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How B Corp Certification rewards Zero Waste, Circular strategies

BCorp certification requires applicants to complete an Impact Assessment. This review of operations dives into the applicants operations on a policy, procedure and operational performance level.

To achieve B Corp Certification, companies must achieve a minimum of 80 points out of a possible 200. Amongst the criteria are a number of opportunities to gain recognition, or points, through the successful completion of common waste reduction or elimination strategies. In fact, more than 17% (depending on industry track) are rooted within these methods across the various B Corp assessment tracks.


Without infringing on any copyrighted material I've assembled (in alternative wording) some of the efforts that can contribute to B Corp Impact Assessment points. If these look familiar or do not seem daunting, you may be closer to B Corp certification than you thought! If some of these appear beyond your current operational scope, I assure you they are reachable.

Possible projects, policies and programs include contributions from:
  • The measurement and management of solid waste in a contextual manner,
  • Worked with landlords to integrate a waste reduction program, like recycling or composting,
  • Source reduction of toxic materials found within products or packaging,
  • Monitoring methods of both hazardous and non-hazardous waste streams,
  • Reduction targets for both hazardous and non-hazardous waste streams,
  • Total amount of waste disposed, annually,
  • Total amount of waste diversion through recycling, composting, annually,
  • Hazardous waste disposal - verification of "responsible disposal",
  • % of suppliers that report their generation, recycling and reduction of solid waste and hazardous waste,
  • % of suppliers that have claimed a reduction of +10% of solid waste and hazardous waste,
  • Provide incentives to suppliers with waste elimination strategies,
  • Product or service helps in reducing users waste generation,
  • Waste is designed out of the production process,
  • Metric tons of C02 offset or reduced by use of companies product or service,
  • Metric tons of solid waste or hazardous waste reduced by use of companies product or service,
  • Life-cycle assessment of product, service, materials, or equipment,
  • Cradle to Cradle certification of packaging or product,
  • End-of-life reclamation process for product or component,
  • Process for phasing out and in materials based on their potential harm to people or the planet,
  • All materials studied to determine mineral, metal or chemical makeup down to 100ppm, 1000ppm, potential toxic contaminants, establish a Restricted Substance List or decision making process of chemicals of concern,
  • Defined metrics and goals for reduction (or elimination) of specific chemicals,
  • Tracking of chemicals of concern within supply chain,
  • Significant suppliers report accidental discharges of solid waste, hazardous waste, etc
  • Public disclosure of chemicals in product,
  • Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policy that includes low toxicity and recyclability of materials used within operations including food, building materials, landscaping, etc...
  • Office use materials includes recycled content, reclaimed materials, reused equipment, compostable, reusable materials,
  • FSC Paper Content used in office,
  • Paperless office,
  • Product/service educates consumers about waste,
  • Provides training on proper recycling or material handling processes.
SJMConsults has developed a Zero Waste Service Portfolio to assist companies in achieving Zero Waste as part of a certification or as an independent program. The service portfolio includes:
Auditing - A snap shot of opportunities
5 R's - Redesign, Reduce, Reuse, Re-Earth, Recycle
Reporting - Practical steps towards purposeful recognition
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Location: Toronto, ON, Canada

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