M.B.A.'s May Face Lower Salaries in Corporate Social Responsibility

[Learn about the environmentally friendly M.B.A.]

As sustainability and CSR proliferates within companies, the nonprofit B Lab certifies socially and environmentally conscious companies, which it calls B Corps, much like TransFair endorses Fair Trade coffee and the U.S. Green Building Council sanctions LEED buildings. B Lab, which was founded in 2006 and is based in Pennsylvania, counts the Rockefeller Foundation, Deloitte, and the U.S. Agency for International Development among its donors.

Nathan Gilbert, a program associate at B Lab, warns students seeking employment in the CSR field to watch out for "green washing"—or companies masquerading as part of the green movement—and to examine transparent accounts of businesses' activities, such as the certification his employer issues.

[Read about the sustainable M.B.A.]

That emphasis on transparency also resonates with the cofounders of the sustainable energy industry certifier Equitable Origin.

Poritz says when students apply for jobs, they should ask questions about staffing, resources, and which department houses CSR to get an accurate sense of a company's practices.

"You can interview the interviewer," he says.

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