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These 16 Successful Companies Are Changing The World

corp b

Changing the world will only happen now if we learn to be conscious shoppers… But, it’s not that easy when you can’t tell who is doing what! But I’ll tell you that learning who and what will fill you with purpose. Shopping therapy!

We need to know what companies are trying to make a difference now more than ever. So let’s get started… The Certified B Corporation is a system that identifies a companies efforts to change the world.

Most of us have never heard of this type of certification because you rarely find it in advertising. A certified B Corp is a company that works to make a profit but works with something called B Lab. The B stands for Benefit and B Lab is a nonprofit company!

Changing the world today for tomorrow

Its job is to measure a company’s social and environmental standards. It holds for-profit companies accountable. So these companies must meet rigorous standards to keep their certification. It’s basically like a USDA certification for the business. In a world where there are lots of claims that stretch the truth, it’s nice to know who to support.

Marketers look for the shiniest adjectives that describe their products. The warm and fuzzy phrases bring a welcoming reception which ultimately increases sales. However, the B Corp qualifies companies that want more than profits. They want to do better. These companies are working to be wholesome, safe and properly labeled. They’re working hard at changing the world!

Certification begins with a test that asks a bunch of questions related to a companies impact. It studies the impact on employees, customers, community and the environment. To qualify a company must score a minimum of 80 points. If they’re really good they can score up to 200 points. Once the test is passed a company will then follow up with supporting documents and provide a background check.

There are 3,243 B Corp companies in 71 countries and many are based in Canada and the U.S. So here are the 16 companies that stand out. See how they’re working hard every day at changing the world.

Arbonne

This company is in the top 25 for the largest companies worldwide to become certified. It is working to become transparent and increase its sustainability. It is non-GMO certified and their health products are gluten-free. They’ll recycle their packaging taking it back once its life is over.

Patagonia

This clothing company is also part of the circular community. It has developed a program to reuse previously worn clothing. So far It has donated 100 million dollars to environmental groups. Together they’re trying to help slow climate change. Their mission includes “building the best product, to cause no unnecessary harm, and use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.

Ben and Jerry’s

Ben and Jerry’s ice cream is trying to prevent social injustices in local and international communities. They’re replicating models of economic justice that have proved to be sustainable. Their mission is to make improve the community’s quality of life. They figure it’s just as important as their financial goals. Wow! If you see this company in the Dairy aisle support them by voting with your dollars!

The Body Shop

The Body Shop is a global beauty brand that has been around since the ’70s. This is the first company that pioneered “fair trade” in the cosmetic industry. It’s committed to social issues such as human trafficking, climate change, deforestation, whaling, and animal testing. They’re not just a brand with sweet-smelling products. They have been a long-standing advocate for positive change in the world.

Dr. Bronners

The first time I read Dr. Bronner’s bottle I thought he’s maybe a little crazy. You’ll have to read it to believe it! However, soap products are fantastic! They’re USDA organic, Non-GMO, not tested on animals and fair for life. Fair for Life is a program that certifies the supply chain for fair trade and fair wages.

Vita CoCo

Vita Coco is a New York-based company working with farmers in Brazil, the Philippines, and Indonesia. They know that farming is hard work and harvesting coconuts is no exception. So, they’ve developed educational programs for the community and also invest in their farms. They don’t like to waste the coconut either. Once the coconut water is extracted they use the meat for their coconut oil and the shell as fuel for factories.

Fresh Prep

This local Vancouver B.C. company puts together meal kits for families on the go! They source their ingredients from local farms and store the food in reusable containers. The food is designed by Chefs and this company uses beef raised without any unnecessary antibiotics or hormones. Plus, the fish is caught wild and certified by Ocean Wise.

Fairware

Fairware is a merchandising company that helps companies offer sustainable promotional products for their business. They do the homework to find ethical and sustainable products so busy companies don’t need too. Their clients include Mountain Equipment Co-op, Vega, Patagonia, Natures Path, seventh generation, and UNICEF.

The Etho

Look no further for an all you need an ethical market place. Ethos is an online platform that works with companies with ethical perspectives. For the most part, they offer environmentally friendly products, safe working conditions, and sustainable wages. This platform has also claimed to help 100 million women out of poverty! Amazing! You can shop everything from clothing, home goods and grocery items at Etho’s Marketplace.

