From the onset of Thriving Design, we’ve known that caring for our communities and our planet is an extremely important part of our business, and how we do business. But now we can really shout off the rooftops about our mission because we’re officially a certified Benefit Corporation For Good! So what does this mean? It means that we don’t just talk about social and environmental causes, but we actually give money and operate our business around environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) standards. Go to this website to learn more about what it means to be a certified Benefit Corporation for Good. And, not to brag, but they told us we not only passed the certification, but received one of the highest scores ever. Well, I guess we are kind of bragging about that.
With our new certification, we figured it would be a great time to share our manifesto for Thriving Design with you all. Why we do what we do and why we care so much. Enjoy.
Thriving Design is Committed to bites of change that make the world a better place, inside and outside the garden.
Our roots won’t take unless they run deep—all the way to the heart of what’s important to us and our community.
At Thriving Design, we don’t just mean business. We mean change for the betterment of people and the planet. That’s why we’re committed to being a certified Benefit Corporation for Good. To do so, we’ll use the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) framework for a sustainable future to define meaningful action in the categories that most align with what we do. What we can’t do within our business, we’ll achieve with our 1% for the Planet pledge.
Zero hunger. Antiracism. Climate action. Responsible Production. These are our stakes in the ground. These are the cairns that will guide how our business grows, who we hire and work with and how we give back. As our roots deepen, we’ll raise our stakes and nurture our community for the benefit of all.
Dig into our commitments below.
Since the Green Revolution and globalization, the way America farms has radically changed. A highly industrialized food system has edged out family farms, manipulating science and limiting the ability to grow food at a minimum cost.
Our mission: bring power back to gardeners:
- Donate to community agriculture and food banks through our 1% for the Planet pledge
- Set staff expectations for volunteer hours in community agriculture and food banks
- Donate products to community gardens, small-scale producers and family farms
Together, our gardens will grow.
SDG Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Throughout history communities of color are on the front lines of unequal pay, food insecurity, climate change, and poor health. The problem is systemic, and systemic racism is the work of active anti-racism. No justice, no peace—or peas.
We will:
- Donate to organizations that support BIPOC communities
- Prioritize building not just a diverse team, but more importantly an inclusive culture. We’re committed to providing opportunities and hiring employees and working with partners of color, including broadly representative influencers and ambassadors
- Educate our team on allyship
- Donate to and help elect local, state and national politicians who advocate for systemic change
Together, our gardens will heal.
Every taste from your garden is a delicious bite out of carbon emissions. When you add up the fruits of this impact, it’s easy to see that gardens are powerful, beautiful and sustainable tools against climate change. We understand that as a small company, we will not always be able to.
So let’s keep a good thing growing.
We will:
- Lead through board affiliations with non-profit climate advocacy groups
- Develop a carbon offset fund, through which we will entirely offset carbon emissions from our supply chain, operations and travel
- Achieve climate neutrality in our production before 2030
- Donate to and volunteer with organizations that support carbon reduction
- Institue a “C-BITE take back program” to recycle older products
Together, our gardens will harvest carbon.
SDG Goal 12: Sustainable Consumption and Production
We chose the most durable materials for our products to ensure that they endure—are evergreen, as it were—year after year. Plastic is the current solution, but not the final one. We’re working on an alternative. Meanwhile, we’re committed to programs that keep our C-BITES safely at work in our communities and out of nature. We will:
- Develop and implement an alternative material using, for example, hemp or bioresin
- Use as much recycled material in our products as possible
- Implement a take-back program to harvest used products in exchange for customer credit
Together, our gardens will evolve.
A big first step for us as a company was this Benefit Corporations for Good certification, but we are far from done in shaping our voice and vision to be better for our community and the environment. We’ll keep updating as new initiatives come to light and are so excited to share this news with you.