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United by Blue
B Corps are businesses graded on their efforts to create an inclusive, sustainable economy.These companies treat “good business” as an idea that includes both profit and purpose.Below, we rounded up the B Corps we love shopping at most, including Patagonia , Allbirds , and Prose .Table of Contents: Masthead StickyAs history can attest, nonprofits aren’t enough to single-handedly eradicate poverty and inequality and infuse the workplace with jobs that make workers feel dignified and purposeful.
To pitch in, some companies are willing to bet on a different conceptualization of “good business.” Perhaps most impressive of this group are B Corps — businesses that nonprofit B Lab grade each year to ensure they’re meeting the highest standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.
Companies awarded B Corp status have committed to using their businesses to work toward a more inclusive and sustainable economy.They strive to reduce inequality; lower poverty levels; and create a healthier environment, stronger communities, and purposeful jobs.
They leverage their resources to pay into a better world, creating a definition of success that includes commonwealth and positive impact as necessary aspects of sustainable consumerism.It’s not charity; it’s better business, and the point is to move the needle on “better practices” further from extra credit and closer to universal compliance.
We rounded up 16 companies we love to shop from that also happen to be certified B Corps, helping drive a global movement that uses business as a force for good.
Check out 16 B-Corps brands we love to shop from: Leesa Leesa
Leesa is best-known for being one of the forerunners in the increasingly crowded direct-to-consumer mattress space.Its Leesa Mattress has over 20,000 five-star reviews, and its Hybrid is one of the picks in our best mattress guide .
The company also has a strong social impact : giving one mattress for every ten sold and devoting resources to national and local organizations.
Despite the startup’s accomplishments in a crowded space, Leesa’s Head of Social Impact, Jen-Ai Notman, told Insider the social mission would be likely to still rank as the overwhelming incentive for working at the company.
Overall, Leesa has donated more than 37,000 mattresses to those in need and makes a point to provide the opportunity for employees to feel invested in their own backyards with local volunteer opportunities.
Shop Leesa here .
The Body Shop The Body Shop/Facebook
You may know The Body Shop from frequent trips to the mall, but the retailer has attracted a dedicated customer base for its social responsibility and wide array of ethically sourced bodycare products.In 2019, the company became a certified B Corp.
Since opening its doors in 1976, The Body Shop has launched a series of activism campaigns , even becoming the first international cosmetics brand recognized under the Humane Cosmetics Standard.
The Body Shop has also launched a Community Trade partnership with The Tungteiya Women’s Association in northern Ghana.Through the partnership, over 640 women help source the high-quality shea butter used in The Body Shop’s products, like the shea butter shampoo and conditioner , which is former senior reporter Connie Chen’s go-to haircare set.
The Coconut Body Butter is one of our favorite bodycare products , and we ranked its Tea Tree Oil as the best tea tree oil we’ve tried .
Shop The Body Shop here .
Prose Prose
Prose is a trailblazer for custom haircare and is one of the most personalized beauty brands on the market.
Launched in 2017 and added to the B Corp list in 2019 , Prose creates complete customized haircare products that cater to the specific needs and goals of each individual’s hair and scalp.
Prose founders used their experiences in marketing, digital strategy, and R&D roles at consumer product companies like Procter & Gamble and L’Oréal to help define Prose’s data-driven and ingredient-centric business model.
Because of this technology-driven approach mixed with an apothecary-style concept, Prose’s made-to-order products offer the highest quality of clean, sustainably sourced ingredients.
Read our entire Prose review here .
Shop Prose here .
Allbirds Allbirds/Instagram
Allbirds are often referred to as the ” world’s most comfortable shoes ,” and we’d be inclined to agree.We also love that each collection seems to get even better at optimizing natural materials without raising prices or diminishing quality.
Allbirds’ classic sneakers and loungers are made from moisture-wicking, temperature-regulating, odor-resistant merino wool that is ZQ-certified (meaning it meets stringent standards for sustainable farming and animal welfare) and uses 60% less energy than synthetics.
Their second collection was comprised of sneakers and skippers made from cooling, eco-friendly eucalyptus pulp .Both collections are ultra-comfortable, low-maintenance, made from sustainable materials, and cost $95 for a pair.
Shop Allbirds here .
Patagonia Patagonia
Patagonia is a beloved outdoors company for many reasons: its superior products and the environmental efforts that led to it being named a UN Champion of the Earth in 2019 , the UN’s top environmental honor.