Seventh Generation

This company is the leading green household and personal care brand in North America. They use recycled material in their packaging and have reduced their manufacturing process’s carbon footprint. Another great aspect of this company is that all of its products are USDA certified bio-based and not tested on animals. Overall the plastic packaging comes from 100% post-consumer recycled material!

Grove Collaborative

Changing the world comes easy when you buy a subscription with this eCommerce platform. It collaborates with many other ethical companies with the same principles. These companies include Method, Seventh Generation, and Burt’s Bees. As a result, they make sure their products are cruelty-free, made with plants and contain only natural fragrances. They’re constantly looking at ways to reduce the plastic in their packaging. Plus their ethical supply chain and sustainable material set this company apart.


Numi tea

Their teas are beautiful not just because of their taste but also for their ethics! Numi is certified as a fair-trade company with fair labor practices. It’s just crazy that there NEEDS to be a third party organization to determine if people are being paid fairly. They hold themselves accountable for their supply chain and sustainable farming practices. Each tea is Organic and Non-GMO. So it’s easy to see that this company is a worthy Corp B company.

Nada Grocery

This grocer deserves a nod. Hello Brianne! She’s a Marine Biologist that has seen first hand the swirling mass of plastic in our oceans. She knows that much of the waste has come from our very own kitchens. Her goal was to see the reduction in food packaging. So she set up a shop in Vancouver B.C. She’s made waves in the grocery aisle since all of the products offered in her store are zero waste.

Danone

The Danone Canada brand is one of the largest consumer companies in the Corp B lineup! Their priorities include climate change, sourcing sustainable ingredients and improving their packaging. It’s a fine balance between profits and the social/environmental factors we face today. Therefore this brand makes it in the top 4 ethical dairy brands. Support them over the other brands in the dairy aisle.

All Birds

This shoe company holds itself accountable for its carbon footprint! Climate change has overrun our lives and they’ve realized something needs to be done now. So they’re limiting, measuring, offsetting, and reducing their CO2. By doing this they hope that they’ll one day be a player in changing the world. For this reason, they’ve made a goal to become net-zero by 2030. They’ll do this by paying a self-imposed carbon tax!

Pela

This company is awesome so I purchased a phone case from Pela. It’s incredible and I can’t believe how durable a biodegradable item can be! The vision of this company is to create a plastic-free future. They’re working towards building products that encourage a waste-free lifestyle. The sky is the limit and the future looks a little brighter with products like these. Next time you’re looking for a phone case or sunglasses look no further!

Generally speaking, these are some of the companies looking for climate solutions. The companies that we’ve talked about here are good, ethical companies working to make a difference in the world. Support these companies to give the planet a better chance for recovery. Align your wallet with these companies and vote with your dollars. In essence, we can make a difference. Giving them your support offers them a higher competitive advantage over the competition.

It’s time to take a more holistic approach and start inventing new ways to replace synthetic chemicals and materials with natural alternatives. Communities around the world have an opportunity to harvest Planet, People Products. Support small organizations that are working to support these small villages, local artisans and grass root organizations. Do you want to make a difference in someone’s life in a meaningful way? Buy products from small companies working with villagers. These Seagrass market bags are a good way to support the artisans in Vietnam. It’s our pledge to work together to create a more natural, healthy and Eco-friendly planet.

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The Importance Of Brand Support And Your Dollars

The trouble with consumerism is it’s superficial. We’re not really educated on brand support. We’re totally spoiled since we can buy anything, from anywhere, by just a click of a button. The shopping revolution has grown and evolved. Our generation thrives on it. The rise of population, production, and propulsion has interconnected people and products. So, this post is for the shoppers that want to shop consciously too make a difference in the world. Not just consume.

Brand support creates Iconic Brands

If you haven’t heard the name Mondelez International here’s your chance. Why would you want to learn about this company? Maybe because it has some of the most powerful and iconic brands in the world. Or maybe because it helps to know how large corporations are conducting business.

Either way who really has the time to do research on what these companies are up too? Not many people would put the time in when life is busy and time is so precious. I want to make it easier for readers to stop in, read a good post, and take whatever tidbit with you!

Who Is Mondelez International?

