Natracare as a business is proud to be a certified B Corporation, but what does this mean? B Corp is a globally recognised certification that assesses business on their social and environmental impact. It harmonises many existing environmental, social and ethical standards, encouraging businesses to be more transparent and accountable.
Achieving B Corp status is a designation awarded to companies who’ve reported on and met certain criteria in multiple areas from governance to environmental impact. Certification requires businesses to examine, report, and continuously improve on their sustainability practises and impact. With B Corp products now appearing in dedicated supermarket isles, more consumers are recognising its significance.
While B Corp is a great step forward, it’s important to understand the good, and also the limitations, of the B Corp status. That’s why, at Natracare, we go even further. Here are some of the ways in which Natracare goes above and beyond:
Organic certification: a key impact business model
Organic certification plays a key role for environmental reporting for B Corps’ Impact Business Models (IBMs). IBMs are the big scoring areas for a business to prove it’s doing beyond the bare minimum. Organic farming reduces environmental harm compared to conventional methods; this is why Natracare’s is committed to organic principles in all areas of its business.
Organic goes beyond caring for the earth – it also has ethical implications, for example the Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS) guarantees the absence of slave labour and prevents farmers from being locked into contracts for buying, growing and cultivating seeds from agricultural monopolies.
Compost: Creating a Circular Economy
Natracare has Seedling Mark compostable status for the majority of its products. Having commercially compostable products proves the ability to contribute to a circular economy. One major gap in the B Corp framework is its lack of recognition for this certification. Whereas, in reality, it’s a game changer for a heavily wasteful category of products. Most pads and liners are made with petroleum-based plastics and will occupy landfill for around 500 years after use as they disintegrate into damaging microplastics. Natracare remains the only brand offering certified compostable single-use period products, creating a pioneering shift in the hygiene category towards a circular economy.
Sustainable by Design
Another area where B Corp falls short is in recognising businesses that are environmentally designed from the get-go. Natracare’s founding mission was to provide alternative period products free from synthetic materials, chemicals o f concern and which avoided processes with harmful outcomes.
From our packaging to our supply chain, every element is considered through an ethical and environmental lens – not just as an afterthought, but as the foundation of our business.
Lifecycle analysis of products: Measuring Our True Impact
Every product has an environmental impact and at Natracare, we are committed to understanding and reducing ours. Since 2008, we have held an EPD, environmental product declaration, for our Ultra Regular Pad, this is an analysis of the entire lifecycle of a product.
Over the years, we’ve witnessed reduced carbon emissions for the total lifecycle through supply chain improvements and sustainable innovations. With the verification of its compostable status, the lifecycle impact of a Natracare pad will be further reduced still.
B Corp limitations and future
B Corp specifically looks at: social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability as well as the legal structure of a business. It’s a great opportunity for companies to look inward and examine how they operate, with a view to being more sustainable. The wide-reaching scope of such a certification is not without its limitations but it has done a lot to improve the practices of many.
While B Corp is a meaningful certification, it cannot act as the sole signifier for ethical and environmental success. Parts of the B Corp process is reliant on having data or accreditations which is only possible from having other certifications or standards. This is especially true in not relying on self-reporting and ensuring there’s independent validation for claims. B Corp has also come under fire for certifying some of the largest and more muddy corporations. Big companies bear the biggest responsibilities for their impact on the planet, and can pass this certification whilst still operating at a bare minimum for environmental commitments and practice.
B Corp is in a position of needing to get businesses on board, encouraging them to create meaningful change. At Natracare, we believe that businesses should be held to higher standards and that B Corp could do more to hold business and the products and services they provide accountable. That’s why we pursue independent certifications, focus on compostability, and prioritise sustainability at every level of our operations. For Natracare, it’s helped highlight how we can be doing more to communicate on our environmental successes and report and measure some key benchmarks.
B Corp is a great step, and for truly responsible businesses, it’s just the beginning.
