Now more than ever, companies, big and small are participating in corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs and aligning their businesses with a dedication to giving back. But how can you help your customers achieve their CSR goals with promotional products? Let’s talk about certified B Corporations.
What is a B Corporation?
Certified B Corporations demonstrate high social and environmental performance as leaders in the global movement for a new inclusive, equitable, regenerative economic business standard.
A B Corporation certification is a designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials. Source: B Corporation
B Lab is a nonprofit organization within B Corporation, providing a collective vision to those in the community.
A B Corp certification has become the gold standard for socially responsible businesses on a global scale and the B Corp community is multiplying quickly as more companies realize the importance of being good citizens of their communities and the world at large.
As companies look to distributors for their promotional items, many are opting for more socially or environmentally responsible options. One way you can help point your customers in the right direction is by sourcing products from B Corp suppliers – and we’ve even done some of the legwork for you!
Here are some of the B Corp suppliers in the SAGE database:
ChicoBag and To-Go Ware
SAGE #50037
Certified Since 2013
By exchanging wasteful, single-use bags, utensils, and containers for high-quality, long-lasting, reusable products, we protect our planet from pollution and preserve its beauty for generations to come. Source: Chico Bag
Raining Rose Inc.
SAGE #67001
Certified Since 2016
Raining Rose’s core values form ASPIRE: Attitude, Safety, Passion, Integrity, Relationship, and Evolve. These values drive our decision-making and are why we have a reliable, friendly staff always ready to assist our customers. When you submit your order, you can be confident that it is in the care of people and a company you can trust from start to finish. Source: Raining Rose Promos
The Good Tee
SAGE #52601
Certified Since 2020
Our mission is to humanize the fashion industry. We believe that it’s our duty to be a positive example of responsibly made fashion basics. We celebrate all the good humans in the supply chain that make our products, so you can understand your positive impact. Source: The Good Tee
Bloomin Promotions
SAGE #66761
Certified Since 2016
Bloomin is the original manufacturer of hand-made, recycled seeded paper. First sold as greeting cards in specialty retail markets, Bloomin paper has grown into an extensive line of promotional products, retail stationery gifts, direct marketing solutions, and wedding invitations. Source: B Corp
Marine Layer Inc.
SAGE #51078
Certified Since 2022
Marine Layer aims to help the planet through its Re-Spun program, which diverts clothing from landfills and gives old tees a second life. As of December 2022, Marine Layer has collected and recycled more than 575,000 t-shirts (approximately 177,000 lbs). Marine Layer is aiming to be “tee-shirt” neutral by 2025 — where for each shirt sold, Marine Layer will collect and divert one shirt from landfills. Source: B Corp
Drizzle Honey
SAGE #52805
Certified Since 2019
Drizzle Honey is adding excitement to an age-old industry with first-to-market raw and superfood honey flavors, bee-friendly sustainability initiatives, and trending branding and social media. Their mission is to change how the world uses honey by continuing to be the leader in innovative, sustainable, and health-conscious honey products. They are a proud women-owned and run enterprise. Source: B Corp
Fill it Forward
SAGE #52430
Certified Since 2016
At the Fill it Forward Company, we believe choosing to reuse is a simple act of generosity that shows love for our planet and its people. With the Fill it Forward bottle/bag + app experience, you can track your environmental impact and give clean water to communities in need. Source: B Corp
Revolusation Inc. -Bagito
SAGE #51664
Certified Since 2019
Bagitos use 100% recycled plastic to make their premium fabric, and each product sold teaches and empowers a K-12 student to value and sustain their natural world through a contribution to our sister non-profit project,
Power2Sustain.org. Revolusation, Bagito’s parent company, takes single-use designs and re-engineers them into multi-use products for the new circular economy. Source: B Corp
How does a company become certified?
The B Impact Assessment is for any for-profit company to understand its environmental and social impact. The free and confidential tool allows companies to look at their effect in-depth.
The B Impact Assessment is a series of questions in five categories: governance, workers, community, environment, and customers. At the end of the assessment, the company will receive a final score in each area. Each B Certified corporation has a B Impact Assessment available on the B Corp website.
In order to achieve a B Corp Certification, a company must:
- Demonstrate high social and environmental performance by achieving a B Impact Assessment score of 80 or above and passing their risk review. Multinational corporations must also meet baseline requirement standards.
- Make a legal commitment by changing their corporate governance structure to be accountable to all stakeholders, not just shareholders, and achieve benefit corporation status if available in their jurisdiction.
- Exhibit transparency by allowing information about their performance measured against B Lab’s standards to be publicly available on their B Corp profile on B Lab’s website. Source: B Corp
There are 15 different steps a company must complete in order to achieve certification. Steps include a B Impact Assessment, risk review, an evaluation phase, and more. Learn more about the pathway to certification here.
What about other ways you can help your customers fulfill their CSR goals?
In addition to sourcing products from B Corp certified suppliers, there are a few other ways to filter your search depending on your client’s preferences or requirements. With the ESG/Diversity filter in SAGE Total Access, you can search for businesses that are B Corp and CSR Certified, disability-owned, Hispanic-owned, LGBTQ+ owned, women-owned, veteran-owned, and minority-owned.
You can also search for suppliers that participate in give-back programs with the Social Good filter. From animal organizations to environmental initiatives and more, the products found through the Social Good filter all have one thing in common – they are promotions with a purpose!
To learn more about the ESG/Diversity and Social Good filters in SAGE Total Access, contact your Account Advisor today. To read more on B Certified Corporations, you can view the complete guide here.
