Navigating the Waters of Responsibility: B Corps at the Crossroads of Environmental Accountability

The recent findings by Sungai Watch regarding Aqua, a B Corp-certified bottled water brand owned by Danone, which topped the audit of Indonesia's biggest plastic polluters (B Corp Certified Aqua Tops Audit), presents significant implications for the B Corp community. This situation underscores the complex challenges B Corps face in aligning business practices with environmental stewardship and the B Corp principles of social and environmental impact.

First Implication: Strengthening Accountability and Transparency

The Aqua case highlights the need for B Corps to enhance their accountability and transparency, especially in environmental matters. While B Corps commit to higher standards of purpose, accountability, and transparency, instances like this stress that it's essential for B Corps to reassess their environmental impact strategies and ensure they are designed well, implemented effectively, and reflected accurately in their public disclosures.

Second Implication: Reevaluating Supply Chain and Waste Management Practices

This incident serves as a wake-up call for B Corps to rigorously reevaluate their supply chain and waste management practices. The presence of Aqua-branded bottles in Indonesian rivers in large quantities indicates a gap in waste management and recycling efforts. B Corps should view this as an opportunity to innovate and strengthen their supply chain sustainability, ensuring that product life cycles do not contribute to environmental degradation but instead promote ecological health. This includes improving waste collection infrastructure, enhancing recycling processes, and considering the product's end-of-life impact during the design phase.

Third Implication: Leveraging Collective Action for Greater Impact

Finally, the Aqua situation illustrates the power of collective action. The B Corp community can leverage this moment to collaborate and drive broader systemic changes, not just within individual companies but across industries and regions. By working together, B Corps can develop and share best practices, advocate for improved waste management policies, and support initiatives that reduce plastic pollution, particularly in vulnerable ecosystems like Indonesia's rivers. This collaborative approach aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and Goal 14 (Life Below Water) and amplifies the collective impact of the B Movement.

At Piercing Sun Consulting we work to build local collectives and specialize in guiding small and midsize companies in proactively addressing these issues. We want our clients to live their values, protect the environment, reduce their risk, engage passionate employees, cultivate loyal customers, and leave a beautiful legacy for future generations.