This March it's B Corp Month and we are extremely proud to be a certified B Corp Corporation, joining thousands of other businesses who choose to go beyond.
It's all too easy for companies to talk the talk but every B Corp is also committed to truly walking the walk. Our governance structure as a B Corp means we're not only accountable to our shareholders but to all of our stakeholders; our workers, our customers, our community and the environment.
What does B Corp Mean?
Certified B Corporations are internationally recognised as meeting the highest standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability and includes an evaluation of how a company’s operations and business model impact its workers, community, environment and customers.
B Corp Certification doesn’t just prove where your company excels now—it commits businesses to long term sustainable positive stakeholder impact by building it into your company’s legal structure.
How did we become B Corp certified?
Becoming certified as a B Corp is a long process. It requires full disclosure across the entire business, including areas such as governance, workers, customers, community, and the environment – as well as an agreement to undergo verification every three years to maintain the highly coveted certification. The Totem Road ethos naturally lends itself to all of the qualities and standards that make a B Corp, so while the process included a lot of documentation, it was detailing things we already did – a claim we are very proud to make.
HOW ARE WE UPHOLDING OUR CERTIFICATION?
Workers
Our B Corp accreditation takes into consideration our care for our workers both in Australia and in Vietnam where our designs are made.
The impact of our business goes far beyond our walls and when we invest in and collaborate with local communities, we strengthen our foundations and give our workers opportunities to learn and grow.
Community
We look after the communities who work for Totem Road in Vietnam, providing above standard wages and throughout Covid, continued to do so. We also support communities in our own backyard, most recently providing 20 brand new mattresses to the Northern Rivers community following the unprecedented floods in 2022.
Environment
We are committed to designing, transporting and packaging thoughtfully produced and low impact items. All of our pieces are handmade in Vietnam and we have complete visibility over our supply chain from start to finish.
We simply cannot continue to do things in the same way and expect a different outcome. We reject the linear consumption model - Buy. Use. Trash. Repeat - and work hard to create a circular model where we keep quality products, materials and ideas in use for longer. We go beyond business as usual because we know adopting circular principles within our business is better for everyone.
To find out more about our approach, read our Philosophy.