b corp

Dr. Bronner's

© Dr. Bronner's
Company News

Dr. Bronner’s Drops B Corp Certification Over Integrity Concerns

North American soap brand Dr. Bronner’s, has announced it will not renew its certification with B Lab, the nonprofit organization overseeing the B Corp program. The decision follows years of advocacy by Dr. Bronner’s for stricter certification requirements, particularly regarding the supply chains of multinational corporations. The company, which holds the record for the highest-ever B Corp score, has been a vocal critic of what it sees as the dilution of the certification’s integrity. In a joint statement, CEO David Bronner and president Michael Bronner said that the company no longer believes certification aligns with its mission. “The integrity of the B Corp Certification has become compromised, and remaining certified now contradicts our mission. Sharing the same logo and messaging regarding being of ‘benefit’ to …

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Marc Coloma and Bernat Ananos, Heura founders

© Heura
Company News

Heura Improves B Corp Rating by 18%, Securing Top Spot in Its Category

Spanish plant-based food tech company Heura has renewed its B Corp certification, achieving an improvement of 18% since its first certification in 2021. Heura now has a rating of 111 points, taking the top spot in the food products category for businesses with a turnover exceeding €1 million. It also ranks third nationally for companies with more than 50 employees. Heura has seen particular improvement in the area of sustainability, achieving a huge 58% increase in its rating due to an ambitious ESG strategy. Since 2021, the company has reduced its environmental footprint per kilogram of product by 23% and its CO2 emissions by 83% compared to animal-based proteins. “Our goal is to revolutionise the food system with technologies and products that enable consumers and …

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Umiami whole cut chicken fillet in salad bowl

©Umiami

Company News

Plant-Based Whole Cut Pioneer Umiami Achieves B Corp Certification

French plant-based whole-cut leader Umiami announces that it has achieved B Corp certification this week. Following a certification process initiated in 2021, the company says it is delighted to belong to the community founded by B Lab, having obtained a score of over 80 points in a scoring system focused on five major areas: corporate governance, employees, customers, communities, and the environment. Umiami acquired a former Unilever facility in the Alsace region at the end of 2022, with the site covering 14,000 m2 offering production capabilities of up to 22,000 tonnes of meat and seafood alternatives per year and creating around 70 jobs in the region. Last October, the company secured €32.5 million in a Series A round, bringing its overall capital raised to €100 …

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THE PACK plant-based pet food becomes a certified B Corp

© THE PACK
Pet Food

THE PACK Becomes “Europe’s First” Plant-Based Pet Food B Corp

Coinciding with World Vegan Day 2023, British plant-based pet food startup THE PACK announces it has received B Corp certification in recognition of its high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. THE PACK claims to be the first fully plant-based pet food brand in Europe to receive the certification, noting that it scored particularly highly in the area of environment. THE PACK has also recently launched its nutritionally complete oven-baked plant-based pet food for dogs, which is claimed to be another European first. The food has been shown to outperform meat-based competitors in home-feeding trials, with 78% of dogs reportedly choosing it over organic chicken kibble. The food contains functional ingredients, five sources of plant-based protein, and pre & post-biotics. It is …

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Better Nature becomes UK's highest rated meat-free B Corp

Dr. Driando Ahnan-Winarno. © Better Nature
Company News

Better Nature Becomes the UK’s Top-Scoring Meat-Free B Corp

UK tempeh brand Better Nature is now the UK’s top-scoring B Corp in the meat-free category, with an impact score of 99.7 — over 20% higher than the industry average. B Corp certification recognises companies that meet high social and environmental standards, along with being transparent and accountable. Specifically, Better Nature: Has a low carbon footprint. Certifies its products as Non-GMO, Zero Deforestation, Soil Protection, and Indigenous People & Ecosystem Protection, with an organic option also available. Donates 1% of sales to charity. Produces sustainable, clean-label food. Claims to promote a diverse workplace and prioritise team wellbeing. Works with mission-aligned partners. “This is just the start of our B Corp journey,” said Dr. Driando Ahnan-Winarno, co-founder at Better Nature Tempeh. “From here, we will be …

