Clif Bar
www.clifbar.com
Clif Bar not only creates some of the best, most tasty, most nutritious food bars on the market, they also manage to do so in a environmentally and socially responsible way. For the benefit of the environment, they have designed their packaging to reduce their use of shrink wrapping by 90,000 lbs per year, purchase green tags to offset carbon dioxide generating energy, use only 100 % recycled paper in their offices and have taken major steps to eliminate solid waste from their corporate headquarters. On a social level, Clif Bar participates in hundreds of charity events and even donate the equivalent of a full-time employee to each of their favorite charities per year.
“At Clif Bar Inc., we're committed to people's health and the environment. We want to make sure the way we do business helps sustain the natural resources and communities that we depend on. That's why we're working to reduce our ecological footprint in everything we do, from the field to the final product.”
www.interfaceinc.com
Interface, Inc manufactures modular floorcoverings and sells to an international market. Because of their conscientious business practices, Interface has quickly become the model of how to create a profitable business, not in spite of, but because of, a belief in sustainability. Being an industrial manufacturer, Interface faces many serious challenges to becoming sustainable, but have proven time and again their commitment to responsible business practices by utilizing renewable energy sources, recyclable materials and reducing the amount of materials used.
“Through strategic business initiatives and practical progression toward the achievement of sustainability, Interface will become the foremost name in our industry and prove that environmental responsibility makes good business sense.”
www.stonyfield.com
Stonyfield Farm is a dairy company, primarily producing yogurt and yogurt based refreshments, without the use of preservatives, artificial flavors, colors, and sweeteners. Realizing that healthy food products can only come from a healthy planet, Stonyfield not only works to create a clean product, they also strive for a clean place for all of us to live. A strong supporter of organic family farms and sustainable agriculture, Stonyfield’s products are free of pesticides and toxic chemicals and are created from dairy whose origins are in small, local farming communities. Stonyfield works to reduce its solid waste through recycling efforts, gives an entire 10 % of its profits to environmental causes, invests in carbon-offset projects that absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and has significantly reduced the amount of materials used in packaging its products.
“We’re committed to a healthy planet that sustains healthy people and produces healthy food. We’re proud to be involved in many exciting projects that we believe have a positive social and environmental impact.”
www.benjerry.com
More than likely, we’ve all had the pleasure of dipping our spoons into the creamy goodness that is Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. We can also feel good about Ben & Jerry’s business practices. By refusing to buy from farms that use bovine growth hormone and by supporting small family farms, Ben & Jerry’s uses their corporate buying power to affect social change. The Vermont based company has also created the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation, created from stock donation, which acts as an endowment to affect societal, institutional and/or environmental change.
“We have a progressive, nonpartisan social mission that seeks to meet human needs and eliminate injustices in our local, national and international communities by integrating these concerns into our day-to-day business activities. Our focus is on children and families, the environment and sustainable agriculture on family farms.”
www.organicbouquet.com
Organic Bouquet believes that beautiful flowers come from a beautiful planet. They have encouraged both small and large flower producers to initiate organic production and have lobbied hard for environmental protection and farm worker safety. In fact, in 2004, Organic Bouquet instituted even stricter standards over and above the organic certification in order to improve the quality of farm working conditions, minimize damage to ecosystems, conserve biodiversity, and enhance environmental quality for future generations.
“We at Organic Bouquet believe it is our responsibility to demonstrate that business, social, and environmental interests can be successfully aligned. Our hope is to be a shining example of how the confluence of these interests can work to build a better and more sustainable future for all living beings of this beautiful planet.”
www.nimanranch.com
Niman Ranch works with over 300 independent family farmers in order to provide the best quality beef, pork and lamb while demanding the highest conditions for animal treatment and sustainable agriculture. All Niman Ranch animals are treated humanely, are grown on all-natural feed, and are allowed to mature naturally. In fact, it is said that the Niman Ranch animal “has only one bad day” in its life.
“Today, our ranchers, butchers, office staff, and drivers are fulfilling the vision upon which the company was founded to bring the best possible meat to customers while practicing the highest standards of husbandry and environmental stewardship.”
www.patagonia.com
Patagonia manufactures clothing designed for rugged outdoor use, and does so in a way which minimizes its impact on the environment. They evaluate raw materials, invest in innovative technologies, rigorously police their waste and use a portion of their profits to support groups working to make a real difference. Patagonia donates either 10 % of its pre-tax profits, or 1 % of its sales, whichever his higher, to grassroots efforts that are traditionally looked over by corporate donors. For their clothing products, Patagonia uses 100 % organic cotton and post consumer recycled plastic soda bottles. They were also the first California company to buy all their energy from newly constructed alternative energy plants.
“This is not another tale of a successful businessman who manages to do good on the side and have grand adventures: it's the story of a man who brought doing good and having grand adventures into the heart of his business life – and who enjoyed even more business success as a result.”
www.collinswood.com
The Collins Companies, Inc was started 1885 and is a family owned forest products company, providing lumber and other resources from sustainably managed forest lands. Collins strongly believes in a third party, independent certification of their forest lands, to ensure that the protection of the forest ecosystem maintains intact. The 295,000 acres of Collins timberlands are biodiverse, multi-layered, canopied forests, not single-species tree farms. They are self-sustaining, containing more wood today than they did over a hundred years ago. They are home to bald eagles, black bears, wild turkeys, rubber boas, beavers, great blue heron rookeries and the endangered Goose Lake redband trout. They are enriched by meadows, springs, creeks, rivers, and lakes. They are naturally healthy forests—growing trees only from sunshine, water, and nutrients from fertile soil.
“Mahatma Gandhi said it best, ‘If you want change, you must be the change.’ No excuses or apologies, no blaming governments or bureaucracies. Change is manifested by one person at a time, one choice at a time. It happens because we are willing to embrace a vision that is larger than our own self-interests.”
www.newleafpaper.com
New Leaf Paper leads the paper industry in the development and distribution of environmentally superior printing and office papers. They focus on producing paper using high post-consumer recycled content and most of their papers are whitened without chlorine or chlorine compounds. New Leaf has been instrumental in proving that using environmentally sound paper is an economical as well as responsible choice. In addition to traditional paper made from wood pulp, they are experimenting with non-wood alternatives for use as virgin pulp material.
“Our goal is to inspire -- through our success -- a fundamental shift toward environmental responsibility in the paper industry.”
www.upstream21.com
Upstream 21 Corporation has been created to put investors' capital to work in local communities by purchasing small, successful companies whose products and services are part of our vision for a sustainable future. Some of these companies were founded by people who are ready to sell--but not sell out. Others are companies that are ready to grow--but not alone. By purchasing these businesses and helping them grow, Upstream 21 will be a catalyst for advancing local economies that build, rather than erode, natural, social and economic capital in communities.
“We believe that corporations should not be required to maximize wealth for shareholders at the expense of employees, the community and the environment.”
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