It can be tough to know what type of impact companies you buy from have on the earth and on people. Here are 3 easy ways you can tell a company is holding themselves to higher standards and working towards a better world for everyone. 

B-Corp Certified 

At its core, a B Corp certification means that a company is striving to "do no harm and benefit all"

B Corp Certification doesn’t just evaluate a product or service; it assesses the overall positive impact of the company that stands behind it - increasingly what people care about most.

Certified B Corporations achieve a minimum verified score on the B Impact Assessment—a rigorous assessment of a company’s impact on its workers, customers, community, and environment—and make their B Impact Report transparent on bcorporation.net. Certified B Corporations also amend their legal governing documents to require their board of directors to balance profit and purpose.

The combination of third-party validation, public transparency, and legal accountability help Certified B Corps build trust and value. B Corp Certification is administered by the non-profit B Lab.

A few companies you might recognize that are B Corp certified are Patagonia, Ben & Jerry's and our very own water bottle manufacturer, Klean Kanteen. 

You can learn more about the B Corp movement and how companies become certified here.

Fair Trade Certified

Most massive corporations drive down their prices by taking advantage of the most vulnerable people in their supply chain - the front line producers/farmers in 3rd world countries. The fact that companies like Apple and Nike have suicide nets around their factories overseas is one of the main reasons we founded Unus munduS. 

If a company becomes Fair Trade certified it means that their products were sourced responsibly and ethically. Our bag manufacturer, Purnaa, is Fair Trade Certified and hires marginalized locals in Nepal to manufacture their products. All of their employees have safe, clean working conditions and are paid a fair wage. They take it one step further, and ensure that everybody they source material from has the same standards. 

You can learn more about the Fair Trade movement and how companies get certified here. 

1% FOR THE PLANET

1% For the Planet members have given back more than $265 million to the environment to date. Very simply, businesses that are members of 1% For the Planet pledge to donate 1% of their gross sales to environmental non profits. 1% For the Planet acts as an advisor, certifying the partnership between a member and the environmental non profit(s) they wish to partner with. Companies can choose from a large list of non-profits that help with issues in areas such as climate, food, pollution, water, and wildlife. 

Individuals can also become members of 1% For the Planet by pledging to donate 1% of their gross annual salary/income.

If you see any company that is 1% For the Planet certified you can be assured that 1% of your purchase is going to a good cause. 

Thank you for wanting to make the world a better place - we're honored to be on this journey with you. Have any topics you'd like to learn more about? Give us a suggestion on our Contact Us page.