Badger 2016 Annual Impact Report
For us, the BIA is a rigorous process that spans every department, taking over six months to complete. In the end, we gain invaluable information for measuring and ensuring we’re doing more of what really matters.
Gilsum, New Hampshire (PRWEB) June 21, 2017
W.S. Badger Co. Inc., the maker of over one hundred certified organic and natural skin care products, recently published its 2016 Annual Impact Report highlighting its recertification as a B Corp and its ongoing commitment to the environment, transparency, a thriving workplace, and stronger communities.
Every two years certified B Corps must undergo an intensive review process called the B Impact Assessment (BIA) which is audited by the third party non-profit B Lab to prove that a company’s policies and practices do indeed support its mission. Badger recently completed its fourth BIA with a score of 141 points, three points higher than its last assessment, making gains with a new purchasing philosophy and in renewable energy usage. The minimum required for recertification is 80 points, and the median score of businesses that take the BIA is 55.
“I am immensely proud of what this report says about our impact on our community, the region, and the world. Using our business as a force for good is how we make a positive and meaningful difference for people and the planet. You could say that it’s inherent in our company’s DNA,” said Rebecca Hamilton, co-owner of Badger and vice president of product development and research. “For us, the BIA is a rigorous process that spans every department, taking more than 300 employee hours and over six months to complete. In the end, we gain invaluable information for measuring and ensuring we’re doing more of what really matters, and the inspiration and clarity for creating a long-term impact plan.”
In addition to being a certified B Corp, Badger is also a New Hampshire Benefit Corporation, a legal corporate status that allows businesses to write their greater purpose and mission into the DNA of the company and follow a triple bottom line model. Benefit Corporations are required to provide transparency and accountability on their social and environmental performance through the publication of an annual impact report, which is subject to third party assessment standards.
2016 Report Highlights Include:
- Completion of a new LEED silver equivalent addition, doubling in size and manufacturing capability
- Purchase of Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) for all electricity not already generated from renewable resources
- Raising wages for regular employees to $15/hour plus benefits; more than twice the Federal minimum wage
- Achieving 12.2% growth in workforce, with 90 regular employees at year’s end
- Contributing nearly a hundred thousand dollars in charitable and in-kind product donations
- Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 41 percent per unit of products made, using 2014 as a baseline
- Achieving an 86 percent waste diversion rate through recycling and composting, surpassing a goal of 60 percent
- Conducting a year-long employee engagement program focused on sustainable sourcing
ABOUT BADGER
Badger is a family run and family-friendly company that has been making healthy products for people and the planet since 1995. Badger was born when Badger Bill, a carpenter at the time, created a recipe of natural ingredients strong enough to soothe his rough, dry, cracked hands. Now a team of over 100 employees, Badger produces almost all of its products in Gilsum, N.H. Inherent in Badger’s DNA is its status as a B Corp, a certification earned through B Lab, a third party nonprofit that requires companies to meet rigorous standards of transparency as well as environmental and social performance. Badger has been a certified B Corp since 2011 and in 2015 became one of New Hampshire’s first businesses to register legally as a Benefit Corporation, a for-profit status that incorporates the pursuit of positive environmental and social impact in addition to profit.
