Empresas B y sociedades BIC. Perspectiva comparada de las empresas con propósito

Carlos Vargas Vasserot, Jaime Alcalde Silva & William H. Clark Jr., Tirant lo Blanch, 03.07.2024. Foreword by Henry Peter.

This book provides an overview of the phenomenon of social purpose enterprises in Latin America. Following the trend that began in the United States with Benefit Corporations (B Corps), the "B Corporations" model began to develop in 2012, within the framework of a private certification system. Shortly afterwards, a legislative movement emerged to recognise Benefit Corporations and Community Interest Companies (BICs). These are companies that, along with carrying out a commercial activity, commit to making a positive impact on the community or on the environment through a reform of their statutes, subject to independent third-party supervision with regard to the reporting of that objective.

The first law passed in Colombia in 2018 and was followed by others in Peru, Ecuador, Uruguay, Panama and Spain, in addition to drafts under discussion in other countries on the American continent. A similar phenomenon has occurred in Italy, France, Rwanda and some states in Canada, which have also regulated this type of business.

The book's content is divided into four parts. The first part presents some general issues related to impact entrepreneurship, such as the concept and reception of B Corporations, their influence on the redefinition of the concept of enterprise, the certification process carried out by B Lab and its franchises, the viability of non-profit enterprises recognised by the legal system, the blurred delimitation of social entrepreneurship as a legal category, and a comparative overview of this phenomenon. The second part addresses the situation of selected countries, starting with the United States. The situation in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina and Uruguay, Brazil, Chile, Spain and Portugal is then presented. The third part offers some brief reflections on the subject. The book concludes with an appendix containing laws and projects relating to B Corps and BIC companies in the Ibero-American systems.