Category: Corporate

We’re proud to announce that this year we are once again Climate Neutral Certified! Over the last few years, we have implemented several actions that allowed us to start the path of becoming a more responsible and conscious business; Climate Neutral is one of the steps we're taking to accomplish this exciting goal.

Since 2019 we’re working with Climate Neutral, an independent non-profit organization, to measure, reduce, and offset our carbon emissions. The three-step process we need to be certified gives us net-zero carbon emissions, meaning we reduce the amount of carbon we’re responsible for emitting, then zero out the rest by purchasing carbon offsets. Carbon offsets are investment projects that either prevent carbon from being emitted, like renewable energy or remove carbon from the atmosphere, like planting trees.

In 2020 we compensated our last year’s carbon footprint by giving support to three 1% for the Planet projects: landfill methane capture in Massachusetts, improved forestry management in Minnesota, and a sustainable forestry project in Brazil. Let us tell you a little bit about each of them:

This project in Massachusetts prevents harmful methane emissions from entering the atmosphere by installing gas collection systems at a landfill. The collected gases are then used to power a generator, providing clean electricity to the local energy grid.

By implementing smart forestry practices, this project in Minnesota improves carbon sequestration over 175,00 acres of mixed native hardwood forest.
The project also provides water quality protection and preserves wildlife habitats for rare species, like the golden-winged warbler, and a wide variety of other mammals, including black bears, moose, and grey wolves.

This project protects and conserves nearly 500,000 acres of tropical rainforests in Northern Brazil.
Not only does this project maintain carbon sinks in the region, but it also helps to preserve biodiversity, prevents erosion, and supports a range of community development initiatives

However, being Climate Neutral Certified is not only compensating for our past carbon emissions but also taking action in reducing the ones to come.
Here are some actions we took last year to reduce emissions from our operations and supply chain:
– We have contracted a 100% renewable energy supplier.
– We give preferences to local, minority-owned, independent businesses when selecting suppliers.
– Increase the purchases of recycled or biodegradable materials.
– We established (before Covid) mobility requirements in the company (meetings with clients via video-conference platforms, plan the most efficient travel routes, work wherever possible with providers who have a fleet of electric vehicles).
– Removal of all waste bins from the office area, placing unique and identified bins in the kitchen area to ensure recycling.

Learn more about the process and our reduction plan for 2021-2022 at ?
https://www.climateneutral.org/brand/firma

Though it may sound like a complex process, becoming climate neutral is fairly simple and can have a huge impact!
Join the movement to halt climate change! Reach out - we’d love to help!

After one year of dedication, we are finally a B Corp certified company! It has been a transformational process in which we have learned a lot and worked harder to improve our standards as a company and as transformational agents. And now we proudly harvest our dedication and will by joining the inspiring global community of game-changing worldwide brands that are doing an incredible job in balancing the triple bottom line of planet, people, and profit.

But this will not be another post on how great is being a B Corp but one that, hopefully, helps other companies to join us on this tidal wave of change!

Although the process of sowing good seeds and becoming a force of change may sound idyllic or even like an unattainable goal taken from the Bible that is beyond our reach... What does the path of becoming a more responsible and conscious business really is like? *Notice this post is based only on Firma’s experience

We would like to share some thoughts from our company's journey to becoming a B Corporation:

Early in the process we realised the goal could only be achieved by the sum of all of our efforts. We leveraged the commitment of the whole team and our eagerness and motivation to be (and do) better.

The B Impact Assessment process comprises around 200 questions covering different aspects of the company in relation to its employees, community, environment, governance and customers. We had to consider everything: from our number of workers to modifying the constituent documents of the company.

But what we didn’t know at the beginning was that the resolution of a question opens up another one for which we did not (yet!) have an answer... It opens up a wonderful world of fun, possibilities... and above all coordination and patience.

You may not know all the answers from the beginning, and what's more, the process will raise questions that you might not even have thought about.... You will suddenly find yourself looking for what is considered an ethnic minority in Spain, or looking for stakeholder policies implemented by other companies that have already gone through these steps. It's an ongoing learning process that needs to be embraced.

