Jay Coen Gilbert, co-founder of Berwyn-based B Lab, believes that good employment and environmental practices go hand in hand with profit and return on investment, writes Jane Von Bergen for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

B Lab certifies companies that adopt and follow a strict set of standards regarding pay, environmental citizenship, and sustainability. However, profit and ROI still remain key factors.

“Corporations have to compete in the real world, in the real marketplace,” Gilbert said. “You have to bring in a reasonable return for your investors or you’re not going to get any capital.”

However, he said that the difference in a company’s behavior toward its employees and community is significantly different “when their investors expect a reasonable return, versus when their investors expect a maximal return.”

He pointed out that reasonable returns mean that investors still make good profit but employees receive a living wage and environmental practices are followed. Also, B Lab’s standards are not obligatory, he emphasized, but simply represent another option for companies.

“It used to be a world of chocolate and vanilla, and we’re offering strawberry,” he said. “The marketplace can decide.”

Read more about Jay Coen Gilbert and B Lab in the Philadelphia Inquirer here.