Burton Becomes 1st Snowboard Company To Receive B Corp Certification

Burton becomes first snowboarding company to receive B Corporation Certification for adhering to the highest social and environment standards. Burton’s community, sustainability, empowerment of snowboarders and support for women in leadership values have all been contributing factors.

co-CEO Donna Carpenter announcing the news @ Burton Snowboards HQ, Vermont

Press Release:
Burton Snowboards Announces B Corp™ Certification
First Snowboard Company to Earn Socially Responsible Business Recognition

Burton, the world’s leading snowboard company, today announced that it’s becoming a Certified B Corporation^®. As a sustainability leader within the outdoor and winter sports industries, Burton is proud to become the first snowboard company to receive this certification, which reinforces the brand’s commitment to doing business as a force for good. Widely recognised as the gold standard for responsible business, B Corps are committed to practising the highest social and environmental standards.

“Burton has always stood for more than snowboarding,” said Donna Carpenter, Co-CEO of Burton. “Our values around community, sustainability and women’s leadership are as much a part of our identity as pioneering the sport. Now more than ever, companies need to step up and speak up on issues that impact the world we all share. So, we’re all very proud to join the B Corp community, which shares our commitment to balancing purpose with profit.”

To obtain B Corp Certification, Burton participated in the B Impact Assessment process, which evaluated everything from Burton’s operations and business model impact on workers, community, environment, and customers to supply chain, employee benefits and charitable giving.

“We are thrilled to welcome Burton into the global family of Certified B Corporations, not just for its commitments to positive impact at the company, but also its dedication to empowering snowboarders around the world to use business as a force for good,” said Andy Fyfe, B Lab, Community Growth + Activation. “They’re paving the way for the rest of the outdoor industry to follow.”

For decades, Burton has chosen to take the path that has a lighter footprint, making a positive impact on its people, playground and products. Through better business practices, Burton is fostering a more socially responsible community. From committing to fair labour practices and safe working conditions throughout its supply chain to ensuring factories meet high international human rights standards, Burton is investing to improve the lives of everyone the company engages with. Additionally, the company protects its unique culture by empowering women’s leadership, providing preferred benefits to employees, offering a generous new parent policy, supporting flexible schedules and encouraging staff to give back through volunteer time off and The Chill Foundation.

To protect its playground and the mountain lifestyle, Burton works closely with Protect Our Winters to lobby for positive climate policy. Throughout the year, the company works with several other organisations to influence lawmakers to take positive action on the climate crisis. Recently, the company closed all of its owned stores and halted website sales for 24 hours to amplify the Global Climate Strikes.

When it comes to crafting safer and more environmentally responsible products, the company is steadfast about responsible production and operations. From reducing the carbon footprint of headquarters and product manufacturing to purchasing environmentally preferred materials and finding solutions to keep products in use longer, Burton is committed to positively impacting its supply chain from raw materials to landfill. All snowboards are Forest Stewardship Council™ certified, and the company is targeting 100% bluesign® products across softgoods.

And because there is always more progress to make, two years ago Burton kicked-off its new 2020 goals, spanning everything from manufacturing, to packaging, office energy usage, and Fair Labour standards. All facets of the company are working hard to meet these industry leading targets.

Burton co-CEO, Donna Carpenter

For more information on Burton’s sustainability goals, visit Burton.com. To learn more about the B Corp movement, head here.