The Role of Brands to Regenerate Our World
These B Corps Bring a Regenerative Mindset to Brand Leadership
Written by Liz Schroeter Courtney
If you’re reading this article, then you know a thing or two about the Certified B Corporation movement and you know that expectations for today’s brands and businesses are on the rise. It’s not enough to be profitable or even to do no harm — today’s consumers are seeking brands that stand up for positive social and environmental change and walk the talk in their own business practices.
“We need our leaders to care. And I think it’s really hard,” says Melody, a 24-year-old from New York City. “Capitalism and social good conflict a lot.” Melody was interviewed along with other young adults, youth activists, brand leaders, and business experts for a new report by BBMG and GlobeScan, called “Leading Regenerative Brands: Five Paradigm Shifts to Thrive in a World in Flux.”
The report revealed more personal experiences with previously “far-away, global issues” than ever before, growing impatience with incremental change, more willingness from consumers to change their lifestyle and behaviors to meet the new challenges we face, and more interest from brands to invite diverse perspectives to shed light on pathways for meaningful impact.
In short, the ethos of B Corps has never been more needed.
Five Paradigm Shifts and Regenerative B Corps
“Leading Regenerative Brands” is part manifesto for why it’s imperative to build a purpose-driven company and part handbook for how to do it. It outlines five shifting paradigms that brands must navigate in order to thrive through this time of change.
- Power: Giving voice, choice, and ownership to those with the most at stake.
- Space: Closing the distance between the people and places that make, sell, and use our brands.
- Time: Slowing down, moving with intention, and becoming good ancestors.
- Leadership: Welcoming vulnerability, embracing “not knowing,” and turning challenges into quests.
- Relationship: Widening the circle of connection to thrive together with all of life.
As we dove into these five shifting norms and explored what thought leaders, activists, and brands are embodying the kind of change the business world needs, again and again we found our peers in the B Corp community setting the standard for regenerative leadership.
Here’s just a few that inspired us with their recent actions and campaigns.
Snowboarding pioneers Burton recognize that preserving snowfall and protecting mountain life are essential to the very future of the sport. And to that end, Burton is working to bring snowboarding’s wild energy to everyone through more diverse representation, through its Chill youth program, and by stepping up as a champion for climate action.
Fifth Wall is the largest venture capital firm focused on technology-driven innovation for the built environment. To launch Fifth Wall’s climate tech fund dedicated to decarbonizing the real estate industry, BBMG created a street art campaign in NYC, Los Angeles, and Glasgow to start a conversation about the real estate industry’s role in the climate crisis and the imperative of driving significant investment in climate tech right here on Earth — rather than in a few billionaires’ obsession with Mars.
New Belgium Brewery created the provocative, limited-edition “Torched Earth” beer designed to ask, “What is the future of beer if we don’t address climate change?” This unappetizing beverage was brewed with limited ingredients that are likely to remain after climate disruptions: polluted water, climate-resilient dandelion root, and buckwheat. Not intended to be enjoyed, the beer was a clever way to start a conversation about the things we love — and that we’ll lose sooner than we think if we don’t take action on climate change today.
The Body Shop’s “Be Seen. Be Heard.” campaign recognizes the opportunity in bringing the fresh perspectives of more young people into public office. Together with the UN Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, the brand issued a report on the needs and rights of young people around the world, the imperative of amplifying youth voices in public life, and how to mobilize youth as voters and holders of public office.
Ben & Jerry’s, long known for taking stands on issues like climate change, voting access, and prison reform, uses its platform as a beloved ice cream brand to show the systemic relationships behind the challenges we face and invite others to join the company in collective action. The brand recently joined forces with Unlock Potential, a groundbreaking, intentional employment program for young people who are at greatest risk of incarceration. Through the initiative, employers aim to use hiring to advance racial equity, recruit the next generation of corporate leaders, and help disrupt the poverty-to-prison pipeline.
Rhino Foods, the manufacturer of the famed cookie dough ingredients in Ben & Jerry’s ice creams, knows its business only succeeds when employees succeed. The company’s Income Advance program has helped over 500 Rhino Foods employees get loans for urgent needs like car repairs or medical expenses without needing to rack up crippling debt from credit cards or payday lenders — burdens that hold many people back from reaching their goals, especially young people who are just starting out. The program has had an incredible impact on the company’s talent retention rate, which jumped by 38%.
Being the Change
As B Lab U.S. & Canada CEO Jorge Fontanez has put it, “certification is not just a badge; it is a mechanism and a lever for continuous improvement.” Being a regenerative brand isn’t a static thing; it’s an ongoing quest that can inspire new ideas, new connections, and shared creativity to pioneer new ways forward.
To help brands on the journey to becoming — and of being — a regenerative force for good, BBMG looked at the best practices of our clients and our work together to create a framework for Bringing a Regenerative Mindset to Brand Leadership. You’ll find those guiding questions and best practices along with data and insights from over 30,000 global consumers and more best-in-class brand examples in the full Leading Regenerative Brands report, which you can download here.
We continue to be impressed by the rising ambition for change coming from the B Corp community, and we humbly hope the ideas and insights we’ve compiled in this report help fuel your impact as we ride the waves of change together.
B The Change gathers and shares the voices from within the movement of people using business as a force for good and the community of Certified B Corporations. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the nonprofit B Lab.
