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Seven great examples of innovations that matter, courtesy of fellow Certified B Corporations.
Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability — and Springwise, along with our parent company, Re_Set, are proud to be new members of the B Corps community.
To date, there are nearly 3,500 B Corps in 150 industries and 74 countries around the world. The Certification process uses credible, comprehensive, transparent, and independent standards of social and environmental performance.
B Corps are leaders of a global movement of people using business as a force for good, some of which Springwise has spotted in recent months and years. Here are seven great examples of innovations that matter, courtesy of Certified B Corporations.
1. TRAVEL BOOKING PLATFORM OFFSETS ALL CARBON EMISSIONS FROM HOTEL STAYS
The Denmark-based, hotel booking platform Goodwings offers subscription-based access to more than one million hotels worldwide at wholesale rates. However, Goodwings is more than the average booking site, aiming to turn the hotel industry into a catalyst for sustainable change. With Goodwings, all hotel stays are 100 per cent carbon compensated, supporting people and the planet for free.
Its business model is built on partnerships, with a global network of 100 nonprofit partners in over 40 countries acting as their ambassadors and marketing channels. The money saved on advertising then gets redirected towards projects and people who are actively working towards the SDGs.
2. SKATEBOARDS THAT ENGAGE ARTISTS AND CONSUMERS IN SOCIAL PROJECTS
The premise of The Skateroom is based on a collaboration between acclaimed artists and art foundations, and skateboards, which drive the “Art for Social Impact” premise. Artists display their work on skateboards around the exhibition area, an idea based on the company’s statement that a skateboard is “affordable, mobile, and useable”, “a symbol for freedom” with “the power to break social barriers”.
Charles-Antoine Bodson, founder and CEO of The Skateroom, was inspired by the opening of a Skate Park in Cambodia, where he saw a disadvantaged community inspired by the hope the Skate School represented. As a skateboard fan himself, he wanted to come up with a business model based on creativity that would allow him to donate a part of the company’s profits to such social projects, support communities and minimise environmental impact, whilst remaining profitable.
Read more about The Skateroom.
3. DISCARDED PUMPKINS UPCYCLED INTO BEER
Toast Ale, the British craft brewer known for its recipes that use bread that would normally go to waste, also brewed beer from pumpkin flesh that would normally be discarded.
The brewing of “Dubbel Dubbel Toil and Trouble,” a seasonal Belgian-style Pumpkin Dubbel, began last November. The brewery partnered with Hubbub on this new brew to help with its annual #PumpkinRescue campaign. Pumpkins used in Toast’s new recipe were collected by volunteers from local farms.
4. SUGARCANE-BASED BIOPLASTIC REPLACES RUBBER SHOE SOLES
Socially conscious shoe company TOMS recently introduced a new line made from sustainable materials. Named Earthwise, the collection features plant-based dyes, recycled plastic uppers and crucially, the I’m green™ EVA created by Brazilian petrochemical company Braskem.
The I’m green™ EVA rubber outsoles are a bio-based alternative to the traditional petroleum-based ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), which does not biodegrade and is difficult to recycle, and is why many shoes end up in landfill. Sugarcane-based EVA, on the other hand, is recyclable, reusable and compostable and is considered carbon-negative.
Read more about TOMS and its latest sustainable line.
5. HOME INSURANCE THAT DONATES TO CHARITY
Lemonade is a property and casualty insurance company providing policies for both homeowners and renters — with some interesting features that differentiate it from a traditional insurance model.
Operating mainly as an app that finds customers a suitable policy and offers virtual assistance, social impact is also part of the business model. All unclaimed money is donated to charities chosen by its members. The startup takes a flat fee of 20 per cent, using the rest of the customers’ policy money, to pay for claims meaning, unlike traditional insurance companies, there’s no incentive not to pay out.
6. BRANDS TEAM UP TO DEVELOP NEXT-LEVEL SUSTAINABLE SNEAKERS
Sneaker startup Allbirds and sporting giant Adidas are teaming up to design a performance sports shoe that they believe will have the world’s lowest carbon footprint. This project came out of the desire to redesign sneakers to reach new levels of sustainability, and still perform at a high athletic level for athletes. Another key is to sustainably manufacture them at scale. By combining their areas of expertise, the brands are aiming to create a shoe that has a carbon footprint of just 2 kg compared to the average 12.5 kg of other shoes on the market.
“When it comes to sustainability, we don’t see ourselves competing with one another, but competing for the future. If we don’t bring about change quickly, there won’t be a future to speak of.” Tim Brown, Allbirds’ co-founder, said.
Read more about Allbirds’ collaboration with Adidas.
7. A POP-UP CAFÉ OFFERING ACTIVIST TRAINING
Outdoor clothing company Patagonia opened a pop-up café in central London last year, offering visitors the opportunity to “learn how to make a positive difference”.
The pop-up, called Action Works Café, coincided with the European launch of the online Patagonia Action Works platform, which features 1% For The Planet grantees including Extinction Rebellion, Save Our Rivers, Friends of the Earth, 10:10, Irish Seed Savers, Surfers Against Sewage and Rewilding Britain. The café also included a collection of books written by thought leaders for public lend; in addition to a library of “Action Postcards”.
Read more about Patagonia’s activist pop-up.