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Mosa CAMPUS

Image courtesy of Mosa Meat
Company News

Mosa Meat Achieves ‘First’ B Corp Certification for a Cultivated Meat Company

Pioneer-cultivated beef company Mosa Meat announces it has become the ‘first’ cultivated meat company to receive B Corp certification. With this certification, Mosa Meat joins a community of more than 5,500 B Corp companies across 85 countries and 158 industries to transform the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. According to Maarten Bosch, CEO of Mosa Meat, the B Corp Certification confirms the company’s dedication to sustainable practices and it reinforces its leadership in the cellular agriculture industry. Mosa Meat is a privately held company established in the Netherlands, backed by Blue Horizon, Bell Food Group, Nutreco, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Leonardo DiCaprio. To date, the company has raised about $100 million to cultivate meat and mitigate the climate impact of industrial beef production. Creating real meat “We believe …

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THIS founders

Pete Sharman (L) and Andy Shovel, founders of THIS © THIS
Company News

THIS Becomes First UK Alt Meat Brand to Receive B Corp Status

Plant-based meat brand THIS announces it has become a certified B Corporation (B Corp), claiming the development makes THIS the first meat alternative brand to achieve the status in the UK. By becoming a B Corp, THIS joins more than 5,500 B Corp companies across 85 countries and  158 industries, with the common goal of transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. Only a handful of alternative protein companies have earned the B Corp certification, including France’s HappyVore (ex-Les Nouveaux Fermiers) and California-based Ripple Foods. “This reflects just how big the UK can play in the global plant-based meat market, which is expected to be worth $15.8bn by 2028. It also shows the level of accountability and transparency the industry can employ,” …

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Ecotone becomes top-scoring global food B Corp

CEO Christophe Barnouin. © Ecotone
Sustainability / Environment

Ecotone Becomes World’s Top-Scoring Global Food B Corp, Releases Sustainability Report

Ecotone, a European supplier of plant-based, organic, and Fairtrade foods, has become the world’s top-scoring global food B Corp following re-certification. It comes as the company releases an ambitious new sustainability report. Ecotone’s B Corp score has risen from 91.7 in 2019 to 116.5 in 2022, with turnover also growing 12% over this period. 80 is the minimum score required for B Corp certification, and the average assessment score is just 50.9. Sustainability report Ecotone operates a range of mission-driven brands, including Bjorg, Bonneterre, Alter Eco, Clipper Teas, Whole Earth, and more. The company’s recently released sustainability report reveals that 96% of the company’s turnover is now from plant-based products, while 79% of products are organic. Due to its use of renewable energy, Ecotone has …

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ecotone logo on wall

© Ecotone
Beverages

Ecotone Receives €20M, Becoming One of Biggest Plant-Based Beverage Players in Europe

Ecotone, the leader in organic, vegetarian and Fairtrade food for the European market, with a presence in six EU markets, announces a €20 million investment in its uber sustainable (read the impressive eco achievements below) plant-based beverage production site in Northern Italy, making it one of the largest plant-based drinks producers in Europe. In 2019 Ecotone, headquartered in Lyon, became the first European food company to achieve B Corp certification. The company employs 1600 people and achieved a turnover of 725 million euros in 2021. Its brands include household names including Clipper and Whole Earth. The investment has allowed the creation of a new production line, already in operation, with capabilities to produce an additional 27 million litres of plant-based beverages per year, creating 32 …

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MINOR_FIGURES_CAFE

©Minor Figures

Company News

Alt Milk Brand Minor Figures Becomes B Corp Certified

Minor Figures, the UK’s No.1 fastest-growing alt milk brand with products available in over 40 countries, announces it is now one of 4,856 B Corps around the world. The news comes weeks after the company announced it is expecting 100% YOY growth in revenue for the next three years, following a year of sustained growth and an RSV increase of £9million. In terms of sustainability, the company says it offsets 100% of its carbon emissions by investing in carbon credits to support carbon removal projects, including: Shade Grown Coffee Project, Nicaragua, Bamboo Aforestation Project, Nicaragua, and Chinchiná River Forestry Project, Colombia, which work to restore biodiversity, reforestation, and support local communities. Additionally, Minor Figures began a scheme last September to place oat m*lk refill stations …

