Gaia Herbs is proud to announce that we have become a Certified B Corporation®, joining other purpose-driven companies that are leading a global movement of People Using Business as a Force for Good, and working to tackle our world's most pressing problems.
At Gaia Herbs, we have a hopeful view of the world and the future of society. When you witness the miraculous process of a seed's growth into a blossoming plant full of vitality, it is hard not to be filled with optimism and wonder. We also acknowledge that we are living in a period of unprecedented global change and uncertainty: climate change, economic inequalities, gender disparities, and pollution are just some of the challenges that our world faces today.
These challenges cannot be solved by governments or nonprofit agencies alone, and businesses are in a unique position to help tackle these seemingly insurmountable issues. We believe that our responsibility as a business is to do well by doing good, and contributing to a better world through our actions.
What is a Certified B Corporation®?
A Certified B Corporation, or B Corp as it is commonly referred to, is a for-profit company that meets the highest level of third party verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. The B Corp community works toward reduced inequality, lower levels of poverty, a healthier environment, stronger communities, and the creation of more high quality jobs with dignity and purpose. This is a new kind of business that uses profit as a means to an end: supporting positive impact for employees, the communities we work in, and the environment we steward.
To become a B Corp, companies must meet a minimum verified score on the B Lab Assessment, a rigorous analysis of a company's impact across its entire operations, including employee relations, customers, community impact, and environmental stewardship. With support from B Lab, we will use this framework to guide our future sustainability work and continue to grow our Impact Score.
Why Did Gaia Choose to Become a B Corp?
Gaia Herbs was founded on the values to do no harm to people, plants, or planet. As Angela McElwee, President of Gaia Herbs, notes, Brands must make a choice about what they stand for, and simply selling a high-quality product is no longer enough. B Corp Certification offers the consumer a trust mark, signaling commitment beyond product integrity, to include environment, community, and employees all as valued stakeholders. Gaia Herbs has modeled these tenets from our humble beginnings, 31 years ago, and is honored to join with so many other conscious organizations as a Certified B Corporation.
B Corp Certification is an extension of our commitment to operate in a responsible way. Since 1997, we have managed our 350-acre Certified Organic farm in the mountains of Western North Carolina, incorporating regenerative farming practices to improve soil health and conserve the surrounding ecosystem. We have been a leader in corporate transparency, developing the world's first comprehensive herb transparency and traceability platform, Meet Your Herbs®, allowing consumers to learn about the origin of Herbs found in every Gaia Herbs product. In 2017, we became a Certified Living Wage Employer. Gaia Cares, our philanthropic arm, furthers our mission by supporting social and environmental impact work in the communities in which we work.
"As Gaia Herbs continues to expand its business by offering herbal wellness products and creating quality jobs, certifying as a B Corp ensures the company stays true to its mission as it continues its leadership in the industry. We're thrilled that Gaia Herbs is now a Certified B Corporation and hope it continues to set precedent for the rest of the industry to follow", remarks Andy Fyfe, Senior B Corp Growth, B Lab.
Looking Towards the Future
While the recent accomplishment of B Corp Certification is a cause for celebration, we also recognize that there is still a lot of work to be done. Alison Czeczuga, Sustainability and Social Impact Manager at Gaia Herbs, explains that this is just the beginning of our journey as a benefit corporation: With this certification, we are elevating our commitment and accountability to deepen our impact work across all aspects of the organization. To drive the annual incremental improvement of our B Impact Score that we seek, it will require continued support, commitment, and leadership at every level of the organization. We are very excited about this next step in Gaia Herbs' evolution.
With this certification, we hope to bring more awareness of how businesses can positively shape the future of the planet. Every day, we vote with our dollar. Let's support companies that are working to regenerate our planet and our communities.
To learn more about our sustainability and social impact work at Gaia Herbs, please visit: http://www.gaiaherbs.com/sustainability