You can read more on how Patagonia walks the walk here .A few of our favorite examples include being the first California company to sign up for B certification in 2012; imposing an earth tax on itself; and giving 100% (yes, 100%) of their profits from Black Friday in the past directly to grassroots nonprofits working to protect air, water, and soil quality for future generations.Since 1985, the company has donated over $89 million to environmental work.
It also bucks corporate trends by not being afraid to get political.It’s led boycotts and sued the United States government after the former Trump administration proposed reducing two national monuments by up to 85%.
The company also revised its mission statement from “build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis” to the simpler, more urgent “we’re in business to save our home planet.”
Shop Patagonia here .
Cotopaxi Cotopaxi
Cotopaxi is an outdoors brand with social purpose built into its DNA.
Its gear is superior (I count their 35L and 42L travel pack as among my all-time best finds).But, somehow, it’s almost more exciting to talk about the work the company is doing outside of its retail line.
From its inception, Cotopaxi has been founded upon the idea that the interests of profit and people could not only coexist but should and already do enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship.
The B Corp values can be found at all levels of operation.
Employees spend 10% of their work time in their local communities, adventuring outdoors, or doing service.The company donates 1% of its yearly revenue to ending poverty by funding local organizations working on sustainable solutions.
Cotopaxi also puts out a Repurposed Collection of limited-edition gear made out of product scraps.
The company has also created a skills-based volunteering initiative that leverages the time and talent of employees to respond to community needs, such as a card-writing program that provides a paid first job for refugees in Salt Lake City.The program provides youth with professional development, work experience, a competitive wage, and the opportunity to practice their English language skills.This is one company whose “Do Good” products actually feel authentic.
Shop Cotopaxi here .
Frank and Oak Frank And Oak
Frank and Oak is a Canadian apparel company dedicated to making modern, high-quality essentials with sustainable materials and production methods.
The company has winter boots made from coffee waste, recycled rubber, and plant-dyed leather, as well as circular denim made from post-consumer waste in a way that uses 79% less energy, 50% fewer chemicals, and 95% less water than the standard.
About 50% of the retailer’s products are made with minimal-impact processes and materials.Its shipping boxes are 100% recycled and recyclable, and its bags are biodegradable.
What’s more, its Canadian stores were built with recycled materials.
It also keeps a lean supply of products on hand to avoid surplus, which makes nearly every collection limited-edition.
Shop Frank and Oak .
Bombas Bombas
Bombas is another company that was founded with the primary directive of giving back to the community, with its actual product idea coming second.But Bombas are still the best pair of socks we’ve ever tried .
Founders David Heath and Randy Goldberg told Insider the now cult-favorite company began as a way to address the fact that homeless shelters have a great shortage of sock donations.And after noticing that consumers didn’t have a great option between high-end niche technical socks and a six-pack at Target, Heath and Goldberg spent two years obsessively re-inventing the wheel.
Bombas socks have blister tabs, a reinforced footbed, targeted areas of tension, “stay-up technology,” and contoured seaming like a Y-stitched heel to minimize bunching, sliding, and sticking.
Since 2013, the company has also donated more than 48,000,000 million items to homeless shelters thanks to its “buy one, give one” model for its socks and tees.
And the socks and clothes Bombas does donate have been designed in conjunction with their giving partners to cater specifically to the needs of its recipients, who may not have access to the luxury of putting on clean clothes every day.For instance, the socks come in darker colors to avoid visible wear and tear, added anti-microbial treatment to prevent odor or bacteria if they can’t be washed as frequently, and reinforced seams for durability.
Shop Bombas here .
Beautycounter Beautycounter
Beautycounter, a skincare and makeup brand, has become synonymous with the clean beauty movement.Since its founding in 2013, the company has had what it calls The Never List — a laundry list of 1,800 questionable or harmful chemicals that are never used in its products, including the 1,400 banned or restricted by the EU.(The US bans just 30.)
It’s also involved in advocacy for better, healthier legal regulation in the US and Canada.
Its makeup is solid, but it has some of the best skincare products around — and all blessedly sans harmful chemicals.
Read our entire Beautycounter review here .
Shop Beautycounter here .
Tentree Tentree
Tentree is an outdoor company that essentially thinks of itself as a forestry program that ended up selling clothes.For every product you buy, the company plants 10 trees through thoughtful programs that reforest the earth and help rebuild communities around sustainable local economies .
Since its inception, Tentree has planted over 57 million new trees on earth.By 2030, the company’s goal is 1 billion.
The brand’s clothes mostly consist of comfy, unassuming sweatshirts, shirts, leggings, and other basic apparel sold at a reasonable price.
