Will agree to disagree. I just don’t trust a scheme that will allow a company like Nespresso, the very antithesis of sustainability with their pointless metal pods, to join.
Then again, I may create a C-corp scheme. If anyone would like to join, I accept Visa/Mastercard.
I agree with you up to a point, in fact I think there were like 30 or so other B Corps that tried to block Nescafés entry. And for good reason like you said.
The current system allows you to offset bad with good. Hopefully the updated system will tighten things up - I’m not gonna write off an imperfect system just for being imperfect
But you’re right, you’ve gotta be aware that it’s not foolproof 
That’s not quite what it is, although they do sort of sell it as that. The actual standards are all around policies and reporting - companies that report on the right things in the right way and have things like environmental policies. These are good steps for global businesses.
But the B corp charity doesn’t actually inspect businesses or actively monitor the businesses. Also note the standards are relatively low - eg companies need to report on and have policies around ensuring they aren’t violating the UN charter of human rights, which is a pretty low bar for social responsibility.
Not to write it off completely, it has merit, but it’s a long way from a guarantee a company is socially and environmentally responsible in my view.
Fun fact, I used to work for a company who held a number of yearly accredited certifications.
The three weeks beforehand “preparing” “established” process and “updating” documentation was quite the thing to watch.
I’m sidestepping the B-Corp accreditation discussion as I know nothing about it, but some other smaller companies I use with some good sustainability plans are:
Suri - Electric toothbrush. https://www.trysuri.com/
Bower - Cleaning products. https://bowercollective.com/
Wilde Mode - Underwear. https://wildemode.com/
Rapanui - Clothes. https://rapanuiclothing.com/
Lucy & Yak - Clothes. https://lucyandyak.com/
Stand4Socks - Socks. https://www.stand4socks.com/
Ohne - Period products. https://ohne.com/
So far really good. I’ve had one for about six months and my teeth feel so clean and shiny. I only need to charge the handle about once a month or six weeks I think. It’s so long in between that I forget the exact duration.
I just checked out that tissue company but their prices are far too high.
Just as an aside, I wash my Rapanui stuff for “30 @ 30°” then pop them in the airing cupboard (how I wash everything). But my husband washes everything hotter and then tumble dries it for 2 hours. So far both of our respective piles of Rapanui shirts have survived. The only casualty is one white shirt that I put in with some black dungarees from Ollie & Nic that leaked all their lovely black dye everywhere 
I did wonder what that was.
I have a vendor who sends me boxes with ‘we are certified B’ on the side, and I’m left wondering why I wouldn’t want to find the company who got the A and use them instead…
I like this idea a lot, I’m going to have to go through and see where I could switch to a more sustainable company
Please consider reading this too of course
B-Corp is good, but it ain’t everything.
So I work at a B-Corp - and was here at the business when we were going through our BCorp accredditation. I know a good chunk about the process, and have opinions. While I’m not in the part of the business that “looks after” the accrediation day to day (as in, partners with BCorp directly) most of the business is knowlegable about the process. So any Q’s, feel free to shout.
But my own personal reflections;
BCorp is really all about putting “Planet” and or “People” at the same level as “Profit”. So to say all these companies are “Sustainable” isn’t neccesarily the case, but they have made a commitment to do better for People or Planet, whilst being profit making. Which I think is an important distinciton to remember.
In most cases, companies have to make a change to their legal structure / company charter such that Shareholder Value isn’t the only consideration, and People/Planet do too.
For us, we had a strenuous audit against the BCorp standard to show that we were taking steps to go above and beyond the legal minimum in terms of people/planet impacts - and we worked closely with the B Lab - who help you close the gaps in blind spots or areas that may hold you back.
For example - the Standards are split into 5 categories;
To become a BCorp - you need to score 80 / 140 points across those 5 areas, or just over 55%.
You could, theoretically then, absolutely smash 4/5 areas, and get 0 points on one, and still become a BCorp.
So for me, it’s a useful flag to consider when shopping with new brands or doing a quick check of “does this align with my values”.
There are some slightly spurious BCorps registered I think; famous MLM scam Arbonne is one, different brands of Unilver is also, plus anyone and everyone in between.
I wouldn’t personally choose a product just because it’s a BCorp - but it’s a useful green flag in assessing the ethics and values of a company - but like many other things that you can get accredited for - (Organic, Fair Trade, etc) - it’s probably more convoluted than it appears.
Last thing I will say - is that bigger organisations generally already have a great deal of resources, and are more generally structurally set up to deliver CSR type programmes. So you might find the likes of Unilver and Coca Cola who are arguably some of the biggest contributors to carbon emissions, will have an easier time to pass the audit than Local Bobs Icecream and Soda Parlour.
Thanks for this - have been considering swapping to Suri for reasons I can’t remember - probably brush head cost - but I will stick with my Sonicare.
Any reference to a specific “Higher end model” you mean here?
Thanks for this - Just signed up!
Huge factor here is replacement brush head cost - £9 every 6 months with SURI - £30-50 with Philips
After the discounts you mentioned, it was £82 all in for toothbrush, UV case, charging stand, three heads and magnetic wall mount
Coming in three days!
That’s actually a really great addition that I completely overlooked - Wouldn’t have known that had you not have mentioned
Nice one!
I went for Morning Waves - Which is blue I think, can’t wait!
The second ‘it’s’ I think?
They need to get their teeth into that design and clean it up. Contact SURI with that screenshot & point out the errors.
There’s no need for the first “It’s” at all, so the box image could be moved centrally above ‘Shipped!’. Then drop the second apostrophe.
And while design-subjective, I’d comment on the left alignment of the two lines of text too. IMO it’d look better if centered with the box & ‘Shipped!’:
Not worth cancelling though - ‘it’s’ a 
bargain!
I highly recommend https://ethicalconsumer.org. I’ve been a subscriber for a couple of years and they have both a database of companies with ratings based on substantial research and a regular print/digital magazine with stories and features with buying guides for toilet paper, mortgages etc.
Id rather move on from capitalism in general, but I am heartened that more people are making conscious choices about how their products are made and how the people involved are paid and treated.
Found another, - Dash https://dash-water.com - They use wonky fruit to flavour sparking water, bottle it up in recycled / recyclable cans or glass bottles, and send it out to you under a subscription model
We actually drink flavoured sparkling water at home, but it’s always been the cheap plastic 1 litre bottles from supermarkets.
Has anyone tried Dash?
