What it Means to be a B Corp: GreenGear Supply Co.

Company: GreenGear Supply Co.
Headquarters: New York, United States
Industry: Sports Goods
Final B Corp Score: 92.9

GreenGear Supply Co. is dedicated to advancing sustainability in a practical and equitable manner. They believe in promoting sustainable practices without putting the burden on the end-consumer. As a minority-female owned startup, their mission extends beyond just sustainability; it’s about ensuring that every product, every supply chain component, every partnership contributes to a more positive and equitable future. To start, they’ve created the EcoRain® Poncho and are now expanding into bags. We recently asked Monika Dharia, CEO and Founder of GreenGear, to share her company’s B Corp story, and this is what she had to say.

Why was B Corp certification important for you?

I am extremely thankful and glad I went through the B Impact Assessment with Cultivating Capital, as I truly believe it will change the trajectory of our business.

Typically, as a startup, doing the BIA seems nearly impossible and time-consuming. However, running through it has been helping me figure out what impact areas to prioritize for the future, how we can better message the actions we are taking to customers, and how to ensure we operate at the highest social and environmental standards. I also really appreciate getting an early exposure to positive worker practices as this will help GreenGear provide an equitable and diverse workplace as we scale.

Overall, by becoming a Certified B Corp, I am now more confident that GreenGear will be on a trajectory to continue to drive positive environmental and social benefits in the most impactful ways. I am excited to continuously improve our business model through the B Impact Assessment and the B Corp network at large.

What did you learn from the certification process?

From the certification process, I learned a lot such as how to better involve my customers, better track impact metrics, develop & organize our policies, and communicate our impact. I also learned how to develop methods to ensure we continuously improve such as developing an annual report, board of advisors, and supplier assessments.

How did your company change through the certification process?

Through B Corp certification, we found ways to build better environmental and social standards into our everyday model. For example, we can now export our sales data and get our environmental metrics for any period within 10 minutes. We also have better tools to learn more about our supply chain and how to improve it. Furthermore, we also developed annual reports, a board of advisors, policy handbooks, and a B Corp legal amendment to ensure high environmental and social standards are ingrained in our business model and have set periods for evaluation.

In your own words, what does it mean to be a B Corp?

Typically, I find that businesses tend to prioritize profit and everything else including impact are simply drivers for more profit. In my mind, being a B Corp means impact is the central focus of your business and everything else including profit is simply a method to drive positive social and environmental impact. Being a B Corp also means you are not trying to do these things alone, but rather you are joining a larger movement to make impact the central focus of a business.

What advice would you give to others considering certification?

Although it can seem like a big time commitment, it’s really worthwhile to have a solid impact model for your business, especially if it’s a central priority for you. I would recommend taking your time with the B Impact Assessment and soak in all you can learn from it!


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Whether you’re just learning about B Corps or are already far along your journey, you’ll find opportunities to improve your impact as a business by getting certified or recertified as a B Corp.

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