OUR IMPACT

B CORP CERTIFICATION

 

Fermenstation is a B Corp certified company committed to use business as a force for good. B Corp is an international certification that certifies companies conducting business activities that generate multifaceted and comprehensive benefits for local communities,
the environment, customers, and its employees.

What is B Corp?
B Corp Certification is a certification system operated by B Lab, a non-profit organization established in the United States in 2006. This system certifies companies that excel in the pursuit of environmental and social considerations and impact, building relationships with all stakeholders including employees with consideration for locality and diversity, management transparency, and business sustainability, as well as companies with a high degree of public interest.
To obtain this certification, a company’s overall corporate activities, including the products and services it provides, are comprehensively assessed in the five areas of “governance,” “employees,” “community,” “environment,” and “customers.” To obtain certification, companies must score 80 points or more in the B Impact Assessment, which is based on the evaluation indicators defined by the B Lab.
 
For more information on B Corp Certification, please visit the B Lab website.
https://www.bcorporation.net/

Why B Corp?

Fermenstation comes from combining two thoughts/ideas; namely, “Wouldn’t it be fun if we can utilize the abundant waste that is around us?” and “How can we create a business that is both feasible and social?”
 
Since our founding, we have continued to conduct business activities under the concept of “Fermenting a Renewable Society,” using fermentation technology to find new value in unused resources, with the goal of creating a society in which these resources can be reborn, recycled, and circulated. In order to realize this purpose, the natural environment, society, all people involved, and stakeholders must work together and harmonize, and without business growth, there can be no development and sustainability. As a result, we have pursued impact in both business and social aspects.
 
At the same time, we have felt the need for a way to objectively verify our efforts and ensure that we are constantly learning and evolving. We believe that the “B Corp Certification” is a good means to regulate our business activities and management as a system that certifies excellent companies pursuing both business and social impact and provides objective indicators and fixed-point checks (reassessed every three years).
What we do at Fermenstation
The following are some of the practices that Fermenstation has been evaluated for
“B Corp Certification” according to the evaluation items of this certification.
Governance
  • The company has a clearly defined purpose and a commitment to the environment and the community
  • Clear organizational governance, including board of directors and organizational structure
Employees
  • Benefit structure, including health insurance and other insurance programs
  • Support for employee learning and education
  • Support for employees’ daily lives, including maternity and paternity leave
Community
  • Diversity in company ownership and board composition (in our case, female representative and outside directors)
  • Consideration of diversity (e.g., female management) and regional characteristics in the selection of business partners (e.g., priority given to regional business partners)
  • Requesting suppliers to cooperate in environmental and regional considerations
  • Proactive use of fair trade
Environment
  • Business model that contributes to reduction of environmental burdens, focusing on upcycling of unused resources
  • Use of renewable energy in manufacturing
  • Manufacturing processes that maximize conservation of water usage
  • Use of less toxic and hazardous substances (in our case, we have obtained organic certification for several raw materials and products)
  • Environmental-friendly packaging
  • Transparent waste reduction management process
  • Practice of life cycle assessment in the manufacturing process (visualization of greenhouse gas emissions)
Customer
  • The company is committed to communicating the positive impact of its products on the environment and local communities
  • Appropriate customer support and complaint handling systems
  • Appropriate data management of customer personal information
For more information,
please see our Commitment.