Having never heard about B Corporations, I found this proposal both informative and interesting. I think the critique of B Corporations was very insightful, and I found the comparison to Fair Trade to be helpful in explaining the project’s goals. I furthermore completely agree that its approach is problematic, since it only requires a vague and potentially unvalidated pledge of ethicality. However, I disagree with your statement that becoming an ethical company to gain the B Corporations stamp of approval would ultimately hurt the business’ bottom line; products that are USDA Organic, non-GMO, Fair Trade, or Certified Vegan, or donate a percentage of their profits to charity, appeal to specific audiences, and by selling well to these growing niches, the ethical designation often increases profit in the end.

I appreciate that you recognize how incredibly challenging it is to measure something’s ethicality and find the suggestions you’ve brainstormed to be creative and reasoned. Still, I have to wonder whether ethicality is too subjective to be measured at all. You suggest average wage and the origin of raw materials as potential factors, but while one person might claim that high wages and environmentally sustainable sources are markers of ethical soundness, another might claim that freedom, such as the freedom to pursue individual success, is more vital, so wages and sourcing should be determined by the free market. Perhaps more people agree with the first point, but that doesn’t make it the only defensible ethical stance. I find this problem even more significant once the government comes into play, as it would if ethical tax cuts were to be instated. Consider how the different political parties might view the ethicalness of a manufacturer of birth control or a shop that sells assault rifles. Of course, if you’re only considering factors such as the way employees are treated, that won’t be relevant, but that seems unlikely to occur in the political sphere, where appearance and hardline party tactics are so strongly relevant.

I’m also curious to know your justification for stating that “more ethical companies would increase the health of our economy as a whole.” It doesn’t seem to agree with your earlier statement that I addressed in my first paragraph, wherein you claim that becoming more ethical hurts businesses because of the added expense of paying workers fairly and so on.

Summarily, it seems amazingly difficult to determine a company’s ethicality, especially once politics are thrown into the mix, but it’s a very interesting and creative idea, and I wish you the best of luck!