No matter how well-intended you are, meeting high standards of sustainability does not happen overnight. It requires a lot of dedication to redefine many processes, attitudes and mindsets within the company, and at many points you will need to go back and forth (and back and forth again). But as you already know: when there’s a will there’s always a way.

It’s important to involve all stakeholders in the process, and establish the basic and necessary sustainable requirements to ensure that they meet them.

At this point, it’s time that we apologise for the various forms we probably have made you fill out… ?

The B Impact Assessment is a detailed and long process which invites you to implement new ways of working, but to be successful you must embrace them within the company.

It is not just answering the questionnaire rigorously, it’s a process of self-diagnosis, of being very critical and questioning how the company works and the effect of the actions it undertakes, and being willing to change and evolve.

It’s our responsibility as a business to become a force of good: for our clients, for our employees, for our community and for our planet.

Join the movement! Reach out - we’d love to help!

CBD is making its way across industries and press headlines. In case you are not familiar with the term (it seems the US craze hasn't made it to Europe just yet), CBD is short for cannabidiol, a compound found in the cannabis plant. It has a soothing effect on the brain without the high. CBD has quickly become a hot ingredient in the US, driving innovation in cosmetics, food + beverages, retail et al.

Why it matters: the booming of the CBD market (cheat sheet below) is one of the most refreshing things to happen to branding in recent years. With a lineup of young players eager to consolidate their position, a lot of them are finding value in brand. We chatted about it with Jonathan Eppers, CEO & Founder of LA-Based Vybes. Read the highlights below.

When Jonathan tried CBD for the first time, it was mostly consumed as drops. He created Vybes because he recognized the unique potential between this very special ingredient and the beverage industry. Firstly, people consume beverages on a daily basis. Furthermore, as much as there’s a growing trend towards functional and good-for-you beverages, the offering consists mostly of kombucha and energy drinks. By offering CBD as an RTD beverage, he could leverage existing demand while facilitating adoption for a somewhat stigmatized ingredient.

For Eppers, a DTC model was never an option. Besides the cost of shipping a glass bottle, he understood a simple truth: consumers buy a ready to drink beverage when they are feeling thirsty. Hence, he needed to make Vybes accessible IRL. Beverages is a saturated category with well-established players, so introducing an $8 option could be a challenge. His approach: getting Vybes on the shelf of small retailers (think mom & pops, cafes, coffee shops and natural food stores) by giving them a free case. As sales took off, he was able to build his own case to sell in larger retailers.

An $8 beverage may seem overpriced, however, it gave Vybes two key advantages: consumers perceived the beverage as natural and good for them, and retailers were attracted by the high margins.

Vybes ditches traditional beverage and CBD codes to create a visual universe of its own. The team reached this result by exploring the intersection of three design principles:

1. Appealing for all creators

Eppers wanted to create a lifestyle brand around creators and makers. His ethos is simple and effective: “I wanted Vybes to almost look like a fashion accessory in the hands of the consumer, so someone who is a maker, a creator, a trend setter… wants to be seen with Vybes because of the way the packaging looks.”

2. Imprinted with refreshed CBD cues

Instead of following the traditional greeny, leafy aesthetics, Eppers had the vision to truly bring the essence of CBD to life. His team went for a minimal, understated brand that conveys the calming effects this ingredient has on your brain.

3. Rooted in California

Eppers wanted to root the brand in California because of its association with health and wellness. Los Angeles is also home to Vybes, so it was a natural part of the brand story. This origin imprint is especially visible in the choice of colors. Labels take inspiration from the subdued washed out pastels of southern California. In the words of Eppers himself, “The Burning Mandarin orange has a very 6 o’clock glow to it, kind of when like the sun is setting in the summer and you have this kind of beautiful golden glow in the sky… And the Strawberry Lavender red came from a house in the Venice canals that’s painted almost that color.”

