stakeholders (not just shareholders!), through verified performance, public transparency, and legal accountability. CoPeace received full Certified B Corp status in August of 2019, and you can read our B Impact report here.

Impact investing and B Corps together disrupt the traditional model of capitalism, the model that stresses profit-at-all-costs with zero social or environmental considerations. B Corp status provides the framework, while impact investing is the underlying theory. Investing in a B Corp might be considered an impact investment, but not all impact investments must be made into B Corps exclusively. As a Certified B Corp in the impact investing space, CoPeace is following an established and verified framework, while actively working with positive impact companies.