Controversy Leads Dr. Bronner's To Go 'Beyond B Corp'

Based out of North San Diego County, the Dr. Bronner’s brand is known for its environmentally safe products, namely their “magic soaps”, as well as employee empowerment and fair pay. They’re the top-selling natural soap brand in the country and have expanded beyond their signature liquid soaps to include coconut oil, lip balms, toothpaste, hand sanitizers, and, as of recently, chocolate.

Having lived in Encinitas for over a decade, I got to meet several employees over the years, all of whom seemed happy with their jobs, and even met CEO David Bronner a handful of times at events and surfed with him on various occasions. Once I saw the news about the company leaving B Corp, I was intrigued to learn more so I rang up David for a call. I learned that they had been a part of B Corp for 10 years before deciding to leave the group, something he described as their “last resort”. He was clear that, “the goal was to help progress the program, something we tried to do from within for several years as concerns grew about the decreasing standards. We tried communicating and offering alternatives, like a tier-system similar to the LEEDs (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for energy efficient buildings. Unfortunately, they weren’t having it and we had to take a stand and that meant to withdraw in a very public way.”

For those who joined the resulting B Corp logo, easily recognizable by its encircled “B”, came to represent corporate responsibility to discerning consumers. It was a welcome development from the private sector in response to the realization that governments were either ill-equipped or unable to address issues of the 21st century. The membership of well-established conscious companies like Dr. Bronner's and Patagonia made it seem like B Corp was indeed legitimate. 

However, the real turning point came via the admission of several consumer-facing companies that, in many eyes, should have never have even been considered. The most notable being Nestle subsidiaries–a company infamous for privatizing water, utilizing child slavery and forced labour, and rampant single-use plastic pollution–like Nespresso, Nescafe, and Danone-Aqua (one of Indonesia’s worst plastic polluters). 

Integrity is a rarity these days and Dr. Bronner’s has chosen the high road–to continue to lead by example while cheering for the evolution of B Corps and humanity in general. “People who know us, know what we believe in, it’s been on the bottle since the very beginning.” 

In case you’ve never looked at the messaging of their products, it is best surmised by this, “In all we do, let us be generous, fair & loving to Spaceship Earth and all its inhabitants. For we’re ALL-ONE OR NONE! ALL-ONE!” Dr. Bronner’s is now an integral part of Purpose Pledge, a new consortium of responsible companies working to continually elevate the standard for doing business on Spaceship Earth.