Benefit corporation certification and financial performance: Capital structure matters

Abstract

We are examining the impact of benefit corporation certification on the profitability of UK companies, taking into account their capital structure. We contribute to the literature that scrutinizes the financial ramifications of Benefit Corporation Certification. Analyzing UK Certified Benefit Corporations (CBCs) and their noncertified counterparts using a difference‐in‐differences analysis, we find that the performance of CBCs with a capital structure heavily weighted towards debt declines in comparison to non‐CBCs, using Return on Assets as a measure of financial performance. Conversely, the performance of CBCs with a capital structure primarily composed of equity is comparable to that of non‐CBCs.