NZ B Corps winning the good fight
I don’t know about you but I can often end up feeling hopeless and despairing about the state of the world when I do a scroll through LinkedIn or Twitter.
Some days I just wanna find a corner, curl up in it and rock back and forth. For example, just this morning, I’ve seen posts on how it’s New Zealand Earth overshoot day this week (Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity has used all the biological resources that Earth regenerates during the entire year), as well as how it’s barely the start of summer in Europe and already the continent is drying up and facing record temperatures, plus a post on how a 34-million year-old ice sheet in Antarctica is heading for collapse, which could wipe out entire nations.
In the face of this kind of awful news, it is no wonder eco-anxiety is on a meteoric rise and so many of us feel overwhelmed at the enormity of the problems, not to mention furious and incredulous as, while climate schizz gets proper real and scary, the world’s most powerful governments STILL do next to nothing. For example, the UK government has actually opened up a new licensing round to allow oil and gas companies to explore for fossil fuels in the North Sea.
The depth of stupidity is beyond belief.
While we need to be painfully aware of the challenges if we are to come up with solutions, it can get overwhelming and dispiriting.
As well, it is just as important to note and know that massive and important positive efforts are being made. This is why, in this blog, I’m going to highlight some of the incredible work of Aotearoa NZ B Corps. Because instead of feeling hopeless, I want to feel hopeful and galvanised to take massive positive action. So, here is a very small look at some of the amazing work of our homegrown Kiwi B Corps.
Eleven Kiwi businesses made the B Corp Best For the World lists in 2022 – meaning they’re in the TOP 5% globally for a particular impact area against businesses of a similar size. Those companies were:
- Banqer and Pathfinder Asset Management Limited for their impactful products for customers.
- Method Recycling, Chia Sisters and Raglan Food Co for their environmental excellence.
- Little Yellow Bird Ltd, Ethique and GravityLab for their ethical supply chains and community engagement.
- Little Yellow Bird has so far diverted 8 tonnes of textile waste from landfill.
- Chia Sisters created an open letter and submission to Government calling for a centralised reuse scheme for beverage packaging in New Zealand.
- Ethique has prevented 25 million plastic bottles from being manufactured since 2012, has saved 5 million gallons of water and planted more than half a million trees.
- D3 NZ and Kin Recruitment for their exemplary worker practices.
- Tax Traders for exceptional governance practices.
In addition, Untouched World is the first fashion company in the world to be recognised by the United Nations for sustainability.
Sawmills Brewery is the pilot brewery for a project to investigate decarbonising the brewing industry.
Pic’s Peanut Butter has gained zero carbon and climate positive status. This means the overall activity of Pic’s business operations reduces carbon in the atmosphere. Where emissions can’t be eliminated, Pic’s offset with certified carbon credits as part of the community-owned Drawa project on Vanua Levu, Fiji, protecting 4,120ha of tropical rainforest from logging.
Kathmandu‘s aspirational goal for 2025 is to have zero environmental harm from our business operations. To get there, they plan to become carbon zero, operate zero-waste facilities and look at how to can remove waste from their supply chains.
Raglan Food Co is spearheading an effort to pick one million pieces of plastic and rubbish from off our beaches.
CarbonClick has helped 1,223 businesses and 221,663 individuals take climate action.
…and so much more.
Going forward, I’m on a bit of a personal mission to celebrate and promote the achievements and inspiring mahi of NZ B Corps. Stay tuned. Be inspired. And if your company is already a B Corp, and you have some great news to share, let me know!
Together we can redefine the meaning of ‘success’ for business and create new economic norms. (If you are still running a linear ‘take, make, waste’ business model – honey, then you are failing.)
Through small and large changes and actions, B Corps are weaving a future when business as a force for good is the way everyone does business.
If this is a movement you think you’d like to be a part of, drop us at Grow Good a line at tamara@growgood.co, or book in a free discovery call and we’ll help you get there.
Kia kaha
Tamara
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