Why Badger Became a B Corp
Badger joined the B Corp movement in 2011 to help assess and improve our business practices to put people and the planet ahead of profits. B Corporations are companies committed to a ‘better way’ of doing business by bringing positive social and environmental change to the world through their practices and radical transparency. Badger is certified as a B Corp by B Lab, a non-profit organization that reviews and assesses businesses, ensuring that our mission and principles are woven into the DNA of our company as we grow. Additionally, Badger is a Benefit Corporation in state of New Hampshire. This legally binding business registration creates a permanence to our social, environmental, and economic behavior that will continue as long as Badger remains a company.
“B Corps are a needed reboot for capitalism for the modern age… contributing solutions to the world’s most pressing problems.”– Harvard Business Review
“B Corporation, the highest standard in socially responsible business” – Inc. Magazine
“People increasingly want to work for, buy from and invest in companies that have mission and impact at their heart of their model.” – Forbes Magazine
“It might turn out to be like civil rights for blacks or voting rights for women -- eccentric, unpopular ideas that hold and change the world.” – Esquire Magazine
Certified B Corporations are held to a higher standard in both our social and environmental conduct. Rather than the traditional approach of prioritizing only the shareholders profits, as B Corporations we are dedicated to providing a benefit to all our stakeholders. The B Lab certification requirement makes sure that all B Corporations consistently value the welfare of their employees and consumers, the community, and the environment. The five categories that are the focus of this certification are:
Governance: This section focuses on the company's mission, stakeholder engagement, and overall transparency of the company's practices and policies.
Workers: This section measures how the company treats its workers through compensation, benefits, training, and ownership opportunities provided to workers. It also focuses on the overall work environment within the company through management/worker communication, job flexibility and corporate culture, and worker health and safety practices.
Community: This section evaluates a company's supplier relations, diversity, and involvement in the local community. The section also measures the company's practices and policies around community service and charitable giving.
Environment: This section evaluates a company's environmental performance through its facilities; materials, resource, and energy use and emissions. Where applicable, it also considers a company's transportation/distribution channels and environmental impact of its supply chain.
For any B Corporation there are four main principles in play which, as you can see from our own principles, are a natural fit for Badger. These principles recognize that we are all dependent on each other for our economic and environmental health.
That we must be the change we seek in the world.
That all business ought to be conducted as if people and place mattered.
That, through their products, practices, and profits, businesses should aspire to do no harm and benefit all.
To do so requires that we act with the understanding that we are each dependent upon another and thus responsible for each other and future generations.
In 2014, Badger led the way in bringing Benefit Corp legislation to the state of New Hampshire, creating an opportunity for businesses to write their mission and principles into their articles of incorporation. On January 2, 2015, New Hampshire joined 25 other states and the District of Columbia in passing Benefit Corporation Legislation. This important legislation is a key tenant creating accountability and protection for mission-based businesses because it expands the business fiduciary duty beyond maximizing profits and returning earnings to shareholders to allow businesses (like Badger) to write their greater purpose into the DNA of the company.
Badger is proud to have been a primary supporter of this bill, sponsored by Senator Molly Kelly and others, and was one of the first New Hampshire companies to register as a Benefit Corp.
Our Impact Report showcases the significant strides we’ve made towards to reducing our carbon impact to zero, delivering benefit to society and our employees, and manufacturing healthy products that have a minimal impact on the environment.
Certified B Corporations are held to a higher standard in both our social and environmental conduct. Rather than the traditional approach of prioritizing only the shareholders profits, as B Corporations we are dedicated to providing a benefit to all our stakeholders. The B Lab certification requirement makes sure that all B Corporations consistently value the welfare of their employees and consumers, the community, and the environment. The five categories that are the focus of this certification are:
Governance: This section focuses on the company's mission, stakeholder engagement, and overall transparency of the company's practices and policies.
Workers: This section measures how the company treats its workers through compensation, benefits, training, and ownership opportunities provided to workers. It also focuses on the overall work environment within the company through management/worker communication, job flexibility and corporate culture, and worker health and safety practices.
Community: This section evaluates a company's supplier relations, diversity, and involvement in the local community. The section also measures the company's practices and policies around community service and charitable giving.
Environment: This section evaluates a company's environmental performance through its facilities; materials, resource, and energy use and emissions. Where applicable, it also considers a company's transportation/distribution channels and environmental impact of its supply chain.
For any B Corporation there are four main principles in play which, as you can see from our own principles, are a natural fit for Badger. These principles recognize that we are all dependent on each other for our economic and environmental health.
That we must be the change we seek in the world.
That all business ought to be conducted as if people and place mattered.
That, through their products, practices, and profits, businesses should aspire to do no harm and benefit all.
To do so requires that we act with the understanding that we are each dependent upon another and thus responsible for each other and future generations.
In 2014, Badger led the way in bringing Benefit Corp legislation to the state of New Hampshire, creating an opportunity for businesses to write their mission and principles into their articles of incorporation. On January 2, 2015, New Hampshire joined 25 other states and the District of Columbia in passing Benefit Corporation Legislation. This important legislation is a key tenant creating accountability and protection for mission-based businesses because it expands the business fiduciary duty beyond maximizing profits and returning earnings to shareholders to allow businesses (like Badger) to write their greater purpose into the DNA of the company.
Badger is proud to have been a primary supporter of this bill, sponsored by Senator Molly Kelly and others, and was one of the first New Hampshire companies to register as a Benefit Corp.
Our Impact Report showcases the significant strides we’ve made towards to reducing our carbon impact to zero, delivering benefit to society and our employees, and manufacturing healthy products that have a minimal impact on the environment.