Giving Compass' Take:

• B the Change profiles New Belgium Brewing, which got certified as a B Corp due to its dedication to Corporate Social Responsibility: Efforts include supporting activist causes to conserve local natural resources.

• How can companies like New Belgium Brewing be a model for others looking to boost CSR work? One step would be to think about the impact one's policies can have in the community.

• Here's how to rethink the way we do business through B Corporations.

Since its founding in 1991, New Belgium Brewing has used its ever-growing platform as a force for good. Over the years, that’s not only translated into producing a wide range of fantastic beers but also into unapologetically supporting and even spearheading local activism and environmental efforts.

While proving itself a leader within the craft brewing industry and marketing its beer to a global audience, New Belgium has held on tight to its roots in Fort Collins, CO. The brewery regularly champions and contributes to worthwhile local causes, including spearheading activist group Save the Colorado alongside Clif Bar and Patagonia to fight “irresponsible water projects” along the Colorado River.

So when the employee-owned brewery decided to pursue B Corp certification in 2012, it just made sense. The move was in line with founding partners Kim Jordan and Jeff Lebesch’s four founding pillars: to create world-class beers, to promote the culture of beer, to be responsible environmental stewards and  —  perhaps most important  —  to have fun in the process.

“We consider social and environmental well-being to be intricately intertwined,” says Katie Wallace, director of corporate social responsibility at New Belgium. “B Corp offers the only comprehensive guide, to my knowledge, that merges conversations around business’s impact on co-workers, communities and the environment.”

Read the full article about New Belgium Brewery's commitment to CSR by Anna Archibald at B the Change.