CleanChoice Energy Honored as Best for Environment, Best for Workers among 1,800 certified B Corps corporations

This press release has been updated from Ethical Electric to CleanChoice Energy to reflect our new brand.

WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 8, 2016 — CleanChoice Energy, a renewable energy company providing 100 percent clean electricity to retail power customers across the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and Midwest, today announced it has been honored as “Best for Workers” and “Best for the Environment” for creating the most positive overall community impact among Certified B Corporations after an independent assessment by nonprofit B Lab for the first-annual “Best for the World” B Impact Assessment.

The 2016 Best for the World Honorees represent the top ten percent scores of more than 1,800 Certified B Corps in the B Lab Impact Assessment, spanning over 120 industries and 42 countries, and displaying a wide range of excellence throughout the community. CleanChoice Energy has also been awarded the highest level of B Corp certification with a company score 50 percent higher than the required score for B Corp certified companies.

“CleanChoice Energy’s mission since day one has been to make clean energy available for everybody—striving toward this goal has educated consumers about climate change, funded environmental projects, and expanded renewable energy,” said Tom Matzzie, Founder and CEO of CleanChoice Energy. “The Best of the World recognition is proof companies can help create a world with less pollution, while driving positive impacts on social impacts through charitable giving.”

The company recently passed $1 million in total donations to environmental and social impact organizations after steadily increasing donations to charitable groups and partner organizations since inception in 2013, and nearly doubled total donations since early 2015.

The Best for Environment portion of the B Impact Assessment evaluated CleanChoice Energy’s environmental performance through its facilities materials, emissions, and resource and energy use. B Lab considered how the company’s products and services are designed to solve an environmental issue including aiding in the provision of renewable energy, conserving resources, reducing waste, preventing toxic/hazardous substance or pollution, and educating to solve environmental problems.

The Best for Workers portion of the B Impact Assessment assessed CleanChoice Energy’s relationship with its workforce. It measured how the company treats its workers through compensation, benefits, training, and ownership opportunities provided to workers. The category focuses on overall work environment within the company through management-worker communication, job flexibility, corporate culture, and worker health and safety practices.

“The companies we are honoring as the best for the world represent the cutting edge of a global movement using business as a force for good. We are inspired by them, and feel deeply honored to join them in this historic and ground-breaking celebration,” said Bryan Welch, CEO of B the Change Media, the multiplatform media company publishing the quarterly B Magazine and host of the Best for the World event at the University of California, Berkeley.

Selection criteria for Best for the World honorees can be found here.

CleanChoice Energy has grown quickly since it launched in 2012 through several rounds of private investment and is now the fourth-largest direct-to-consumer renewable retail energy provider in the United States, expanding to eight states and the District of Columbia through campaign-based micro-targeting.

About CleanChoice Energy

CleanChoice Energy is a renewable energy company empowering utility customers to cut emissions and support clean energy through 100 percent renewable electricity. The company buys electricity from regional wind and solar farms in wholesale competitive energy markets and sells it to homes and businesses through their existing utilities instead of fossil fuel-based power. CleanChoice Energy is a Certified B Corporation, a member of the American Sustainable Business Council and the U.S. Green Building Council, and is certified with the highest available rating by Green America’s Green Business Network, the first and largest network of socially and environmentally responsible business. For more information or to become a customer, visit www.cleanchoiceenergy.com.

About B the Change Media

B the Change Media was formed as a partnership between B Lab, the community of B Corporations, and Bryan Welch, former CEO of Ogden Publications (B Corp since 2010). B the Change Media is a multiplatform media company whose mission is to build the world's largest engaged audience of people with a passion for using business as a force for good. B the Change Media has editorial and operating independence and covers compelling stories about business as a force for good, not just stories about B Corporations. B the Change Media has independent investors and is a subsidiary of B Lab, the nonprofit organization that administers the Impact Assessment and aggregates the B Corporation community. B the Change Media is a Pending B Corporation. For more information, visit http://www.bthechange.com.

About B Lab

B Lab is a nonprofit organization that serves a global movement of people using business as a force for good. Its vision is that one day all companies compete not only to be the best in the world, but the best for the world and society will enjoy prosperity for all for the long term. B Lab drives this systemic change by: 1) building a community of Certified B Corporations to make it easier for all of us to tell the difference between “good companies” and good marketing; 2) passing benefit corporation legislation to give business leaders the freedom to create value for society as well as shareholders; 3) helping businesses measure, compare and improve their social and environmental performance with the free B Impact Assessment; 4) driving capital to impact investments through use of its B Analytics and GIIRS Ratings platform. For more information, visit www.bcorporation.net.

Contact: press@cleanchoiceenergy.com