Sustainable Corporate Governance

A review of our featured client list reflects that many of our clients are engaged in providing sustainable products or services and/or are involved in implementing sustainable business practices. This is not a coincidence, as we are passionate about sustainability.

Actually, our passion goes beyond simply working with these types of clients. In 2004, we were given the opportunity to collaborate with our client, Upstream 21 Corporation, in developing a new model of corporate governance that makes corporations accountable to all of its stakeholders. These stakeholders include not only a corporation's shareholders (traditionally the only consideration), but also its employees, the communities in which it is located and the environment, in keeping with the triple bottom line of sustainability.

The model we developed in collaboration with Upstream 21 takes an innovative approach to the company's Articles of Incorporation to institutionalize the company's core values so they are more likely to survive new management and new investors. This model was recently used by B Lab as the initial building block for the development of its own legal roadmap for institutionalizing stakeholder interests in connection with its sustainable corporate governance certification process.

In 2007 the Oregon legislature amended the Oregon Business Corporation Act  to permit corporations to include in their articles of incorporation a provision that authorizes the corporation to conduct its business in a manner that is environmentally and socially responsible. We would be happy to discuss the adoption of such a provision with prospective and existing clients.