The US snowboard brand Burton Snowboards Inc. announced its recertification as a B Corporation a few days ago. B Corp certification is considered the gold standard for companies committed to maintaining high standards of social and environmental impact.
Burton achieved its B Corp certification back in 2019 – the first snowboarding company to do so – but takes part in a B Impact assessment process every three years to maintain it. The process assesses all aspects, from the company’s operations and business model to the impact on employees, the community, the environment and customers, as well as the supply chain, employee benefits and charitable donations.
“I firmly believe that the way our company impacts the planet and the global snowboarding community is as important as the design and quality of our products,” commented Burton owner Donna Carpenter in a press release . “All of us at Burton are very proud to be part of the growing B Corp movement because it means our family business is helping to make business practices fairer, more social and more transparent.”
Even though the standards and certification process of B Lab, the organization behind B Corp, have become more stringent since 2019, Burton’s overall score has increased by 18 percent. This includes Burton being certified as a global brand in 2019 and now recertified at the regional level: an assessment process that gave high scores to the company’s human resources policies, facilities and operations in North America, Europe and Asia.
Burton’s measures
To protect the planet and the mountains, Burton works closely with Protect Our Winters and various other organizations to influence legislation and take positive action on the climate crisis.
Burton advances its own responsible manufacturing practices by sourcing environmentally preferred materials, sourcing 100 percent renewable energy for its North American offices and stores, and finding solutions to extend the life of products.
Since 2019, Burton has set carbon reduction targets aligned with the Science Based Target Initiative and conducted the company’s first comprehensive global carbon emissions baseline in 2020. The brand has set carbon reduction targets by 2030, covering greenhouse gas emissions from all Burton locations, operations and supply chains.
In 2019, Burton also became an accredited member of the Fair Labor Association and has set a goal of ensuring that all employees, contractors and workers in key suppliers receive a living wage by 2025.
Burton also commits $2 million in profits each year to support values-based organizations whose work has a positive impact on people, the planet and the sport of snowboarding. As part of ongoing work on justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, Burton committed $300,000 over three years to increase BIPOC representation in snowboarding and created the annual Culture Shifters event to empower BIPOC individuals to come together and share perspectives on how to make snowboarding a more inclusive sport.
“Burton’s B Corp recertification demonstrates that we live our values. This is not a flash in the pan, but rather about making lasting, positive changes to our business model and our processes and influencing all of our business processes. The future we need is only possible if we change the status quo,” said Emily Foster, director of environmental and social impact at Burton, in the release.