Founded in 1923, and formally known as the National Dairy Products Corporation. An entrepreneur named Thomas McInnereny went to the banks for financing his vision. His plan was to consolidate the fragmented ice cream industry. Therefore, he joined his company with Edward Rieck’s dairy company. Together they convinced the banks to invest in a roll-up strategy. In order to monopolize the ice cream industry, they quickly acquired 55 dairy businesses.

Mondelez International is now an American multinational confectionery company. Its sole responsibility has been to feed generations delicious snacks! They’re sweet and salty treats are brands that we’ve all grown up eating. From Oreos to Ritz crackers, they operate making 26 billion dollars a year in 160 countries. We’ve voted with our dollars and have offered this company 100% brand support!

Corporate responsibility

I’ve chosen to highlight this company because they monitor their carbon footprint. According to their website, they’re working to set achievable goals for 2020.

These science-based goals help to limit climate change to less than 2 degrees. Included in this plan is the reduction of CO2 emissions by 15% equalling the amount of 240,000 tonnes a year. They’re not doing this alone. They hired a group of people dedicated to keeping them on track!

CDP Disclosure Insight Action is a non-profit group working with investors, companies, and cities. They understand the need for urgent action to build a sustainable economy. Given that I’m glad to see there’s a third party looking out for the general public. It would be too easy for a company to sugarcoat the truth. Don’t mind the pun!

Furthermore, the short term plan is to reduce packaging by 65,000 tonnes. Plus, the paper sourced will come from recyclable paper found from sustainable sources. Although this may be true they’ve also said they no longer want to support verified non-deforested sources in their packaging.

Deforestation in the Industry

However, they`re part of a pool of 1050 corporations deemed to have a significant impact on forests. In 2018 they did not disclose or remain transparent when it came to the deforestation of forests around the world. In fact, they`ve declined to disclose their impacts in the past three years.

Global forests are losing 5 million hectares a year which is 15 football fields a minute. Companies like Mondolez use commodities such as palm oil that drive the deforestation.

The problem with deforestation is that it if we lose our trees then less CO2 can be absorbed. CDP data shows that 83% of corporate targets regarding deforestation are until 2020. Only 14% of deforestation targets have been extended beyond the year 2020.

Moreover, companies reported 30 billion dollars in losses due to the destruction of forests. Between crop failures, forest fires, and regulatory change it’s all taking a toll on business as usual. It’s crazy to think that the problem, which can be solved, is mostly ignored.

Delivering Results

In spite of, Mondolez has created the Harmony program, which involves 1,700 farmers, 13 Millers, and cooperatives across 6 markets. The program promotes biodiversity, conserves water and cares for the soil. For ten years, the program has reduced the use of pesticides in fields and farmers have planted 1026 Hectares of flowers. The flowers are responsible for maintaining bee populations. They also support 30 species of butterflies.

Below are the brands that Mondolez controls. By purchasing these items you are supporting their programs and policies that offer both positive and negative impacts on the environment. The question is do you think the positives outweigh the negative? If the negatives are too much to take then what will you do to make a change?

  • Belvita Breakfast,
  • Cadbury’s Dairy Milk chocolate,
  • Chips Ahoy cookies,
  • Dentyne Gum
  • Enjoy Life Foods.
  • Halls,
  • Milka,
  • Nabisco Newtons,
  • Nilla,
  • Nutter Butter,
  • Oreo,
  • Premium Ritz Crackers.
  • Sour Patch kids,
  • Stride Gum,
  • Toblerone,
  • Tang,
  • Triscuits, and
  • Wheat Thins.
  • Kraft

Even though, their website paints a rosy picture telling us their story of corporate responsibility. Their efforts, through CPD, show us some kind of transparency. It seems their old ways and habits have been hard to break.

How you can make a change

We have the best chances now to make a large impact. With all the tools and education on the world wide web, we can use it to make a difference. Use my website as a bulletin for your conscious shopping needs because my goal is to make your job easier as a consumer.

A Sustainable economy is a thoughtful process developed and planned to change the world. It must be remembered that we’ve got to take the time out to plan for the future. It could be something as simple as baking your own cookies. Since baking reduces the amount of packaging used, plus it reduces the reliance on palm oil. This is a classic solution instead of offering brand support.

Every one of us has an obligation to make the world better off than we left it. Many people pour themselves into their family, work or volunteer life. But, sustainable lives requires the same thoughtful mindfulness each day. What are you going to do to minimize the impact of your carbon footprint?

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