EcoPlum
Sustainable Swag® Scores
First Recertification as a B Corporation
NEW
YORK, NY, January 31, 2025— EcoPlum, a sustainable
promotional products company, is proud to announce its
recertification as a B Corporation (B Corp) by nonprofit B Lab for
its second three-year period. First certified in 2022, the newly recertified B
Corp improved its B Impact Assessment (BIA) score.
As
a B Corp, EcoPlum is part of a global community of businesses that meet high
standards of social and environmental responsibility, make a legal commitment
to stakeholder governance, and demonstrate accountability and transparency by
disclosing their record of performance in a public B Corp
profile. There are currently 9,500 Certified B Corporations
in more than 105 countries and over 160 industries.
EcoPlum
and other B Corporations are leading a global movement for an inclusive,
equitable, and regenerative economy. Within the $26 billion promotional
products industry, EcoPlum represents a small, but growing segment of
sustainable distributors making up about $3 billion (12%) in revenue, according
to PPAI (Promotional
Products Association International). The majority
of B Corps are small to medium-sized
businesses. But there are many well-known global brands in the B Corp community
including Danone, Patagonia, Athleta, Eileen Fisher, Ben & Jerry’s, Warby
Parker, and AllBirds.
B
Corporations are required to recertify every three years by updating their B
Impact Assessment (BIA) and verifying their new BIA score. EcoPlum attained a
score of 86.4, an increase of 3.8 points over its prior certification score. The
principle of continuous improvement is integrated into the process and
companies are encouraged to set goals and continue implementing improvements to
their social and environmental practices. Companies must receive a minimum
verified score of 80 or above to be certified. While more than 200,000
businesses have used the B Impact Assessment, only about 5% have been
certified, including EcoPlum. The median score for ordinary businesses that
complete the assessment is 50.9. B Lab began certifying companies in 2007.
“Recertifying
EcoPlum as a B Corp is another major milestone that reinforces our commitment
to using business as a force for good to create a more sustainable planet! ”
says Gia Machlin, EcoPlum President and CEO.
All
Certified B Corporations balance profit with purpose and work towards a
collective vision of Business as a Force for Good. They consider their impact
on all stakeholders, not just shareholders. A B Corp is legally accountable, in
its corporate governance structure, to consider employees, customers,
suppliers, community, the environment, and shareholders in its decision making.
B Lab’s recertification of EcoPlum as a B
Corp is the latest certification milestone held by the company. EcoPlum also
holds an EcoVadis Silver Medal environmental certification and is a Green
America Gold Business. Plus, the company is triple-certified as a women-owned
enterprise by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), New
York State (NYS MWBE) and New York City (M/WBE). The company is also a member
of ASBN (American Sustainable Business Network), AASHE (Association for the
Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education), FLA (Fair Labor
Association), PPC (Plastic Pollution Coalition), and ASI (Advertising Specialty
Institute).
About EcoPlum
EcoPlum is a nationally certified B Corporation that provides
branded marketing solutions with its Sustainable Swag® line of promotional
products. We curate best-in-class, eco-friendly gift items and customize them
for clients with their logos, taglines, or messages. EcoPlum empowers companies
to make responsible choices on their branded gifts – a visible symbol of their
values – with a goal of reducing plastic and harmful waste in our landfills and
oceans. The company upholds rigorous and transparent standards for ecological
and social sustainability. Our product sourcing criteria include USDA organic,
fair trade, biodegradable, renewable, recycled, reusable, Made-in-the-USA,
handcrafted or artisan, and third-party eco-labels. We also seek out suppliers
that are certified B Corporations (B Corps), women/minority-owned, socially
conscious, and Fair Labor Association (FLA) members.
Sustainable Swag® solutions at
EcoPlum.com, https://ecoplum.com. For more information:
info(at)ecoplum(dot)com, Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/EcoPlum, LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/ecoplum,
EcoPlum Biz Blog, Twitter via @ecoplum, and Instagram via @ecoplum.
About B Lab
B
Lab is transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and
the planet. A leader in economic systems change, our global network creates
standards, policies, tools, and programs for business, and we certify
companies—known as B Corps—who are leading the way. To date, our community
includes more than 900,000 workers in over 9,500 B Corps across 105 countries
and 160 industries, and more than 200,000 companies manage their impact with
the B Impact Assessment and the SDG Action Manager.
About B Lab U.S.
& Canada
B Lab U.S. &
Canada is a partner in the B Global Network, a unified group of global,
regional, and national organizations that power a business movement as a force
for good. A historic global culture
shift is underway to harness the power of business to help address society’s
greatest challenges. Our global network creates standards, policies, tools, and
programs that shift the behavior, culture, and structure of capitalism. B Lab
certifies companies — known as B Corps — who are leading the way. Our vision is
an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economic system for all people and
the planet.
For
more information, visit usca.bcorporation.net.
About B Corp
Certification
B
Corp Certification assesses the overall social and environmental impact of a
company. To achieve B Corp Certification, a company must meet a score of at
least 80 points in the B Impact Assessment, an evaluation of a company’s
positive impact, and pass a risk review, an evaluation of a company’s negative
impact.
It
must change its corporate governance structure to be accountable to all
stakeholders, not just shareholders, and exhibit transparency by allowing
information about their B Corp Certification performance to be publicly
available on their B Corp profile on B Lab’s website. B Corps recertify every
three years and, once certified, are expected to increase their score over time
as they progress towards becoming more equitable, inclusive, and regenerative
businesses.
Contact:
Marcia
Robbins
ecoplum.com
1-888-730-9990 Ext. 3
marcia@ecoplum.com
Gia Machlin
ecoplum.com
1-888-730-9990 Ext. 1
gia@ecoplum.com
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