We are excited to announce that Creatures recently became the first global surf gear company to be B Corp certified. For those who don't know what a B Corp is, the certification evaluates companies for their impact in a range of areas from the environment to social responsibility. Over the past decade, it has become the benchmark for ensuring businesses use their influence as a force for good in the world. Only a fraction of companies that go through the process end up getting certified, so we were a little nervous when we got started.
“We were quietly confident in the changes and practices we had put in place over the last few years, but this was the first time we had had our business formally evaluated, so there was always this idea in the back of our mind. mind that we wouldn’t be up to the task,” says Beau Campi, Creatures’ brand and product manager. “But, if we couldn't do it, at least we had a road map of what we needed to improve.”
“With such a small team, our goal was to do what we could, where we could, as quickly as possible,” Beau continues. “To do this, we proceeded in small pieces, giving priority to improvements that would have a significantly lesser impact.”
Some might ask us why bother with this sort of thing in the first place. For us, it's obvious. If we explore the planet and spend our lives surfing in nature, we have both the duty and the motivation to take care of it. It also makes coming to work every day designing leashes, grips and board covers much more rewarding. It’s an additional goal that goes beyond just earning a living. It’s about helping to cultivate a sustainable lifestyle.
It is clear that we are far from achieving our social and sustainability goals, but there is a positive side to this. There is more to do. More reasons to come in and focus on the task at hand day in and day out.
“We are now focusing on more sustainable alternatives for our secondary packaging, while cleaning the rest of our primary packaging to eliminate any single-use virgin plastic,” says Beau. “We are further looking to implement proven material alternatives that have comparable or increased durability to our reliable product line – this is the real challenge for us that excites me the most.”
So stay tuned. Interesting things are coming. Things that not only create better surf gear, but also look better behind the scenes. Teamwork that aims to ensure the sustainability of our community of surfers.
To learn more about B Corp certification, visit their website. B Corporation
