SAN FRANCISCO, March 19, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today New Resource Bank (OTCBB:NWBN) was recognized by the nonprofit B Lab for creating the most positive overall social and environmental impact. The third annual "B Corp Best for the World" list honors 92 businesses worldwide that earned an overall score in the top 10 percent of all Certified B Corporations on the B Impact Assessment, a rigorous and comprehensive assessment of a company's impact on its workers, community and the environment. Honorees were recognized among micro, small and mid-sized businesses.
New Resource made the list for a third year in a row. This year, the bank was among 26 honorees in the Small Businesses category (10–49 employees), and had a B Impact Assessment score of 150 (80 is required for certification). See the bank's B Corp profile for highlights.
"Everyone at the bank is excited to be on this list once again, and in such inspiring company," said New Resource Bank President and CEO Vince Siciliano. "We take it as a sign that we are progressing on our mission to advance sustainability in everything we do. Each year brings new opportunities for us to deepen our mission."
Several bank clients are also on the "Best for the World" list. New Resource is proud to serve these fellow honorees: Alter Eco, Andean Naturals, Beartooth Capital, Give Something Back, Green Retirement Plans, Imprint Capital, Mal Warwick Associates and RSF Capital Management.
The "Best for the World" companies come from 31 industries, including manufacturing, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals and real estate. A majority operate in a service industry, including 17 companies in financial services and 15 in environmental consulting. Thirty percent of honorees are based outside the U.S. The full list is available at bestfortheworld.bcorporation.net.
"Employees, consumers, investors and policy makers increasingly want to support companies that create a positive impact in the world, and the 'Best for the World' honorees are the best of the best," said Jay Coen Gilbert, co-founder of B Lab, the nonprofit organization that certifies B Corporations and governs the independent third party standard used to generate the comparable assessment of corporate impact. "It's particularly inspiring that 21 percent of the 2014 honorees are first-time winners but long-time B Corps. They're winning the race to the top."
B Lab will release separate lists recognizing companies that are 'Best for the Environment' (environmental impact), 'Best for the Community' (community impact), and 'Best for Workers' (employee impact) throughout 2014.
Certified B Corporations use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems and have met rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. Today there are more than 980 Certified B Corporations across 60 industries and 32 countries, unified by one common goal: to redefine success in business.
About New Resource Bank
New Resource Bank (https://www.newresourcebank.com) is the premier bank for people who are leading the way to a more sustainable world. We match an entrepreneurial spirit with a dedication to achieving environmental and social as well as financial returns. Our mission is to advance sustainability with everything we do—the loans we make, the way we operate and our commitment to putting deposits to work for good.
About B Lab
B Lab (www.bcorporation.net) is a nonprofit organization that serves a global movement to redefine success in business so that all companies compete not only to be the best in the world, but the best for the world. B Lab drives this systemic change through a number of interrelated initiatives: 1) building a community of Certified B Corporations to make it easier for all of us to tell the difference between "good companies" and good marketing; 2) passing legislation to accelerate growth of social entrepreneurship and impact investing (20 states have already passed benefit corporation legislation); 3) developing B Analytics, a customizable platform for investors to benchmark and report the impact of their global private equity portfolios; and 4) providing free, powerful tools for businesses to measure, compare and improve their social and environmental performance (more than 16,000 businesses use B Lab's free B Impact Assessment).