The power of B Corp certification lies in using business as a force for good

Andrea Chase is the Director of Corporate Responsibility & Social Impact at Arbonne. Its products include vegan skincare, nutrition, cosmetics, hair care, and baby products, and are sold through independent consultants across the United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, Poland, and New Zealand.

Tell us about your company’s mission…

Arbonne is on a mission to empower people to flourish through sustainable and healthy living. As a social enterprise and a Benefit Corporation we take this responsibility to both people and planet very seriously. At its core we are:

· Committed to developing high-quality products that support holistic healthy living for all.

· A purpose-driven company building a company culture focused on sustainability and worker empowerment.

· Committed to creating an inclusive community interested in accelerating a global culture shift in business balancing people, planet and profit.

To ensure we are taking these focuses into consideration in all that we do, in late 2019 we created our Sustainability Compass. Rooted in 5 stakeholder pillars — Environmental Impact, Community Impact, Customer Welfare, Employee Welfare and Company Governance- our Sustainability Compass is our North Star guiding our social and environmental impact efforts.

Where did your passion for business with purpose come from/who inspired you?

As with many in the impact field, my career path has stemmed from my deeply rooted love for nature and unbridled interest in understanding natural ecosystems. From a young age I spent summers learning about marine biology at sea camp on Catalina Island and found great peace in spending time in nature, whether it was under the depths of the ocean scuba diving or hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains where I grew up. This is an inherent part of who I am and is really the driving force behind my passion driving my career path and my actions in my day to day life.

I feel very fortunate to be able to translate this passion into my career and it is only because of some incredible mentors along the way. The most influential of my mentors, came in a pair and they were the former Community Manager from B Lab and Derek Hydon, the CEO of the certified B Corporation, MaCher. These two recognized my strengths and talents before I recognized them in myself and pushed me to take on local leadership roles very early on in my career. It is because of their kindness, patience and support that I was able to create and grow the local Los Angeles B Corporation community. It was through them, that I was able to see the best version of myself and leverage my passion to inspire and influence others. My gratitude for their support, camaraderie and mentorship is immense and simultaneously humbling. Their support steered my career in a direction that I would have never imagined possible and for that I am forever grateful.

What do you think is the importance of the B Corp movement for business –

The importance of the B Corporation Certification and movement lies in the power to use business as a force for good. The certification experience was one of the best free sustainability benchmarking educations I ever received and inspired me to take a stand in my own life -to never work for an organization that wasn’t a social enterprise again. It opened my eyes to innovators who were redefining success in business to be centered on stakeholder needs and wellbeing. When I did my first certification in 2013, it was like a light bulb went off, this movement and commitment to stakeholder wellbeing is the future of capitalism. A capitalism that could help tackle social and environmental problems, instead of reinforcing these issues inherently created by shareholder focus.

How do you think that being a B Corp can make a difference in how or what people buy?

As consumers we have incredible influence through the power of purchase. Consumers have the power to move markets and by purchasing from sustainable companies, such as B Corporations, you are helping to support an equitable economy for current and future generations. We must the power of purchase to vote everyday for organizations that align with our values.

How much does your business look to other B Corps as partners or suppliers?

We have extremely rigorous supplier partnership standards that require third party CSR benchmarking as a entry cost of doing business with us. The B Corporation certification, along with other validations such as EcoVadis and SMETA, allow us peace of mind that our value chain is reflective of our purpose driven company values. By working with B Corporations, such as MaCher, we are afforded the transparency needed to ensure the utmost compliance with our standards for social and environmental indicators. We are proud to partner with organizations who have adopted the mantra of the B Corp movement, to use their business as a force for good.

This article has been posted by MaCher to celebrate B Corp Month 2021 and build awareness of companies that meet the highest standard of verified social and environmental performance. For more information about Arbonne, please click here.