We are now part of the B Corp™ community

Since September 2020, we have involved all of our employees, our stakeholders, our suppliers and our customers with us in this ambitious project, which attests to Qwetch's commitment at all levels: environmental, societal, people and solidarity. We are therefore now part of this international movement which brings together more than 5,000 companies (including +200 French ones, and among them: Camif, Faguo, Nature & Découvertes, Picture Organic Clothing or Veja) of all sizes and from all sectors, established in 77 different countries, which are embarking on the path to a fairer and more sustainable economy.

But what is B Corp™ certification?

The B Corp™ certification is granted by B Lab™, an NGO created in the United States and now established throughout the world. A company can receive this certification by obtaining the minimum score of 80 points (out of 200) via a questionnaire accessible free of charge online, the BIA (Business Impact Assessment). The BIA holistically assesses all the social and environmental impact of a company.
It questions key subjects such as the governance of the company, its HR policy, the relationship with its customers, transparency towards the public, its contribution to society and of course its environmental impact. This denomination, abbreviation of “Benefit Corporation” therefore designates a company recognized for having beneficial effects on the world, while being profitable. It is the most demanding ethical and eco-responsible label in the world.

The NGO B Lab™ is on a mission to transform the global economy by being “the best FOR the world and not the best IN the world” (“Business as a force for good”). The objective: to imagine a business model with a positive, lucrative and fair impact, driving change.

Why become a B Corp ?

Qwetch has embarked on the B Corp™ approach to, initially, gain recognition and certify its environmental and social commitment that the teams are keen to apply on a daily basis. Being certified B Corp™ also allows the integration of the company into a community of stimulating players, constantly seeking progress to take care of people and the planet (hey, that sounds a lot like our raison d'être).
Then, a company's body and soul commitment to this certification process is long-term. Recertification is required every three years and the questionnaire must be reassessed according to the size, structure and industry sector of the company. An evolutionary approach for companies wishing to move from a shareholder economy to a partnership economy in order to create value and shine on all of their ecosystems.

> We obtained the score of 96.3/200 <
-whose minimum score is 80 to obtain the certification-
an excellent score of which we are proud but which still leaves us a good margin of progress!

The B Corp™ experience, a way for evolutions & actions

Even if the approach of protecting people and the planet has been at the heart of Qwetch's action since its beginnings, engaging in the B Corp™ approach has made us grow! Responding to the BIA and putting together our application file allowed us to draw up a real inventory of our activity, to identify the points of progress and the things we were already doing – and there were ultimately a lot of things that were not really formalized. Indeed, 12 years ago, Qwetch was a very small company of 4 passionate people. The structuring of the company came in second place, well after the values for which we were committed.
The application for B Corp™ certification coincided with the company's desire to restructure and proved to be a real driving force, pushing us to go even further in our social and environmental initiatives. It put us on the path to an even more committed CSR policy, with the aim of constantly improving to continue to take care of people and the planet.
Belonging to the B Corp™ community is also a factor of emulation. Among companies of various sizes and business models, all committed in the same direction, precursors and neophytes rub shoulders to go even further.

Following the completion of the BIA, we reorganized the company and redesigned its operating model.

We calculated our Bilan Carbone® , with the help of Sirsa, and we realized that a circular strategy was necessary to extend the life of our products. Although we had already had the concern to produce the most durable and healthiest possible containers for 10 years, we had not really structured these approaches. Established for a long time in our ways of doing things, eco-design now systematically guides our paths of creation of our new products and developments.
On the philanthropic level , we have redesigned our solidarity program by targeting our actions more and measuring their impact. "Restore damaged ecosystems and support initiatives to reduce waste production in order to banish single-use by favoring reusable" is now our only philanthropic line of conduct.
We have added a statement in our legal statutes indicating that we "intend to generate a positive and significant social and environmental impact" and that we consider "the social, societal and environmental consequences" in each of our decisions.
We have formalized a code of conduct for our historical suppliers and partners, designed on the basis of the BSCI and BEPI programs of which we have been members since 2018.

We are now even more involved in these social and environmental audit programs to continue to move forward with our stakeholders towards fairer trade.

Internally, there have also been many changes:

We have structured our HR policy with the aim of offering better support for our employees (creation of an integration process, drafting of an employee arrival guide, etc.); a waste sorting system has been set up and a campaign to raise awareness of good practices has been carried out; then, an internal code of ethics was drafted and is now shared with all new entrants.
All this structuring was put in place in a year and a half! At the scale of an SME, in the midst of a health crisis, that's a lot of things accomplished. A great challenge that we managed to carry out thanks to our internal collaborators but also to all our stakeholders who now accompany us on the path of the impact company. THANKS !

The next steps

The essence of a B Corp™ certified company is to keep moving forward, to go even further in its positive impact approach. The next steps for Qwetch are multiple and promising. We wish:

Continue to carry out structuring projects that emerged following the BIA such as the implementation of a circularity model with the aim of reducing the impact of our products and our operations on the planet; the completion of a greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction plan with clear and quantified objectives; the intensification of our philanthropic action with associations and all audiences. Last point for which we started the year 2022 on a high note by adding to our product program sharing the support of two new NGOs, Terre d'Abeilles and Reef Check France, and by co-creating a complete educational project around the theme of waste, in partnership with the GoodPlanet Foundation and the eco-responsible brand 900.care, for high school eco-delegates in the PACA region.
Continue to improve our daily internal functioning , by being inclusive, a vector of progress, transparent and by advocating for a society that is more respectful of people and the planet.
Keep our B Corp™ label by recertifying every 3 years with B Lab™ in order to maintain our status, and this, according to even more demanding criteria than for this first certification.
Finally, until then, we intend to get involved in the B Corp™ community , to contribute to it, but also to learn from the progress of others, in order to promote responsible business collectively. Indeed, the B Corp ™ movement is based on a collective momentum and recognizes that all economic actors are inter-dependent, leaving no other choice but to build a new model together!

Qwetch is more than ever committed to honoring its raison d'être: "taking care of people and the planet". Proof of this is this B Corp™ certification desired and expected by all. Because ultimately, everyone is part of the equation: customers, businesses, citizens, etc. This certification is only the beginning of an exciting adventure that aims to always progress and move towards a more sustainable world.