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 Salt Springs Coffee
Salt Spring Coffee is British Columbia's original organic and Fair Trade coffee company. It was founded in 1996 with a commitment to leadership in sustainable business practices and to buying only organic and Fair Trade coffee beans. 100% organic means no chemical pesticides or herbicides have been used in the growing process. It also means good soil management, making for a healthy planet. The Canadian Certified Organic logo on its products assures you that all organic practices have been followed.
B Corporations are at the center of a movement for a fundamental change in business that is fully in keeping with the mission of Salt Spring Coffee to help people live and work in a way that builds local communities that are in touch with their natural environment.
The company believes in Fair to Farmer Direct. That means paying a minimum of 25% above the Fair Trade base price, and working with its farmers to raise the quality of their coffees year after year. The company's Coffees of Distinction award program advances the investment potential of individual farmers, and provides it with the very best coffee standards available from its co-ops.
The Change We Seek®
Salt Spring Coffee is proud of what it has achieved, but it knows excellence and complacency don't make good bedfellows. The company judges its success by the Triple Bottom Line: for people, the planet, and profit. Its valued customers expect the best from the company, and they inspire it to continue doing, and being its best.
• In spring 2007, Salt Spring Coffee took a leap of faith and became one of the world’s first carbon neutral coffee companies. You’ll find the Carbon Cool mark on every bag of its coffee – just a little reminder.
• The company challenged itself to zero waste by the end of 2010 – to contribute nothing to the world that can’t be reused, repurposed, or recycled. It has always been mindful of waste, but with new alternatives are popping up every day, it was time to get serious.
• From the knowledgeable farmers who nurture the beans, to the baristas who work their magic on every cup, to the customer who’s picking up a bag of Salt Spring Coffee for the first time, the company believes in honesty, respect, and a fair deal for everyone. It applies to every individual employed and to every community in which the company does business. It’s why 100% of Salt Spring Coffee's beans come from fair trade certified growers. It’s why the company seeks out diversity and enthusiasm in its staff. And it’s why the company is always looking for ways to contribute to positive action – whether on a coffee co-op in Peru, or among the people in its own neighborhoods.
Founding Canadian
B Corporation
Salt Spring Coffee
- Industry: Other
- Product/Services: Coffee Roasting
- Location: Salt Spring Island, BC, CAN
- Ownership: Private
- http://saltspringcoffee.com
Summary:
Certified: February 2010| Points Earned | % Points Available | |
|---|---|---|
| Accountability » | 6.3 | 71% |
| Employees » | 23.5 | 47% |
| Consumers » | 13.5 | 45% |
| Community » | 38.1 | 68% |
| Environment » | 37.7 | 68% |
| Composite B Score | 119.1 |
- >80 out of 200 is eligible for certification
- >60% points available = Area of excellence
Highlights:
From B Impact AssessmentAccountability: >75% of management evaluated in writing on corporate social and environmental performance
Environment: 5-24% renewable energy; >50% of carbon inventory reduced through purchase of carbon credits; >75% of products have undergone a periodic Life Cycle Assessment; Top 10% of industry for reduction of harmful gas emissions and non-hazardous waste; Top 10% in industry in use of sustainable, organic, recycled, and/or biodegradable input materials; Top 10% in industry in recycling, recovering or composting manufacturing waste; 80% of Significant Suppliers screened for environmental metrics and evaluated annually
Employees: 50-69% of family healthcare premiums paid by company; 6+ weeks paid maternity/paternity leave; annual anonymous employee satisfaction/engagement surveys; >15% of full-time employees reimbursed for continuing education; Support for employees seeking short-term leave with job guaranteed upon return
Community: Supplier Code of Conduct enforced annually by a third-party; >50% of employees are women; >30% of significant suppliers located in low-income communities; member of Fair Labor Association; Fair Trade Certified; 20-39% of significant suppliers are independent and local; 38% of ownership from previously excluded populations; 1-4% of profits donated to charity