Business Made Personal. We are B Corp Certified.
As a Certified B Corporation, we’re proud to be a part of a global movement that shares our values of diversity, community and environmental integrity.
90% of Americans say that companies should not just say a product or service is beneficial, but should be able to prove it too (Cone Communications, 2017). As the digital age evolves, we’re seeing this statement only gain force. Today, more brands than ever are making an effort to show customers their business is dedicated to making a difference in the world — think Gilette, Dove, Toms etc. With more and more brands striving to make an impact, the question is: how can they genuinely demonstrate that they are in fact using their business to strengthen their communities, and are truly holding themselves accountable?
Today, we’re proud to announce Prose is officially B Corporation Certified! During our first employee retreat in January, the team and I talked in depth about what kind of business we wanted to build together, values that are important to each of us and how to create a stellar company culture. We determined that becoming a B Corp was a big goal for us and to have achieved this goal in such a short time frame is an overwhelmingly wonderful feeling. We are now part of a global group of leading brands who use their business as a force for good, meeting a range of standards from sustainable production processes to employee diversity. This means that everyone benefits from Prose existing: our customers, employees, and the planet too. And we plan on only improving from here.
How We Became B Corp Certified.
Companies who qualify as Certified B Corporations meet higher levels of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. Today, there are over 2,500 Certified B Corporations that span across 130 industries and 60 countries. In order to become certified, Prose went through an in-depth assessment known as the “B Impact Assessment.” This analysis looks at a company’s performance across five main categories. From there, each category is analyzed further and covers the following:
Following the assessment, a company will receive an overall score across the five categories. Fun fact: in order to become certified, a business must receive a score of 80+.
Prose score = 84. Some fun facts about Prose’s business that helped impact our overall score:
- 61% of our internal employee base is female
- 50% of our Board of Directors are female
- 100% of our employee base have stock options
- 45% of our workforce is made of minority groups
- 37% of our business-purpose purchases are from companies that are majority-owned by women
- We have a company-wide recovery and recycling program that includes paper, cardboard, plastic, glass and metal
The Value of Being B Corp.
So what does being B Corp really mean?
It’s similar to what Fair Trade is to produce farmers or what LEED is to building developers. In addition to evaluating the standards and practices we apply to the production of our products, B Corp is also hyper-focused on how we operate our business from a holistic approach. Being a Certified B Corporation is more than a recognition and commitment; it’s a legal requirement to ensure we continue to meet rigorous standards around social and environmental performance.
We now are required to follow a set of standards surrounding our business practices as they relate to our workers, suppliers, community, the environment, and, of course, our customers. The term “legal” can seem scary, more like a penalty than a mandate, but in this case, it’s a responsibility we wanted to take on. Being held legally responsible to meet these high standards holds us (and everyone else certified) accountable to our commitments over time, allowing us to stay honest and transparent with ourselves and with you, our community.
Why Prose Made This Commitment.
Being a force for good is deeply rooted in the DNA of Prose, by design. We founded Prose on the premise of creating made-to-order formulas that truly benefit the customer and offer a waste-free approach that protects the planet. So making a commitment to be held to a higher standard (and put ourselves in the company of other best-in-class businesses) was a no-brainer. As Prose continues to grow, our impact on the environment, community, and corporate culture is only going to expand. And now our B Corp Certification will be another impetus for us to make decisions that will keep us honest, have a positive effect, and help us challenge the old school practices set by many legacy brands. We see this as a key step in ushering in a new norm to the world of beauty.
What Comes Next.
Now that we are B Corp Certified, we have a responsibility to uphold our high standards. We are in the midst of developing a roadmap which will outline key goals and objectives to help us continue increasing our score. We recognize Prose has some more work to do, and it’s work we’re delighted to take on.
To kick things off, today, Prose is hosting a day of service for all employees, both in Paris and New York City. NYC employees will be helping clean up Brooklyn Bridge Park and Paris employees will be conducting the same service along the Saint Martin Canal.
For a full list of Certified B Corporations, please click here.
