Welcome to
The Sustainable Business Expo
An event produced by Ohio State Undergraduate Student Government and Time 4 Change
Our B Corp
Sponsors
Our Sustainable
Business Sponsors
What is a B Corp?
The B Corporation designation is governed by the B Lab, a global nonprofit company. B Corps are responsible for holding high standards in very many ways, including transparency to the public, accountability to the law, and also protection of the environment. Put most simply, B Corporations "balance profit with purpose".
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Every stakeholder in a B Corporation- including the producers, employees, consumers, and investors- are meant to see positive outcomes from a B Corporation, and all of a B Corp's practices should be fair. The B Lab envisions B Corps being the base of an entirely new economy which is equitable, resilient, and environmentally conscious.
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But this event is supposed to be about sustainability, right?! So what do B Corporations do to uphold environmental standards?
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Specific environmental standards are not mandated by the B Lab. Instead, companies are analyzed holistically based on their score of a "Social Impact Assessment". This test is scored out of 200 points and covers all sections of a business- including their executive governance, worker relations, community impact, and environmental standards.
Questions about the environment range in many topics:
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CO2 Emissions Equivalent
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Land Use and Degradation
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Water Use
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Waste and Pollution
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Socio-economic Conditions
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Energy Conservation
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B Corporations are often very passionate about how they help the environment. To hear from our Event Sponsors about why they are a B Corp, and how they help the environment, click the button below!
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About Sustainable Businesses
B Corps are great, but this event would be so incomplete without acknowledging the thousands of other wonderful sustainable businesses in the local community and throughout the world. Sustainable businesses can be anything from an extremely small flower shop to some of the largest companies in the world! (Hi Tesla).
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Many businesses are realizing that Sustainability isn't just something that makes them sound cool or stand out to the people, it really helps their business!
The future of Sustainable Business is bright, with so many companies and industries pivoting towards things that help the environment! Examples of growing industies include include:
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Renewable Energy, providing mostly Wind and Solar Power
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Sustainable and Organic farms, which grow plants and raise animals with minimal footprint in an ethical way
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Electric Cars, which can lessen the dependence on oil
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Sustainable Fashion, which can source fabrics that are long-lasting and environmentally friendly
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Sustainable Construction, creating technologies such as bio-concrete and designing buildings with low emissions
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Manufacturing, using the least raw material as possible and creating the least waste
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But still, holding these environmental standards can be hard! Any company that wants to become sustainable needs to address all areas that need fixed and create a plan for how to fix it. Then they need to establish a mission that is attainable and create a strategy that can complete this mission. Lastly, companies need to measure results and adapt from what they find.
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To learn about what our great sustainable business sponsors have to say, click the button below. One is a vibrant Solar Energy Provider dedicated to making Central Ohio very sustainable, the other is a young and exciting soap company run by Ohio State students!