Page 8 - BEQ Magazine Iss 21 rev01072022

Ellonda Williams on businesses as
A Force

For Good

By JULIE A. PALM | Photos by YOUR FAVORITE SHOTS
D r. Ellonda L. Williams is a JEDI master.

As director of justice, equity, diversity
and inclusion for Philadelphia-based B Lab, she works
to create a healthy, inclusive and anti-racist culture
for the organization’s employees and oversees B Lab’s
strategies to embed those principles into its own busi-
ness practices.

You may not have heard of B Lab, but you might be familiar
with B Corps — companies that “balance purpose with profit”
and that “are legally required to consider the impact of their
decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community
and the environment.” That language comes from B Lab’s web-
site — it’s the organization that certifies B Corps. Certification
means companies are beholden not just to shareholders but to
stakeholders — and the communities they touch.
There are more than 4,000 Certified B Corps in 153 industries
across 77 countries. B Lab notes that it is seeing “overwhelming
interest” in certification. Submissions of B Impact Assessments,
an early step in the certification process, were up 30% in 2020
and 36% for 2021 at the end of the third quarter. Some of that
growth is coming as part of a global movement, with more
companies, especially in Europe, seeking certification, Williams
says. B Lab also is certifying more multinational corporations
after implementing a new standard for them in 2019.
“I believe that the current civil and social events going on
globally, coupled with more consumers and employees demand-

8 WINTER 2021/22 BUSINESSEQUALITYMAGAZINE.COM