Focused on positive impact: Ricola becomes a B Corporation
- Written by Daily Sun
As B Corporation, Ricola has been verified as meeting non-profit organization B Lab's high standards in the areas of social and environmental impact, legal commitment to responsible company practices and public transparency.
Responsibility and sustainability are in the nature of Ricola
Ricola's path to becoming a B Corporation is built on a foundation laid at the company's inception, namely its respect for the Swiss Alpine ecosystems that produce the herbs for its products. Ricola has long understood sustainability as a core business principle. The company's practices, from herb cultivation according to organic standards to continuously striving towards environmentally sound product manufacturing, are designed to preserve and nurture these ecosystems and their biodiversity, ensuring a positive impact on the environment and society.
"We owe everything to nature. Becoming a B Corporation aligns with our identity as a family-owned company and our dedication to connecting people with nature," says Thomas P. Meier, CEO of Ricola. "It's about balancing our ambitions for growth with our responsibilities to the planet and its people."
"B Lab Switzerland Foundation is truly honored to welcome Ricola into the B Corp movement. As an iconic Swiss company with nearly a century of unwavering commitment to nature and communities, Ricola embodies the principles of using business as a force for good. Their dedication to resiliency and sustainability leadership is exemplary," says Jonathan Normand, Founder and CEO of B Lab Switzerland.
A framework for action: Ricola's sustainability strategy
Over the past two years, Ricola has refined a comprehensive approach to sustainability, identifying six core areas where it can have the most significant impact: agriculture principles, waste management, packaging innovation, climate change mitigation, water conservation, and ethical sourcing.
For each area, Ricola has set quantitative targets and implements annual "footsteps" – actionable steps to achieve these targets. These efforts are managed across the Ricola Group, with each part of the company playing a role on the collective journey towards sustainability.
As a B Corporation, Ricola is required to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, which includes continuous improvements towards recertification every three years, to ensure compliance and progress. Ricola has committed to evaluating its sustainability performance using globally recognized key figures. It plans to report on its progress biennially according to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines, which are applied by a multitude of companies worldwide. The initial report for 2022 is available for download on the company's website.
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Ricola – Company Profile
Ricola is one of the world's most modern and innovative manufacturers of herb drops. Ricola herb specialties are exported to 45 countries and are famous for their fine Swiss quality. Founded in 1930, with headquarters in Laufen near Basel and subsidiaries in Europe, Asia and the USA, Ricola now produces around 50 different herb drops and tea specialties. In Switzerland, this family-owned company is a pioneer in herb cultivation and places great value on using carefully selected locations and controlled, environmentally sound cultivation methods. Ricola has concluded fixed long-term purchase agreements with around 85 farmers in Swiss mountain regions. As a certified B Corporation, Ricola is committed to sustainable corporate management, economically, socially and ecologically and is a responsible employer. The traditional values of a family enterprise coupled with Swiss quality and a passion for innovation are crucial factors in the success of the Ricola global brand.
About B Lab™
B Lab is the nonprofit network transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. B Lab creates standards, policies, tools, and programs that shift the behavior, culture, and structure of capitalism. We mobilize the global B Corp community towards collective action to address society's most critical challenges, and we collaborate with governments, academia, coalitions, and other institutions to drive economic systems change.
About Certified B Corporation™
Certified B Corporations, or B Corps, are companies verified by B Lab to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.