B Lab is a nonprofit organization dedicated to using the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.
©Copyright 2012 B Lab. All rights reservedAbout Comet Skateboards
Comet Skateboards builds high performance skateboards in Ithaca, NY using environmentally and socially responsible materials and practices. Comet presses each board individually using sustainably harvested maple veneer and formaldehyde-free glue. Each board is screen printed by hand using water-based inks and then clear coated with durable, water-based paint.
Comet is not simply "Made in the USA." All materials are sourced and made regionally strengthening local economies.
Comet became a B Corporation to join a community of like minded businesses that aim to engrain the DNA of business with the vision on which triple bottom line companies were founded.
For over a decade, Comet has offered a skateboard for every discipline of skateboarding thus making the brand accessible to all skateboarders. Comet has now added a half dozen new skateboard shapes to their already diverse lineup, which includes street decks, pool decks, freeride decks, longboards, cruisers, and speed boards.
The 2011 graphics include work by artists Kadie Salfi and Arlo Chapple. Salfi's graphics highlight the power we have as consumers by using bright colors to accent animal parts coveted by society. Salfi's art calls into question what we value and why. Chapple employs surreal illustrations to buck the traditional commodified notions of what our imagined worlds should be. Together their work presents skateboarders with a radical ride.
The Change We Seek™
Comet's mission is to create sustainably manufactured products and to inspire youth to make conscious choices about design and lifestyle - to 'B' free thinkers for life!
• They use FSC certified wood and rubber. Their skateboards are also made with paints and adhesives that do not off-gas harmful chemicals.
• Their production process follows the ethos of the Cradle to Cradle principles and they strive everyday towards that goal.
• They relocated from Oakland to Ithaca to be closer to their core supplier e2e Materials, which produces high-performance e2e biocomposite technology (patents pending) for our all of Comet's skateboards.
• Since their materials are ecologically safe, they recycle or compost nearly all of their scraps which fertilize gardens, heat homes, make bonfires, serve as media for works of art, etc.
Founding B Corporation
Comet Skateboards
- Industry: Sports Equipment & Accessories
- Product/Services: Skateboards
- Location: Ithaca, NY
- http://www.cometskateboards.com
Summary:
Certified: June 2007| Points Earned | % Points Available | |
|---|---|---|
| Accountability » | 14.9 | 77% |
| Employees » | 24.8 | 56% |
| Consumers » | 30.4 | 60% |
| Community » | 11.9 | 27% |
| Environment » | 36.2 | 88% |
| Composite B Score | 118.2 |
- >80 out of 200 is eligible for certification
- >60% points available = Area of excellence
Highlights:
From B Impact AssessmentEnvironment: >51% office supplies from recycled materials; >50% of energy from renewable sources
Employees: >30% of employees from low-income communities; >75% of employees participate in company-wide service days; all employees paid living wage; >50% of employee health insurance premiums paid by company
Community: >50% of company’s ownership located in same community as at least 2/3 of workforce; >40% of expenditures directed towards local suppliers; >50% of employees work in Enterprise Zones
Consumers: products are Cradle To Cradle certified