Building The B Economy

不論是去年談得沸沸騰騰的黃色或藍色經濟圈，還是在武漢肺炎肆虐下的企業顛覆或轉型的過程，都令大家更著眼於社會和企業的永續發展。以政治立場來贏取市場是否長遠可行的方案呢？除了政治意識外，市民還重視什麼意識形態呢？哪種經濟圈對社會有正面的果效呢？

共益經濟 不論顏色
經濟圈得以持續發展，有賴生態系統維持，讓成員有機茁壯成長。成熟的經濟生態圈，需具備產業鏈的上、中、下游完整配套，推動資源循環增值，凝聚各方和跨業界的支援。

任何經濟圈所提倡的價值觀，要有激發起更多人認同和加盟的能力，由少數的創新者推動到越來越多同道人參與， 使之持續發展，形成經濟中的網絡正面循環效應， 最後推動系統性的變革。

依政治立場來消費，雖短期內有支援部分小店的效果，但完全不理產品競爭力、經營方針，仍是欠佳的模式。運動推手需用更高層次、更包容的論述，鼓勵和吸納更多支持者，帶動循環效應。以政治立場來釐定經濟圈的基礎，也會忽略全面分析消費者的需求，看不到改進的空間。

踏入廿一世紀，道德消費意識強大，社會更期望生產與消費雙方盡更大的社會責任，而不是單純用喜好作為消費的唯一基礎。

北歐近年推行的綠色經濟圈，成功用環保守望和經濟金融手段，建構出完整的生態系統，揭示出商業運動都是用創造共同價值來維繫，激發更多人認同和促進加盟的能力，產生連漪效應，最後推動系統性的變革。

「共益經濟圈」是一場全球的商業運動，倡議利用商業的力量來推動社會包容和永續經濟發展。B代表了”Benefit for all”，中文翻譯為「共益」，即為所有人創造共同繁榮。

運動發展至今，全球有70多個國家和地區凝聚了超過3,200家共益企業，包括跨國公司、中小型企業和專業事務所（如律師、建築師、會計師事務所等）。每家公司都希望創造有意義的工作，儘管策略不同，有些企業把主軸放在扶貧，有些應對氣候變化和環保。至於為港人熟識的品牌Patagonia、Ben & Jerry’s、the Body Shop 等，也是共益企業。囊括奧斯卡19個獎項的Participant Media，則運用電影來啟發觀眾對社會議題的認識，改變社會。

商業創新 危中有機
就筆者觀察和研究所得，共益經濟圈的生態系統漸趨成熟，形成國際性的網絡，社會效益更為強大。許多企業家窮畢生精力摸索企業成功之路，但若能在過程中找到志同道合者，效果更為相得益彰。

共益經濟圈是一個從下而上的開放平臺，運動推手透過他們的努力和網絡，讓更多公司瞭解共益企業的理念，自行決定是否申請認證。成員透過不同的途徑開發對社會或環境有正面價值的產品和服務，是自由經濟的體現。

對商業機構而言，無疑希望可以量化「創造共享價值」，「共益環球實驗室」對症下藥，提供一套嚴謹、具體、客觀、公開、透明和可衡量的評估系統，幫助企業朝著指標發展。對學術和政府機構則提供可量度商業效益的方法。

共益經濟圈建基於高層次、包容性強和崇高的論述，放眼全球和當地未來的發展，與其他的商界運動（例如共享經濟、綠色經濟、公平貿易等）可互相補足和聯繫，產生更大的協同效應。「共益環球實驗室」去年起和聯合國合作，在商界推動17個可持續發展目標（SDGs)。透過公開的線上平臺，企業可以評估、比較和改進公司與可持續發展目標相比的績效，並針對關鍵指標和同行進行基準測試，以提升影響力。

共益企業所掀起的影響力已越來越大，引起《紐約時報》、《經濟學人》、《華爾街日報》等世界性財經界媒體的主流關注。「共益環球實驗室」和其創辦人也在國際上獲得多個獎項。

消費者行為正在改變，越來越多人希望自己的消費用得其所，給社會帶來正面的效益。共益企業則致力實踐有益於社會與環境及可持續發展的產品和服務，與用家互生共贏，切合市場期望。

共益經濟圈的價值觀是企業培訓和吸納創新人材的最佳橋梁。它不只是由認證的企業推動，而是由所有持份者參與，包括企業員工、用戶、投資者和合作夥伴。他們認同共益的理念和價值觀，願意創造共用和持久繁榮的企業工作，讓共益企業更容易吸納和留住尋找有意義工作的人才。共益企業之間也可以有效地學習到卓越企業之商業模式，創造顧客價值，提昇業績。

B Economy, Regardless of Color
The sustainability of an economic circle depends on a versatile ecosystem which allows its members to thrive organically. A mature ecosystem requires a complete supply chain with upstream, middle and downstream support, enabling the circulation of value-added resources, and consolidating cross-sector support.

