This year’s B Corp month celebrates B Corps going beyond
Every year in March, B Lab celebrates the B Corp Movement all around the world. This B Corp Month, the #WeGoBeyond campaign will illustrate how B Corps go beyond profit and take action to transform the economic system. We are proud to count 280 B Corps active in the Swiss market and 90 certified Swiss B Corps going beyond expectations every day in their activities to leave a mark on the world. In this article, we will present three concrete examples of how members of the Swiss B Corp Community are creating a positive impact on people and the planet.
“Beerocracy” the unique holacratic system developed by 7 Peaks
7 Peaks is a Swiss craft brewery based in Morgins whose purpose is to “make the world a better place, one beer at a time”. In order to integrate this greater mission in their daily activities, this team of eight people launched a brand new system to work together. They have created a communications wall where all important information, tasks, and projects are visible for everyone to see and take action. This system of collective decision-making process with clear responsibilities identified up front allows the employees to think regularly about how they can integrate people, planet and profit in their daily activities. They call it “beerocracy” in reference to holacracy and with a focus on systems thinking.
Concretely, the wall is divided into three main areas. First, on the top left, we can find the People, Planet, Profit projects. On this list, there is a mix of short- and long-term projects focusing on actions they can take to reduce their negative impact. Then, in the middle of the wall, there is a list of the main events to come that need alignment from the team. And at the bottom of the board, there is an overview of pressing tasks. That way, the person who needs to complete the task knows what is expected and the person needing the task to be completed knows that something is being done. The whole team meets around the board every week to make decisions together and exchange on their vision of their activities.
7 Peak’s communication board to put People, Planet and Profit at the center of their decision-making process -
Source : 7 Peaks
Although this new system has only been launched last year, it has already allowed 7 Peaks to use their purpose as a guide in all their decisions in order to #GoBeyond and make the world a better place every day, as stated by the co-founder Robby Collins: “We now talk at least weekly about our projects to reduce our impact and measure our impact regularly. This allows us to take daily actions instead of moving mountains at the end of the year to achieve good results. And the best part of it all, distributing the power to decide, actually amplifies the collective power and enables us to exceed our own best expectations.”
Closed and circular production circuits at Biscuits Agathe
Biscuits Agathe is a Swiss biscuit factory which has at heart to #GoBeyond by producing quality products with local ingredients in order to support the local economy and to reduce the environmental impact. By building close relationships with their local suppliers, Biscuits Agathe has developed a circular economic system, and some of the ingredients for their biscuits are now delivered in bulk. This is for example the case for the butter they are using.
Let's take the example of René Pernet, one of Biscuits Agathe’s butter suppliers. After collecting milk from local farmers, located less than 10 kilometers around his factory at Haut-Jorat plateau, René produces his butter in the most traditional way. Then, in order to reduce waste, the butter is delivered to Biscuits Agathe’s factory in reusable boxes instead of single used packages. Once emptied, Biscuits Agathe’s team send the boxes back to René, where they are cleaned and made ready for the next delivery. By recycling and reusing more than 90% of the primary packaging, the biscuit factory is able to avoid producing mountains of waste during their production process. Setting up this procedure has been a significant step for Biscuits Agathe, and it is finally a win-win situation both for Biscuits Agathe and for the suppliers.
Biscuits Agathe’s butter is delivered in bulk in plastic boxes by a local supplier - source : Biscuits Agathe
The biscuit factory also delivers their tart shells in bulk to their clients in the baking industry, just the same way the butter is delivered to them. They believe that circularity should be included in as many steps of the manufacturing process as possible, and the whole team is working hard to make it happen. CEO Alexis Richard explains that “by implementing elements of a circular economy in different steps of our manufacturing process, we are moving one step closer to our ultimate goal, which is to offer the best biscuits, not of the planet, but for the planet"!
Lukevent raises awareness about environmental impact and plastic waste in tourism
Lukevent is a luxury travel agency whose mission is to create innovative, immersive experiences that preserve culture and authenticity in the local communities. To #GoBeyond the traditional tourism experience, which can often have a dramatic impact on the environment and the local communities, the agency strives to raise their customers’ awareness about the importance of preserving the environment, the local culture and the local communities. As of today, the company always starts their tours with a welcome briefing highlighting the right behaviors to adopt in order to minimize one’s impact while traveling.
More specifically, Lukevent has adopted concrete measures to help their customers reduce their environmental impact while traveling. The company has noticed that their clients tend to look for comfort when traveling, which often means purchasing the first available solution on the market to fulfill their needs, for instance plastic water bottles. In most of their destinations (Munich, Italia, Switzerland…), tap water is drinkable and free, so the agency now provides each customer with a reusable metal bottle at the beginning of the tours. Furthermore, if they carry plastic waste at any point, Lukevent collects and recycles it accordingly.
Lukevent encourages its clients to reduce plastic waste by drinking tap water when possible instead of buying plastic water bottles - Source : Lukevent
Finally, Lukevent also goes beyond in their daily activities. In their offices, they achieved a 18% reduction in plastic waste in 2022 compared to 2021.
Do you also want to share a story of how you #GoBeyond “business as usual” within and with your company? Reach out to us, and we will be happy to share it with our community!