Skating Around the World Episode 5
What does a financial corporation, second-hand book retailer, environmental organisation, travel agency, employment company, and Skating Panda have in common? We’re all B Corps – a global movement of businesses that are going beyond to be a force for good.
To celebrate B Corp month, we are using this month’s Skating Around the World to highlight different B Corps in various industries across the world. These organisations put the welfare of the planet and its inhabitants at the core of their work and in doing so, think beyond just profits.
Here’s just a small selection of some of our favourites and what they’re doing to make real impact.
This second-hand book retailer saves preloved books and other media materials from being thrown in a landfill. In 2022, it helped rehome 16 million books (equivalent to 516,400 trees), donated 201,400 books to good causes, and is presently working towards becoming a carbon-neutral company through carbon offsetting and investing in projects that positively impact the community.
Brazil has some of the largest rates of deforestation in the world, with the Amazon Forest having lost 10,573 square kilometres in 2022, the worst levels in 15 years. The Green Branch creates reforestation projects in Brazil which focus on revitalising the land and the local community and, so far, it has restored 1.536 hectares of land and planted over one million trees.
This travel company, which creates customised trips for its customers, understand the negative imprint of travel and the travelling industry – carbon emissions and potential effects of tourism on local communities. It has policies in place to counter these outcomes, such as creating a curated carbon management plan that takes the complex nature of carbon emissions into account.
Amplify Capital is a Canadian investment firm providing early-stage investment and long-term support to mission-driven startups across North America. Its investments focus on the education, health and environment sectors and are pushing for its portfolio to help 10 million people’s health, save one billion dollars in healthcare costs, aid student and adult learners to prepare for the future, and reduce 50 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.
We Are Caring is an employment company based in Singapore with a mission to help secure the ethical recruitment of migrant domestic workers by implementing a debt-free recruitment model that charges no placement fees or salary deductions to migrant workers. Its ethical recruitment model also involves direct communication with employers, empowering workers by improving their legal awareness, and helping workers get home leave safely.
Going beyond other accounting firms, Kregel & Company aim to improve business owners’ lives by providing peace of mind, inspiration, and opportunity. Leading by example, Kregel & Company extends its impact beyond clients by improving employee wellbeing, encouraging them to invest in Kiva loans, and establishing Kregel Gives program to help give back to charities and NGOs.
B Corps can be found in every industry, including those that need more sustainable measures like travel and financial investment organisations. At Skating Panda, we are proud that our consultancy outcomes align with B Corp’s global strategies to engage businesses in improving impact and developing a network of local, regional, and global communities for change. And so, for us, being a B Corp is an important part of being a greater force for good.
Furthermore, as a social and environmental impact agency, since our inception over a decade ago, we have always been and will continue to be deliberate about monitoring and assessing our impact. In 2023, we are recalibrating our impact measurement metrics to ensure we are even more targeted when it comes to tracking and achieving the outcomes that will help us and our partners build a thriving planet and a healthier, fairer society.