Ricola becomes a B Corporation
Ricola has reached an important milestone on its path to sustainability and is now a certified B Corporation. This step reflects Ricola's long-standing commitment to environmental protection and social responsibility, which is in line with the family company's values.
As a B Corporation, Ricola demonstrably meets the high standards of the non-profit organization B Lab in terms of social and environmental impact, legal commitment to responsible corporate practices and public transparency.
Responsibility and sustainability are in the nature of Ricola
Ricola's path to becoming a B Corporation is based on the company's founding idea of valuing the ecosystems of the Swiss Alps, where its 13 herbs thrive. Ricola has long seen sustainability as a core business principle. From cultivating herbs according to ecological guidelines to continuously striving to manufacture its products in an environmentally friendly way, the company's actions are geared towards preserving and nurturing nature and biodiversity, thus ensuring a positive impact on the environment and society.
"We owe everything to nature. Certification as a B Corporation is in line with our identity as a family business and our commitment to connecting people with nature," says Thomas P. Meier, CEO of Ricola. "Our growth ambitions should be in harmony with our responsibility for the earth and its people."
"It is a great honor for the B Lab Switzerland Foundation to welcome Ricola to the B Corp movement. As a traditional Swiss company with nearly a century of unwavering commitment to nature and community, Ricola embodies the principle of using business as a force for good. Ricola's commitment to resilience and sustainability is exemplary," says Jonathan Normand, founder and CEO of B Lab Switzerland.
Ricola's sustainability strategy as a framework for action
Over the past two years, Ricola has developed a comprehensive approach to sustainability and identified six key areas where the company can have the greatest impact: agricultural principles, waste management, packaging innovation, climate protection, water conservation and ethical purchasing.
Ricola has set quantitative targets for each area and implements actionable steps to achieve these targets each year. These efforts are coordinated by the entire Ricola Group, with each part of the company playing a role in the shared journey towards sustainability.
As a B Corporation, Ricola must meet strict social and environmental standards, including continuous improvements for recertification every three years to ensure compliance and progress. Ricola has committed to assessing its sustainability performance against globally recognized metrics and reporting on progress every two years in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines. The first report for 2022 can be found on the company's website.
Source: www.ricola.com