Nice work. The result is a beautifully crafted family of glass bottles that instantly transports the user to a relaxed sunset on the Westside. Ocean breeze and all.

According to Eppers, there’s a key trend affecting CPGs: health and wellness. Today there’s a lot of options for consumers on the shelf, but not a lot of them address their health needs- especially when it comes to stress and anxiety. CBD does, and it also checks the boxes of science and advocacy. Therefore, demand is expected to grow. This shift will be supported by retailers— as larger players are seeing the opportunity in adding CBD products to their offerings, they are working on getting FDA authorizations to sell them.

Internationally, CBD is still an unknown ingredient in markets such as Europe, but experts have an eye on what’s going on in the US. When the legal framework settles down, it’s a safe bet that a lot of them will try to bring consolidated brands into the market.

Sources:

Business Wire — https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190115005188/en/
CB Insights — Cannabis for Everything
BevNet — https://www.bevnet.com/reviews/vybes

Images courtesy of Vybes

Some weeks ago I came across a bumper sticker that caught my eye. It read “EDDIE WOULD GO”. Pretty suggestive. Who’s Eddie? Where would he go? I asked about it.

Eddie is the Hawaiian legend Eddie Aikau. A surfer and lifeguard, he rode the biggest waves and saved hundreds of lives. Curious about where he’d go? The answer was staggering. Anywhere he was needed. No matter the danger, EDDIE WOULD GO. To the point that he sacrificed his life at sea in an attempt to save his crew during a 2,500-mile canoe journey.

The thought lingered.

Eddie would go.
Eddie would go.
Eddie would go.

A second one followed. Who are the Eddies of today? And where are they going?

Our partnership with 1% for the Planet has allowed us to meet a great number of Eddies pushing the boundaries to be a force for good. Here are some of the inspiring stories we encountered while attending the community Global Summit in Portland:

Fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world. With Boyish Jeans, Jordan Nodarse is setting a new standard for production practices, while also introducing younger demographics to the sustainability movement through education and making it cool to care. His passion and relentlessness are leaving the kind of impact we all want to see more of. Nothing else.

An estimated 10% of the plastic in the ocean comes from discarded fishing nets. With Bureo, David Stover is building a platform to reduce plastic waste by recycling discarded nets into all sorts of quality products. Besides protecting the ocean, Bureo is also providing a new revenue stream to fisheries in South America, supporting local communities and partnering with leading companies to drive the use of responsible materials. Win. Win. Win.

Following the success of his camera accessories label Peak Design, Peter Dering was determined to make carbon neutrality the new baseline for sustainable brands. With the Climate Neutral badge, he’s offering companies a cheap, easy and transparent way to do it. All they need to do is reduce their carbon emissions where possible and offset the rest. The success of a new industry standard requires major adoption, so let’s all get positive about being neutral.

A packaging-free grocery store might seem utopian, but Brianne Miller and her team have set out to make it a reality. It’s an ambitious mission (suppliers having to rethink their logistics and consumers changing a habit imprinted in their system, not to mention the challenges that come along with scaling the business), but once it clicks there’s no going back. Remember when it was okay to throw recyclables in with the trash?

Awareness | Education | Action. Miranda Massie understands that if you want anyone to take a stand, first you need to expose them to the problem in a visceral way. The Climate Museum brings together art and the environment in a way that’s never been seen before (it’s literally the first museum of its kind in the US) to raise awareness around the climate crisis and inspire action. Time to kickstart a climate of change.

Branding and innovation agency Firma, created Apart for pushing conversations, insights and ideas forward. Apart brings these ideas to life by inviting innovators, creators and pioneers in their field and engaging with the public in interactive conversations.It is, above all, a space for hosting talks, events and sharing ideas that stand at the intersection of creativity, innovation and business.

Every month Apart hosts Firma Talks, its flagship project, by inviting a leader in their area of expertise to give a talk, sharing their personal and professional experiences to inspire new ideas and push innovation forward.