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Willicroft b-corp

©Willicroft
Cheese Alternatives

Willicroft Becomes Europe’s First Plant-Based Cheese B-Corp

Willicroft, the vegan cheese specialist based in Amsterdam, has become the first plant-based cheese brand in Europe to achieve B-Corp certification. The news comes as Willicroft opens its first brick-and-mortar store stocking a selection of the best up-and-coming plant-based cheeses. The B-corp certification addresses the social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability of a business’s operations and covers five key areas: governance, workers, community, environment, and customers. Willicroft scored a total of 108.5 points overall, with the vegan cheesemaker hoping to increase its rating even further over the coming years.  The Willicroft brand takes its name from the former dairy farm of founder Brad Vanstone’s family, with the now 100% vegan dairy company on a mission to reimagine how we consume cheese. The brand recently …

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Fellow Creatures chocolate

© Fellow Creatures, ltd.
Company News

Fellow Creatures Becomes B Corp Certified, Aims to Become UK’s Leading Vegan Chocolate Brand

Fast-growing ethical plant-based chocolate brand Fellow Creatures announces it has become the fifth UK-based chocolate company to become B-corp certified, committing to paying 60% over the industry average for cocoa and working only with fair trade cocoa collaboratives in Ghana. Fellow Creatures joins a growing list of companies prioritising planet over profit, along with brands such as fellow Scots Beauty Kitchen and The Vegan Kind, vegan pet food producer Yarrah, nut butter producer Pip & Nut, and vegan delivery service allplants to name a few. Last October, Fellow Creatures raised £450,000 investment and secured listings with WH Smith and Sainsbury’s across the UK for its coconut-based products which are free from palm oil. Founder Zsolt Stefkovics, originally hailing from a dairy farming family, commented: “With …

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Jo-Anne Chidley of Beauty Kitchen

Founder Jo-Anne Chidley © Beauty Kitchen
Non-Food

Scotland’s Beauty Kitchen Receives Highest B Corp Rating in UK Beauty Industry

Sustainable cosmetics brand Beauty Kitchen, the first UK high street beauty brand to certify as a B Corp, now announces it has become the highest-rated B Corp in the UK’s beauty industry and the fifth-highest scoring B Corp overall in the UK, according to new rankings. “Purpose, positive impact and sustainability leadership will always be our top focus. We are honoured to receive this recognition from B Corp.” The company works to solve the sustainability issues inherent to the use of cosmetics; in the UK over 95% of beauty packaging is thrown away after just one use. Following the recent results, Beauty Kitchen’s founder Jo Chidley is calling on more Scottish businesses to certify and join B Corp, commenting yesterday; “We also want to use …

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yarrah-logo-678x259

© Yarrah Organic Petfood BV
Pet Food

Pet Food Expert Yarrah Receives B Corp Certification

Since its foundation over 25 years ago, Yarrah has been committed to protecting the environment, treating its employees well, and responsibly selecting the ingredients used in its dog and cat foods. This commitment has now been recognized by B Corp, a global movement of more than 2600 companies dedicated to making the world a better place. Yarrah has long offered an increasing number of vegan pet food alternatives, using soy as the main source of protein.

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Steven Tol Global Brand Manager Obrigado – Aurantiaca Europe BV-new

Steven Tol, Global Brand Manager Obrigado – © Aurantiaca Europe BV
Interviews

Obrigado Coconut Water: “Obrigado is in Business to Multiply Goodness”

Steven Tol - Global Brand Manager Obrigado – Aurantiaca Europe BV
Steven Tol, Global Brand Manager Obrigado – © Aurantiaca Europe BV

Obrigado harvests fresh, young green coconuts and bottles them without exposing them to light or air; a process which enables a shelf life of seven months without any addition or preservatives. All this happens on a sustainable farm in Bahia, Brazil with their own factory right next it.

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Logo von Desert Essence (Hersteller veganer Kosmetikprodukte)

© Desert Essence
Products & Launches

Desert Essence Launches Vegan Toothpaste

Following the launch of vegan bamboo toothbrushes, there is now a matching vegan toothpaste on the market. Desert Essence’s new toothpastes do not contain fluorides, sodium lauryl sulfate, gluten or carrageenan, a controversial thickener found in many foods and personal care products. Instead, manufacturers use only natural and vegan ingredients.

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