Across Aotearoa, businesses small and large are making a positive change as B Corps.
Many businesses today know the impact they can have on communities and the environment – both good and bad – and the B Corp movement is helping bring recognition to those leaving a positive mark.
Currently there are over 100 certified B Corporations headquartered in New Zealand, across all industries from food to finance, consulting firms, design studios, and everything in between. To certify, a business must meet high standards of verified social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. They have to provide evidence of their impact across the business – on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices – to achieve a B Impact Assessment score of 80 or above. To keep the mark, they need to keep improving and re-certify every three years.
These are some of the local brands leading the way as certified B Corporations – doing good for our planet and people.
Duffle&Co
Duffle&Co supports talented craftsmen, empowers local communities, and plants trees to restore biodiversity – putting people and the planet at the heart of everything they do. The brand is certified B Corp and now net climate positive. Here to carry you from work to weekend, they are also challenging the status quo with a client gifting service designed to help other brands create a long-lasting impression with clients and staff: “Gifting and promotional material should be made to last, and that’s where we come in.”
Jeuneora
Jeuneora’s dedication to its customers, products, and our environment saw the brand become a B Corp business in August 2022 – a recognition of its holistic approach to sustainability and an acknowledgement of its dedication to leave a positive impact.
Its range features easy-to-use marine collagen – ethically and sustainably sourced fish skin that would otherwise go to waste as a by-product of the fishing industry – and plant-based beauty and wellness supplements, along with Jeuneora Skincare.
With tens of thousands of these products sent to customers across the globe, Jeuneora’s wellness supplements are housed in climate-positive sugarcane plastic containers and recycled plastic is used for skincare packaging – helping the brand achieve its 97 B Impact score. And it doesn’t end there: Jeuneora’s partnership with TerraCycle means customers in New Zealand and Australia can return empty plastic packaging to be sorted and recycled free of charge.
Gourmate Pet Treat Co.
It’s not only human products that can be certified! The humans at Gourmate Pet Treat Co. wanted to feed their pets the type of food they eat: natural, healthy, and better for the environment. Their delicious range of meat and seafood treats are proudly locally sourced and made.
Scoring a B Impact score of 88.9, Gourmate is New Zealand’s only B Corp certified pet food company. Co-founders Laura and Steph seek out local and sustainably sourced proteins, go organic where available, and opt for lower-impact processes and packaging.
With the range including Organic Green Lipped Mussels, Alpine Freshwater Salmon, Grass Fed Beef Liver, South Pacific Hoki and Wild Caught Calamari, it’s good to know that there is a better choice for pet parents.
Hello Period
A high achiever on the B Impact scale with a score of 103, Hello Period has been making awarding-winning, sustainable period care in New Zealand since 2017. The brand was founded by two high school best friends who were frustrated by the lack of innovation in the period care market.
The dedicated work by Mary Bond and Robyn McLean at Hello Period has saved 200 million tampons and pads from landfill – with the goal for this number to reach 1 billion by 2030. With their latest product, the Hello Disc – a menstrual disc that holds five times more than tampons and pads and will last for years – this might just be possible.
HealthPost
Giving back to nature is a large part of HealthPost’s philosophy. Every day the natural wellbeing retailer delivers positive impact through the HealthPost Nature Trust. Restoring biodiversity in Mohua Golden Bay, HealthPost has planted 15,000 native trees and built a 3ha predator-proof ecosanctuary for threatened species to flourish. Ethical shopping choices have never been easier with HealthPost’s 6,000+ responsibly sourced wellness range. Made for you, and nature too.
Raglan Food Co.
Award-winning Raglan Food Co. is always looking for ways to improve on sustainability, and they’ve been doing this since 2014 by using organic ingredients where possible, packaging in glass jars, and taking responsibility for reducing and offsetting their carbon footprint.
Contributing to the brand’s B Corp certification are initiatives such as beach clean-ups, tree planting and dune restoration, and giving waste a second life by turning empty coconut cream drums into braziers!
Untouched World
Sustainability is woven into all aspects of local fashion brand Untouched World. Only natural, renewable fibres and fabrics are used, every piece is thoughtfully designed to achieve minimal waste, and all operations are carefully considered to tread lightly on the environment. A less-is-more approach is used, resulting in the creation of timeless designs that are crafted to endure a lifetime of wear.
