Last Updated on September 17, 2023
With great excitement, we begin 2021 with an announcement that has been an aspiration for the company since we first launched ButcherBox in a small office in Cambridge, Mass., five years ago. Today, we have officially become a Certified B Corporation™.
Achieving B Corp™ certification cements the commitment we’ve made as a company to believe in better lives for our animals, farmers, and workers, and to rethink our food system. We view this achievement not as an end or a confirmation of the mission-driven principles our company is built upon, but as the beginning of a new phase for ButcherBox as a force for good in the food industry.
What Does This Mean for ButcherBox?
This certification raises the bar for everyone across the company. We view this as a public recognition of our efforts to create and build a business that strives to create an economy that is more inclusive and sustainable.
Becoming a B Corp also keeps everyone at ButcherBox accountable to the mission the company was founded on—improving the standards for raising animals, the livelihoods of farmers, the quality of food people serve their families and the wellbeing of our planet. Going through the B Corp Assessment process also highlighted areas in which we need to raise our standards including how we support our local community and build a more inclusive workforce, and the impact our business has on the environment from recycling to the impact of our supply chain. These are our top priorities in 2021 as a for-profit business with a purpose.
What is B Corp?
The B Corp movement started in 2006 when three friends banded together to devise a set of guidelines for mission-based companies to use business as a force for good. Now the certification serves as a means for organizations to balance purpose and profit, and to be recognized for meeting and surpassing high standards of “social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.”
B Corp certification is achieved through a rigorous assessment administered by the non-profit B Lab, which evaluates the overall positive impact of a company. At the end of 2020, there were more than 4,000 certified B Corps in the world, and ButcherBox is proud to join the ranks of other leading companies such as Allbirds, Ben & Jerry’s, King Arthur Flour, and Patagonia who are all committed to creating a more just world.
How Does the Assessment Work?
In order to attain B Corp certification, a company completes an Impact Assessment. The assessment measures five areas of impact: Governance, workers, community, environment, and customer. In order to achieve certification, a company must meet a minimum verified score in each category, proving that they meet the high standards established by B Labs and putting processes in place to improve in each area.
Certified B Corporations are also legally required to evaluate their impact across the supply chain and to follow the governance structure required of all B corporations. The certification is re-evaluated every three years.
Why B Corp Certification Matters
The long-term vision of B Labs and the B Corp certification is to create a global economy full of businesses in purposeful pursuit of using their power as a force for change. This type of economy is created by the actions of everyone who participates—those who buy, invest, and support businesses with this shared mission.
We’ve always been committed to relentlessly improving at ButcherBox—whether that be with our product, experiences of our members, or the impact we have on our planet, and B Corp provides a tangible way to measure that progress and to deepen our commitment to raising the standards for the entire meat industry.
Want to know more about our B Corp journey from our founder and head of environmental and social responsibility? Check out our discussion with Mike Salguero, ButcherBox CEO, and Evadne Cokeh, ButcherBox Vice President of Social and Environmental Responsibility, here.
Rachel Littauer is an Affiliate Marketing Manager at ButcherBox. She studied Journalism at Pepperdine University and has a passion for thoughtfully-sourced food.
