Yesterday, while at the annual SEALSB conference, a group of professors and I ate at Bull City Burgers in Durham, NC. I was somewhat surprised to see a framed B Corp. Certification on the restaurant wall. This restaurant's main menu items, as the name suggests, were greasy (but tasty) burgers. While the menu did talk about how the cows were grass fed, I think there may be a hot debate over whether burgers are good for "society and environment."

This got me thinking about whether there are certain industries that should be excluded from the B corp certification process or the benefit corporation legal entity form. If so, which industries and why? My initial reaction is that most companies in most industries – including burger joints – can be run in a socially responsible manner and can do better than their competitors, even if the product can have some negative impacts on society if used incorrectly (as burgers can if not eaten in relative moderation). There may be some industries that are irredeemable, but I am guessing they are few and far between. Most companies, if managed well, can have a positive impact on society, and even though you might not want a diet exclusively of burgers, Bull City Burgers definitely brightened our night.