We are excited to share with you that Pono Home is now a Certified B Corporation®! Certified B Corps are leaders of the global movement of people using business as a purpose-driven force for good. For the past couple of months, we have undergone a rigorous assessment with more than 250 questions to ensure we are holding ourselves to the highest standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.
What is a B Corp?
There are over 2,200 Certified B Corporations from more than 130 industries in 50+ countries with 1 unifying goal – to redefine success in business. Notable B Corporations include Ben & Jerry’s, Seventh Generation, and Patagonia. In Hawaii, we are joining a community of seven other local businesses.
B Corps are important because they inspire all businesses to compete not only to be the best in the world, but to be the best for the world. It’s like Fair Trade certification but for the whole business, not just a bag of coffee (or USDA Organic certification, but not just for a carton of milk; or LEED certification, but not just for a building).
The performance standards B Corps meet are comprehensive, transparent and verified. They measure a company’s impact on all its stakeholders (e.g. workers, suppliers, community, customers and the environment), and are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on all stakeholders.
Why did we become a B Corporation?
Our vision is to spread the ideal of “Living Pono”: treating others and the environment with respect, and this ideal goes into every business decision we make, from ordering our inventory to mitigating waste to supporting our employees. We envision sustainability champions around the globe helping their communities become resilient, self-reliant, and sustainable. We see a Pono Home as a healthier, greener, and more comfortable place to live that is good for you, your neighbors, and the planet. We see our business the same way: as a force for good that should positively affect its employees, customers, community, and the planet. We aim to align ourselves with and support other businesses that are doing the same, from our suppliers to our bank to our community partners.
We went through B Corp Certification with B Lab to ensure we are using the power of business to solve social and environmental problems and consider the impact of our decisions not just on our shareholders, but all stakeholders: workers, suppliers, community, consumers, and the environment.
About B Lab®
B Corporation certifications are verified by B Lab®, a nonprofit organization that serves a global movement of people using business as a force for good. Its vision is that one day all companies compete not only to be the best in the world, but the Best for the World® and as a result society will enjoy a more shared and durable prosperity. B Lab drives this systemic change by:
- Building a global community of Certified B Corporations who meet the highest standards of verified, overall social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability;
- Promoting Mission Alignment using innovative corporate structures like the benefit corporation to align the interests of business with those of society and to help high impact businesses be built to last;
- Helping tens of thousands of businesses, investors, and institutions Measure What Matters, by using the B Impact Assessment and B Analytics to manage their impact — and the impact of the businesses with whom they work — with as much rigor as their profits;
- Inspiring millions to join the movement through compelling story-telling by B the Change Media.
For more information, visit www.bcorporation.net.