Burton Snowboards Announces B Corp Recertification
Burton is proud to announce its recertification as a Certified B Corporation. Broadly recognized as the gold standard for doing business as a force for good, B Corps are committed to meeting high standards of social and environmental impact.
“I feel strongly that the way our business impacts the planet and our global snowboard community is equally as important as the design and quality of Burton products,” said Donna Carpenter, owner of Burton. “All of us at Burton are very proud to be a part of the growing B Corp movement because it means our family-owned company is contributing to making business practices more equitable, socially responsible and transparent.”
To maintain B Corp certification, Burton participates in a B Impact Assessment process every three years, evaluating everything from the company’s operations and business model impact on workers, community, environment and customers to supply chain, employee benefits and charitable giving.
Burton’s dedication to goal-setting, trailblazing and follow-through is clear— while B Lab’s standards and certification process became more rigorous since 2019, Burton’s overall score increased 18%. That includes being certified as a global brand in 2019, and now being recertified at a regional level: an evaluation process that dug deep into the company’s HR policies, facilities, and operations in North America, Europe and Asia with high scores.
“Burton’s B Corp recertification demonstrates that we are living our values,” said Emily Foster, Director of Environmental & Social Impact for Burton. “This is not a flash-in-the-pan marketing story— this is about making lasting positive change to our business model and operations, and affecting every way we do business. The future we need is only possible if we transform the status quo.”
For decades, Burton has chosen to take the path that minimizes its footprint while making a positive impact on people, planet and sport. To protect the planet and the mountains, Burton has taken an active role on positive climate policy, working closely with Protect Our Winters and several other organizations to influence lawmakers to take positive action on the climate crisis. Burton has been pushing its own responsible manufacturing practices by purchasing environmentally preferred materials, sourcing 100% renewable energy for the North American Offices and stores, and finding solutions to keep products in use longer.
Since becoming a B Corp in 2019, Burton has taken the company’s sustainability efforts to a global level of ambition and leadership, setting carbon reduction goals aligned with the Science Based Target Initiative. In 2020, Burton conducted the company’s first comprehensive global carbon emissions baseline and has set 2030 carbon reduction targets that cover greenhouse gas emissions from all Burton facilities, operations, and supply chains.
For every element of Burton’s values, B Corp recertification is an important tool for accountability. From safe working conditions throughout its supply chain to ensuring factories meet high international human rights standards, Burton is investing in improving the lives of everyone the company engages with. In 2019, Burton became an accredited member of the Fair Labor Association. In addition to maintaining responsible sourcing standards, Burton set a goal for all Burton employees, contractors and workers at major supplier factories to be paid a living wage by 2025.
When it comes to giving back to support the community, Burton commits $2M of profits annually to support values-aligned organizations doing work that positively impacts people, planet, and the sport of snowboarding. As a part of its ongoing Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) work, the company has dedicated $300,000 over three years to increase BIPOC representation in snowboarding and launched the annual Culture Shifters event to bring together BIPOC people and share perspectives on how to make snowboarding a more inclusive sport. Burton celebrated Pride by amplifying LGBTQ+ voices from employees and ambassadors on the importance of visibility in the outdoors, and partnered with The Venture Out Project, a nonprofit organization that helps LGBTQ+ individuals safely experience the outdoors. Recognizing that coordinated JEDI efforts is a powerful pathway toward lasting change, Burton played a founding role in establishing the Outdoor Diversity Alliance— a coalition of like-minded companies working to address systemic issues across the outdoors industry, and increase equity and inclusion. Finally, The Chill Foundation, a non-profit youth development program which Burton owner Donna Carpenter founded nearly 30 years ago, is focused on increasing diversity in boardsports by opening doors to participation and job opportunities in the industry.
And because there is always more progress to be made, Burton has established its 2025 goals to align with the B Corp framework. Across all facets of the company, Burton is working to ensure a reduced footprint, taking care of the people who work with the brand and access for all to enjoy the sport and environment it takes place in.
For more information on Burton’s sustainability goals, visit Burton.com. To learn more about the B Corp movement, head here.
