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Simply explained overview of the highest standards and certifications of companies on which we are guided.
Benefit Corporation, or B Corp for short, is an international certificate awarded by the non-profit organization B Lab to companies with outstanding socio-ecological entrepreneurship. Since it was founded in 2006, there are now over 5,000 certified B Corporations in more than 70 countries. In a rigorous test procedure, they have their corporate governance, employee rights and impact on the environment, society and customers measured. This B Impact Assessment is also the basis for certification as a B Corporation, which is renewed every three years based on 200 selection criteria. Well-known examples are the Tomorrow and Triodos Bank, as well as the SIM provider Goood.
In a purpose-driven company, individual profit motives are prevented in the sense of responsible ownership and instead overarching goals (in this case social-ecological and with a focus on the common good) are formulated for the company. This is achieved by the company being owned by itself, i.e. voting rights are not held by the investors but by the entrepreneurs. Well-known examples include the mobile phone provider WETell.
The Gemeinwohl-Ökonomie (GwÖ) aka Economy for the Common Good pursues a more far-reaching approach than B Corp and Purpose, for example, as it is essentially a reform movement towards a democratically defined community. Since it was founded in 2010, there are now over 1,000 AMLO reporting companies in more than 35 countries. These companies are "certified" for two years if they prepare a holistic common good report, apply for an audit of the report by the Verein zur Förderung der GwÖ e.V. and undergo a detailed audit certificate. Well-known examples of this are the energy provider Polarstern and the mobile phone provider WETell.
Robin Wood - Gewaltfreie Aktionsgemeinschaft für Natur und Umwelt e.V. ("Avengers of the Defoliated") was founded in 1982 as a German environmental and nature conservation organization. The association now has around 5,000 members and primarily carries out public relations work to raise awareness of environmental problems. For example, a comprehensive green electricity report on truly green green electricity tariffs was compiled in 2020, which is used as the basis for our comparison of electricity providers.
The Fair Finance Guide by Facing Finance, in cooperation with Südwind and the consumer advice center, evaluates the published voluntary commitments of 19 financial institutions based on 286 criteria from 14 topics and sectors concerning their compliance with international fairness and sustainability standards. Our price comparison only compares the top-rated banks from the Fair Finance Guide ranking. Facing Finance is independent and non-profit. Their methodology and composition of the bank evaluation can be found on the website.
The Grüner Strom Label aka Green Electricity Label is the oldest (1998) and also one of the strictest green electricity labels in Germany, which is supported by leading consumer and environmental associations such as NABU, BUND, and Deutsche Umwelthilfe. Suppliers commit to contribute additionally to the energy transition by expanding renewable energies from new plants and/or fixed investment programs (0.1-0.5 cents per kilowatt hour depending on consumption or new plant). However, electricity providers can also only have individual products certified. Thus, only green energy providers are included in our comparison that have all tariffs certified.
The ok-power-plus is a product and supplier seal created by the non-profit association EnergieVision e.V., which is backed by the Freiburg Öko-Institut and the HIR Hamburg Institut Research. It is awarded to green electricity providers who sell electricity exclusively from renewable energy sources. Furthermore, the provider must not have any direct ownership links with a company that operates nuclear or coal-fired power plants or trades in electricity from these sources. Last but not least, the supplier must contribute additionally to the energy transition by expanding renewable energies from new plants and/or fixed investment programs (0.2-0.3 cents per kilowatt hour depending on consumption).
To obtain the "Geprüfter Ökostrom" aka Certified green electricity certificate from TÜV Nord CERT, electricity providers must demonstrably promote the expansion of renewable energies (0.2-0.3 cents per kilowatt hour depending on consumption or new installations). However, electricity providers can also have only individual products certified. However, only green electricity providers are included in our comparison that have purely certified tariffs.