Some of WE-AR’s Bali team taking part in Fashion Revolution Week. Image supplied.
WE-AR have been always been an ethically produced brand and founder and designer, Jyoti Morningstar, is excited to announce that WE-AR recently achieved B CORP certification status. What that means is WE-AR’s social and environmental performance has been certified by a non-profit called B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency which is a fantastic achievement. This announcement is also particularly timely during Fashion Revolution Week when the world is focused on the ethics and transparency of the fashion industry.
For WE-AR the process of gaining B CORP certification took several months and now that it’s achieved they will be regularly monitored to the same strict standards. During the process WE-AR formalised numerous processes and structures, collating and comparing a vast amount of key information, and then assessing their whole business and supply chain using B Corps lengthy and thorough business, social and environmental audit process.
“The path to B Corp certification was an affirming and inspiring experience for us,” says WE-AR Designer and Founder Jyoti Morningstar. “We gained insight into how much we have already achieved with our efforts in ethics and sustainability over the years, and how much this has helped our team, our communities in Bali and New Zealand and in many small ways, the planet already”
WE-AR joins a growing community of more than 1900 B corporations from over 50 countries which are essentially for-profit companies that pledge to achieve social goals as well as business ones. These companies are important because they inspire all businesses to aim higher in terms of ethics, transparency and sustainability which are crucial areas for many industries but especially historically polluting and exploitative ones like the fashion industry.
B Corps businesses meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability, and aspire to use the power of markets to solve social and environmental problems. While for some companies applying for B Corp status means rethinking and adjusting their businesses in major ways, WE-AR had to make very few changes to their already existing practices as their operations have always been guided by their own ethical business mission and policy standards, which were already very much in sync with the B Corp ethos and standards.
“As a lifelong yogi, I wanted to see what was possible if I designed a business from the ground up on the principles of non-violence, fairness and holistic sustainability,” adds Morningstar. “It’s endlessly amazing being part of this coming to fruition in the success of WE-AR. Being recognised and celebrated for the passion and hard work it’s taken, by an organisation as prestigious as B Corp is totally affirming and also a great honour. Our whole team feels empowered by the energy of this meaningful and change-making movement.”
Jyoti Morningstar (left) working on a WE-AR design with her team.
Images supplied.