The green economic circle advocated by Nordic countries in recent years has successfully developed an ecosystem with peer support as well as economic and financial measures. Such business movement is sustainable by creating common values, inspiring more people to join, producing a chain effect, and finally promoting systemic change.

Although consumption based on political stance has the short-term effect of supporting certain business, it is not a sustainable model because it ignores the core factors such as the competitiveness of products and operating strategy. Advocates should aim for a higher-level and more inclusive discourse to gain more supporters and adopters, fostering a positive cycle within the economic circle. On the other hand, using political stance as the basis of an economic circle would oversimplify the overall needs of the consumers, leaving little room for improvement.

It is generally accepted that companies are not simply about making money. A mercenary mindset could only get you to a certain extent. What is the solution? How do we measure ethics or morality? Initiated by the business sector, ‘B Economy’ seems to be a feasible path.

‘B Economy’ is a global business movement, advocating the use of the force of business to bring about social inclusion and sustainable growth. ‘B’ stands for ‘Benefit for All’, i.e., creating shared and durable prosperity for all.

The B Economy focuses on the triple-bottom line: business, social and environmental sustainability. B Lab Global constructed the B Impact Assessment, which is an all-round assessment of corporations, to measure these impacts. It covers 5 main aspects, including corporate governance, employee care, community engagement, impacts to the environment and business model, comprising over 200 criteria. The maximum score is 200 points and enterprises that score more than 80 points will be certified as B Corps. This Assessment would be enhanced with social and environmental changes.

The movement has grown rapidly and globally. Till now, there are over 3,200 B Corps in 70 countries, including multinational corporations, small and medium-sized enterprises, and professional firms such as law, architecture, accounting firms, etc. Each company aspires to make a balance between purpose and profit. Some may focus on alleviating poverty, others tackling global warming and environmental preservation. Big-name B Corps include Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, The Body Shop and more. Another B Corp from the entertainment industry, Participant Media, which has won 19 Oscar Awards, inspires and changes the society through films.

Why Joining the B Economy?
The maturing ecosystem of the B Economy is shaping an international network with positive social impact. Instead of acting alone, many individual aspiring entrepreneurs, who have devoted their whole lives to business success, could create astounding collective impact with like-minded entrepreneurs from B Corps.

The B Economy is a self-organized and bottom-up platform. Corporations that strive for what is best for the society are free to join. They can come up with products and services beneficial to the society and environment in limitless ways, which is a true manifestation of the free market economy.

B Lab Global turns some ambiguous concepts such as “creating shared value” into something measurable. The B Impact Assessment provides a set of robust, tangible, objective and transparent system of assessment, helping enterprises to stay on course towards sustainability. The financial, academic and public sectors may also use the same yardstick to measure the impact of enterprises.

The B Economy is founded on the basis of a high- level, inclusive and worthy discourse, taking into account of both global and regional development. It does not exist in silo. On the contrary, the B Economy complements other business movements (e.g. sharing economy, green economy, fair trade), generating a greater collaborative effect. Since last year, B Lab Global has partnered with the United Nations to promote 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through an open online platform, enterprises can assess, compare and improve their performance against the SDGs. Companies will also be able to benchmark against key indicators and their peers.

The impact of the B Economy is snowballing and has gone mainstream with the attention of international financial media such as the New York Times, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal. B Lab Global and its founders have also won various awards internationally.

Consumer behavior is changing. More and more people hope to bring about positive impact to the society with their purse. B Corps, committed to supplying goods and services favorable and sustainable to our society and environment, are exactly the type of business that meets the expectation of users, creating a win-win situation for all.

The B Economy provides a talent and training pipeline for corporations. It is not only a movement run by entrepreneurs, but also allows all stakeholders, including employees, consumers, investors, business partners, even teachers and students to participate. They identify with the idea and core values of the B Economy and are willing to co-create sustainability and prosperity. B Corps can attract top talents, especially among Millennials who seek meaning in their careers. B Corps can also effectively learn from outstanding peers with distinctive business models, creating value for their customers while improving their performances.

Note: Hong Kong’s “Yellow Economy” arose in late 2019 during the protest movement. The “Yellow Economy” essentially rewards protester-friendly businesses, whereas the “Blue Economy” is pro-establishment and supports the police.