FT. COLLINS, Colo. — New Belgium Brewing, maker of Fat Tire Amber Ale and a wide variety of award-winning beers, is proud to announce that it is now a Certified B Corporation. The respected B Corp designation is reserved for companies that are committed to meeting high standards of social and environmental performance and accountability. B Lab, which is a nonprofit organization working to redefine success in business, certifies and supports B Corporations.

This designation comes just months after New Belgium transitioned to a 100 percent employee-owned model, which puts the brewery on a path to control its destiny.

“Becoming a B Corp allows New Belgium to carry our vision into the future,” said Bryan Simpson, spokesperson for New Belgium Brewing. “B Lab and the community of Certified B Corporations are aligned with our long-standing belief that our stakeholders include not just shareholders, but the environment and our community. This designation is even more powerful now that Colorado has enacted benefit corporation legislation.”

New Belgium helped lobby for the Colorado legislation, which gives companies the freedom and protection to consider the triple bottom line. The community of Certified B Corps has worked to pass similar legislation in 14 states and the District of Columbia.

B Corps are held to performance standards that are comprehensive and transparent, measuring a company’s impact on workers, suppliers, communities and the environment. Unlike traditional corporations, Certified B Corporations are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions not only on their shareholders, but also on their stakeholders.

New Belgium joins 748 Certified B Corporations from 27 countries, covering 60 industries.

About New Belgium Brewing Company

New Belgium Brewing, makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale and a host of Belgian-inspired beers, is recognized as one of Outside Magazine’s Best Places to Work and one of the Wall Street Journal’s Best Small Businesses. The 100% employee owned brewery is a Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Business as designated by the League of American Bicyclists, and one of World Blu’s most democratic U.S. businesses. In addition to Fat Tire, New Belgium brews eight year round beers; Ranger IPA, Rampant Imperial IPA, Shift Pale Lager, Sunshine Wheat, 1554 Black Ale, Blue Paddle Pilsener, Abbey Belgian Ale and Trippel.

About B Corp

Certified B Corporations meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, legally expand their corporate responsibilities to include consideration of stakeholder interests, and build collective voice through the power of the unifying B Corporation brand. As of May 2013, there are more than 740 Certified B Corporations from over 60 industries and 27 countries, representing a diverse multi-billion dollar marketplace.

About B Lab

B Lab is a nonprofit organization that serves a global movement to redefine success in business so that all companies compete not only to be the best in the world, but the best for the world. B Lab drives this systemic change through a number of interrelated initiative: 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 legislation to accelerate growth of social entrepreneurship and impact investing (12 states have already passed benefit corporation legislation); 3) driving capital to high impact investments through the use of GIIRS Ratings and Analytics (more than 60 investors with over $3B in impact assets under management use GIIRS); and 4) providing free, powerful tools for businesses to measure, compare and improve their social and environmental performance (more than 7,000 businesses use B Lab’s free B Impact Assessment).