Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P) obtains the B Corp ™ Certificate
 

Founded in 2006 in the United States with the objective of creating a better world though business, the B Corp label is granted to companies that set themselves extra-financial social and environmental objectives that meet demanding criteria in terms of measurement and transparency.

“This label is a unique opportunity to acknowledge and affirm the dual mission of I&P as an impact investor. Maximizing and measuring our societal impacts is as important to us as the financial sustainability of the project. This also relates to what we observe daily working with African SMEs: businesses can be powerful vectors of chance, both directly through the products and services they provide, and indirectly through the inclusion of social and environmental considerations in the daily management of their businesses” explains Jean-Michel Severino, CEO of Investisseurs & Partenaires.
 
The labelling process starts by taking the online B Impact Assessment, which assesses the overall impact of a company on its workers, community and environment. To be certified, the company must earn a score of at least 80 points out of 200, verified by the ONG B Lab. B Corps must re-certify every two years.
 
“The B Corp label has been a great tool for evaluating and enhancing our practices: it leads us today to pursue our work on social and environmental issues, both at the level of the African SMEs in portfolio and of our offices in France and in Africa. Entering this community also means opening up to a panel of new ideas and collaboration” says Elodie Nocquet, ESG & Impact Director at I&P.


A COMMUNITY OF PIONEERS IN FRANCE AND AROUND THE WORLD
The certification also represents the opportunity to join a community of pioneers in France, alongside many other businesses advocating for a greater societal engagement of the private sector (Utopies, which coordinates the community in France, Natures & Découvertes, Pur Projet, Citizen Capital…). To date, there are around 50 B Corp™ in France, and more than 2,300 worldwide.
 
One of I&P’s partner companies, PEG Africa, stands as the first company in West Africa to receive the B Corp™ certification. PEG Africa is a young company which aims to bring off-grid solar energy access to rural and peri-urban communities in West Africa by providing pay-as-you-go (PAYG) solar home systems to rural and remote customers.
 

ABOUT



Certified B Corporations are leaders of a global movement of people using business as a force for good. They meet the highest standards of overall social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability and aspire to use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. There are more than 2,000 Certified B Corporations in over 50 countries and 130 industries with one unifying goal – to redefine success in business.
http://bcorporation.eu/




 

Investisseurs & Partenaires is an impact investment group dedicated to African Small and Medium Enterprises. Since its creation in 2002, I&P has invested in about 80 companies, located in 15 African countries and operating in various sectors of activity (health, transport, microfinance…). These enterprises create local added value and long-term employment, and generate important social, environmental and governance impact.
 
I&P provides capital, technical and strategic support to meet the growth needs of its portfolio companies. The team develops long term partnerships with entrepreneurs, sharing management expertise and knowledge that is useful for improving business strategy, structuring, and success. I&P manages four impact funds, IPDEV, IPDEV2 and IPAE, which represent a total of €125 million.
 
Created by Patrice Hoppenot in 2002 and headed by Jean-Michel Severino since 2011, the I&P team comprises about thirty collaborators in Paris and in its six African offices in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Madagascar, and Senegal.
To read more on our activities, please find us on www.ietp.com