2022 Best for the World Environment: B Corps Lead the Way Toward a Sustainable, Regenerative Economy

5 Companies with Earth-Friendly Practices That Build Resilience and Reduce Waste

The Certified B Corporations on the 2022 Best for the World for environment list use Earth-friendly practices and initiatives to reduce the impact of their everyday operations and preserve our planet’s resources for the future. By focusing on the planet as a primary stakeholder, these companies provide products and services to help address the climate crisis and shape more resilient supply chains. 

A stakeholder economy is a new economic system where business decisions benefit all people and the planet. A stakeholder economy empowers business leaders to make decisions that consider the impact they have on stakeholders equally with the financial value they create. To earn Best for the World recognition, B Corps must score in the top 5% in their corresponding size group in one of the five impact areas evaluated on the B Impact Assessment: community, customers, environment, governance, and workers. Best for the World companies are exemplifying ways to bring a stakeholder economy to life.

The Best for the World B Corps for environment are rethinking design to reduce waste and reuse materials. By keeping environmental impact at the forefront of their strategies, the five B Corps in the U.S. and Canada highlighted here keep their environmental impact at a minimum and help people tread a bit lighter on the Earth. 

See the 2022 Best for the World lists.

In the spirit of collaboration, Aether Diamonds incorporated climate activists as models for its recent collection.

Aether Diamonds

New York

Impact Business Model

Aether Diamonds created the world’s first diamonds from atmospheric carbon through a process that uses CO2 sequestered from the atmosphere that otherwise would contribute to the climate crisis. While other lab-grown diamonds are made with methane purchased from the fossil fuel industry, Aether Diamonds powers its process with sustainable energy and purchases carbon credits to offset the remainder of its emissions and seek positive climate impact. 

By making diamonds from atmospheric carbon, the B Corp also amplifies its environmental action by helping to increase the value of and demand for sequestered carbon. Since its start in 2020, Aether Diamonds has prioritized transparency and collaboration to broaden its impact and build community. 

ChopValue uses a high-performance engineering composite material as part of its carbon sequestration efforts.

ChopValue Manufacturing 

British Columbia

Impact Business Model

By recycling chopsticks and repurposing them into furniture and homeware products, ChopValue Manufacturing uses a circular model to redefine the concept of waste to resource and encourage other businesses to follow its lead. 

To establish the world’s first circular economy franchise with local sourcing and manufacturing, ChopValue has opened microfactories around the world. This franchising model allows the B Corp to grow into a global brand while maintaining relationships with communities and holding the environment at the center of its mission. 

Designed and built by Portland-based Green Hammer, New Day School is Oregon’s first zero energy preschool. Green Hammer transformed two older, inefficient school buildings into healthy learning environments. With the addition of a 45.5-KW rooftop solar array, New Day produces more energy than it consumes annually.

Green Hammer Design Build

Oregon

Impact Business Model

When it signed on to the Architecture 2030 Commitment, Green Hammer Design Build committed to pursue carbon neutrality and work toward a 70% reduction in predicted energy use intensity across its building portfolio. In the last four years, the B Corp has been one of 15 U.S. firms to achieve this goal.

Green Hammer selects building materials based on greenhouse gas emissions associated with their production, transport, installation, maintenance, and disposal, and is establishing a framework to further incorporate this metric into future projects. To reinforce its commitment to waste reduction at job sites, the B Corp set a goal of 90% waste diversion for all projects and provided additional training for workers on this policy. Green Hammer’s JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion) team led a training series to increase awareness of how racism shapes the built environment and discuss ways to change historical injustices in housing through the company’s work. 

Metal and Wood

Pennsylvania

Women-owned, Impact Business Model

Metal and Wood puts an artsy twist on the metal recycling industry by crafting high-quality souvenirs and signs from sustainable and ethically sourced materials. This includes working with suppliers certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and incorporating other conservation practices. 

To amplify its environmental focus through reforestation, Metal and Wood supports One Tree Planted and Smokey the Bear Fire Protection for Forests. The B Corp plans to expand its sustainability efforts by partnering with apparel brands that repurpose water bottle plastics.  

Petaluma uses sustainable, organic, and tasty ingredients to craft healthy dog food.

Petaluma

California 

Women-owned, Impact Business Model

With a goal to take care of the planet and pets, Petaluma puts sustainability as a core value in its practices to create organic, plant-based dog food. Its products and packaging are designed to reduce environmental impact by using less water, land, and carbon.

This year Petaluma transitioned to a new pet food bakery powered by solar energy, further reducing its environmental footprint. To broaden its collaboration and impact through third-party commitments, the B Corp also is Climate Neutral Certified and a member of 1% for the Planet.