Raleigh, NC-based distributor Brand Fuel (asi/145025) is officially a B Corp, joining a growing list of promotional products companies to earn the distinction that measures brands’ commitment to people and planet above profit.

Certified B Corps emphasize five central stakeholders: workers, customers, suppliers, community and the environment. To become a B Corp, companies must undergo a lengthy audit process by the nonprofit B Lab, which scrutinizes the company’s legal structure, supply chain practices, sustainability efforts, philanthropy, customer relations and employee engagement.

Danny Rosin (left) and Robert Fiveash of Brand Fuel

In order to qualify for B Corp status, companies must achieve a score of 80 points or more on B Lab’s impact assessment. The median score for ordinary businesses that complete the assessment is currently 50.9, according to B Lab. Brand Fuel received an 87.1 on its overall impact score, B Lab shared.

“Our work as a B Corp will be our guidepost for everything from hiring practices to the responsible sourcing of sustainable branded merch and everything in between,” said Robert Fiveash and Danny Rosin, Brand Fuel’s co-presidents, in a statement. “This part of our journey as a B Corp will be a mixture of effort, education, dedication, patience, consistency, humility, focus, making hard but important choices, and even having some fun.”

The promo executives also said they’d like to use their status as a B Corp to help elevate the promo industry’s reputation as a whole.

Brand Fuel – which has had eight appearances on Counselor’s Best Places to Work list, including this year – has been working toward its B Corp certification for almost a decade. The recognition marks its continued investment in volunteering, responsible sourcing, high ethical standards, reducing its environmental footprint, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

There are currently more than 5,000 Certified B Corps from 150 industries across 85 countries. B Corps include brands like Patagonia, Allbirds, New Belgium Brewing, Cotopaxi, Bombas, Tentree and Ben & Jerry’s. The certification has become more sought after among promo companies; distributors that have been named B Corps in recent years include EcoPlum (asi/185835), Full Line Specialties (asi/199688), Harper+Scott (asi/220052) and McCabe Promotional Advertising Inc. (asi/264901). 

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