COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — First Affirmative Financial Network, a pioneer in sustainable, responsible and impact (SRI) investing, has been named a Best for the World™ B Corp for offering products and services that support the greater good. Ranking in the top 5% of all B Corps in its size group worldwide for their sustainable business practices, First Affirmative earned this honor for building client portfolios that deliver economic return and societal change.
Over the last year, First Affirmative has expanded the ability of investors to support enterprises aligned with their values. In 2020, the company launched AffirmativESG, a digital platform for financial advisors that allows them to customize portfolios. The tool can match a client’s impact preferences and financial goals with dozens of preferred investing priorities ranging from climate change to criminal justice reform to progressive employee benefits.
In the fall, First Affirmative will host ESG for Impact, an advisor-focused gathering exploring sustainable investment options and providing the opportunity for industry leaders to share knowledge and ideas.
In addition, First Affirmative has built a reputation for shareholder advocacy, engaging directly with company leaders to address environmental, social and governance concerns, including equal opportunity employment, sustainable procurement and sourcing, and social justice issues. The firm also participates in initiatives such as the The CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project), and collaborates with CERES and the Investor Environmental Health Network.
“We are thrilled to be recognized for our longtime commitment to socially responsible investing and continue to look for ways to innovate so investors can maximize the impact of their dollars,” said First Affirmative’s CEO George Gay.
The Best for the World recognition is administered by B Lab, the global nonprofit network that certifies and mobilizes Certified B Corporations, which are for-profit companies that meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Today there are more than 4,000 Certified B Corporations across 77 countries and 153 industries, unified by one common goal: transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet.
B Corps meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. The B Corp Certification doesn’t just evaluate a product or service, it assesses the overall positive impact of the company that stands behind it. Using the B Impact Assessment, B Lab evaluates how a company’s operations and business model impact its workers, community, environment, and customers. To achieve the B Corp Certification, a company must achieve a score of at least 80 points on the assessment. “Best for the World is a special program for the B Corp community, and we’re thrilled to resume it after pausing the program in 2020 due to COVID-19,” said Juan Pablo Larenas, Executive Director of B Lab Global. “This year’s Best for the World companies are operating at the very top of their class, excelling in creating positive impact for their stakeholders, including their workers, communities, customers and the environment.”
Close to 800 B Corps from more than 50 countries were named to the 2021 Best for the World lists, including TOMS and Patagonia. The 2021 Best for the World lists are determined based on the verified B Impact Assessments of Certified B Corporations. The full lists are available on https://bcorporation.net/.
ABOUT FIRST AFFIRMATIVE FINANCIAL NETWORK: Since 1988, First Affirmative has been helping financial advisors and their clients create investment solutions designed to meet both financial and impact goals. First Affirmative’s unmatched institutional grounding in this ecosystem allows them to deploy the fundamental research, quantitative techniques, portfolio construction and management methodologies to deliver outcome-oriented SRI and ESG investment solutions. First Affirmative is proud to have adopted the highest standards as an investment fiduciary. B Lab has honored First Affirmative as a Best For The World: Customers company every year since 2016.
ABOUT B LAB: B Lab is the nonprofit network transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. Our international network of organizations leads economic systems change to support our collective vision of an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy. We began in 2006 with the idea that a different kind of economy was not only possible, it was necessary – and that business could lead the way towards a new, stakeholder-driven model. We became known for certifying B Corporations, which are companies that meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. But we do much more than that. We’re building the B Corp movement to change our economic system –and to do so, we must change the rules of the game. B Lab creates standards, policies, tools, and programs that shift the behavior, culture, and structure of capitalism. We mobilize the B Corp community towards collective action to address society’s most critical challenges. By harnessing the power of business, B Lab positively impacts 150 industries in 74 countries, helping them balance profit with purpose. Together, we are shifting our economic system from profiting only the few to benefiting all, from concentrating wealth and power to ensuring equity, from extraction to regeneration, and from prioritizing individualism to embracing interdependence. For more information, visit https://bcorporation.net/.
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