It’s also fostered a lively online community and lays claim to one of the most-liked Instagram posts of all time.
Shop Tentree here .
United by Blue United By Blue
United by Blue, an outdoor apparel and accessories brand, was founded first and foremost to preserve and protect the places in which explorers go to play.That means its top-notch gear goes hand-in-hand with conservation work.
The company utilizes inventive, sustainable materials and removes 1 pound of trash from the world’s oceans and waterways for every product sold.It’s working to ban single-use plastic from its business operations.You can also join them in a cleanup.
We’re particularly big fans of their flannel shirts as well as their jackets and socks that utilize bison down — a surprisingly sustainable material that packs a lot of warmth.
Shop United by Blue here .
Ethique Ethique
Ethique is helping tackle plastic waste by developing solid bars made for beauty, body, and haircare needs.
Founded by a female biologist, the company formulates over 30 solid beauty bars that work as shampoos, conditioners, moisturizers, self-tanners, and body washes, and they work well .
Every bar is vegan, sustainably sourced, naturally derived, and comes in biodegradable packaging.
They also last two to five times longer than bottled options since they’re so concentrated (since about 70% of bottled shampoo is water), meaning you save money and contribute a smaller carbon footprint since you’re ordering less frequently.To date, the company has prevented the making of more than 11 million plastic bottles.
Ethique (French for “ethical”) is certified climate-neutral and cruelty-free and donates 20% of its profit to charity.
In 2015, the company was recognized as New Zealand’s most sustainable business with the Best in B award.In its early stages, the company also attracted the highest number of female investors in PledgeMe history.(PledgeMe is New Zealand’s crowdfunding platform.)
Shop Ethique here .(Its Amazon orders are fulfilled by Pharmapacks.)
Athleta Athleta
San Francisco-based Athleta makes relatively affordable but premium performance clothing designed by women athletes, and it focuses most of its philanthropy on empowering girls and women.
Through the Gap Inc.P.A.C.E.
program and Fair Trade U.S.A., the label supports programs impacting the lives of the majority-female workers that create its apparel and has run empowerment-focused campaigns such as ” Power of She .” The company also offers thousands of free fitness and wellness events each year.
In 2021, it’s diverted 74% of shipping waste from landfills, and 71% of its materials are made from sustainable fibers.
Shop Athleta here .
Uncommon Goods UncommonGoods
UncommonGoods is a marketplace of creative craft-esque inventions, like long-distance friendship lamps , that make great gifts.The site feels like a clean, navigable Etsy with fewer products and a more distinct thesis: utilitarian but “unique.”
It’s unusual to see a diverse aggregator like UncommonGoods as a B Corp (Etsy gave up the distinction in 2017 ), but the company has been one since 2007.
UncommonGoods works with its artists to use sustainable or recycled materials when possible, chooses environmentally friendlier packing materials, and prints its catalog on FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified and recycled paper.They also founded ” Better to Give, ” which allows customers to choose a nonprofit partner for the company to donate $1 to with every order.
For UncommonGoods, the “business for good” model is working, with the company growing steadily from five employees to over 200 year-round.As part of their approach to business, their lowest-paid hourly seasonal worker makes double the federal minimum wage.They’ve also advocated for higher minimum wage and paid family leave in New York and other states.
The company partnered with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and created the Uncommon Scholars program, which creates internship and scholarship opportunities for students enrolled at historically Black colleges and universities.
Shop UncommonGoods here .
MPOWERD Amazon
NYC-based MPOWERD makes affordable, innovative products that help make clean energy accessible.Its best-known product is the Luci , an inflatable solar light.
Particularly well-loved for its versatile applications for campers and hikers, MPOWERD is an increasingly recognizable name in the outdoors genre.
Its big sales drive down costs, and those savings are passed on to MPOWERD’s clients in developing economies.
Through this process and a myriad of others, the company delivers affordable, life-changing solar lights to off-the-grid communities around the world.It has over 700 strategic nonprofit partnerships worldwide, emergency relief sales, and a customer-driven Give Luci program that encourages shoppers to purchase units for their global nonprofit partners.
Shop MPOWERD here .
Eileen Fisher Eileen Fisher
Eileen Fisher has been a B-Corp since 2015 and has incorporated conscious practices into most of its supply chain, including “green initiatives” at its headquarters, stores, and distribution centers, along with volunteer work.
The company has been involved in some meaningful policy engagement in the past, and it has designed a grant program that supports women involved in environmental justice .
Shop Eileen Fisher .
Read the original article on Business Insider .
