Bodegraven, NL, May 11, 2023 - BOSKA Food Tools, the manufacturer of award-winning cheesewares, chocowares, pizza tools, kitchen knives, and more, releases its first Impact Report as a certified B Corp™ since the company’s December 2022 designation. Detailing the progress of civic and sustainable initiatives, BOSKA aims to be transparent and accountable as the organization shares its dedication to continuous improvement and their “Quality = Sustainability” vision. With the company’s B Corp™ and materiality assessments, BOSKA’s goal is to demonstrate how the company prioritizes people, the environment, and society, while further defining how to improve their social and environmental impact.
A Continuous Journey
To become a B Corp™, a company must meet high standards of verified performance in the area of governance, workers, community, customers and environment with a minimum score of 80 on a scale of 0 to 200. Increasing from 44 points in 2021 to 88.9 points in November 2022, BOSKA now has one of the most difficult, esteemed certifications with respect to social and sustainability performance. However, BOSKA acknowledges the B Corp™ status is an ongoing journey and a commitment to continuous innovation in order to make lasting, positive change.
“It was eight years after meeting the incredibly inspiring founders of B Corp™ that we realized the solution for a sustainable BOSKA—and a sustainable world—was something we already had in our veins: quality,” says Martijn Bos, owner of BOSKA. “We’ve made impressive progress by becoming a certified B Corp™, but we recognize that there is still plenty left to do. We’ll continue to strive to become better and work hard to achieve our ambitious goals for the future.”
“Holding ourselves accountable and being transparent about our process with our stakeholders motivates us to improve each day, work towards positive impact, and have a bit of fun along the way,” continues Bos. “Our hope is that sharing our challenges and advances will help inspire the industry and global community to enact change.”
Reducing Environmental Impact
BOSKA always aspires to carry out environmentally friendly improvements that help make the future more sustainable and have a positive impact on the world around them. Sustainability is taken into consideration from all aspects of business from product manufacturing to office and employee practices.
The mission "Quality is Sustainability" is the belief that a customer will never have to repurchase a BOSKA food tool which helps reduce waste and energy loss. This strategy applies to every angle of production from the materials BOSKA uses including wood, stone, steel, and ceramic to shifting to plastic-free packaging entirely made of natural resources, and the transportation of goods. Though steel and ceramic have higher CO2 emissions, BOSKA ensures their food tools will last a lifetime, thus reducing overall waste on the planet and transport emissions. Transitioning the assortment from a 10 year guarantee to a lifetime guarantee is an essential part of this process as well. BOSKA products are now designed in a neutral, timeless style with ultimate functionality to enjoy for generations and consciously refrains from following trends that change from season to season.
At the Netherlands office, BOSKA uses 100% green energy generated from Dutch wind to reduce emissions by more than 60% compared to 2021. In addition to significantly reducing gas consumption amongst the team, BOSKA conducts other small in-office actions such as installing lights with timers, LED lighting, power-saving computers, and improving office insulation to make a meaningful impact. BOSKA also has a 14% decrease in CO2 emissions compared to 2021 related to commuting to and from the office, business travel, and creating the products, including processing, packaging and transport. This comes as a result of several factors like revising the product line with a relative % of CO2 emissions higher than the relative % of revenue, using minimal packaging, and the reduction of material use and waste during production to boost industrial efficiency.
Offsetting CO2 Emissions:
To help offset BOSKA’s current CO2 emissions, the company works with the non-profit Justdiggit to restore degraded landscapes with nature-based solutions in the Dodoma and Singida regions of central Tanzania. Working closely alongside local communities, Justdiggit jumpstarts projects that regenerate vegetation through various location-dependent techniques that help preserve biodiversity, improve livelihoods and positively impact climate change. BOSKA’s program supports villages throughout the region, helping to make farming practices more sustainable and rehabilitates degrading landscapes.
With BOSKA’s €277,038 donation over the four year partnership, the program will replant 154,340 trees in Tanzania. This number of trees will sequester an estimated 31.420 tons of CO2 and save three billion liters of water over the next 20 years. The program also positively impacts thousands of local people by improving the soil and crop yields as well as providing households with a sustainable source of wood.
Investing In Workplace Culture And Employees:
BOSKA passionately believes that employees drive the innovation and growth that the organization needs. By providing a supportive and inclusive work environment, BOSKA encourages diverse perspectives that can spark creativity and help the organization spot and seize new opportunities. In addition to professional development through ongoing education and training programs, BOSKA continues to make overall well-being a priority. From encouraging workers to participate in health and wellness activities during the workweek to flexible schedules, remote work, and part-time options, BOSKA promotes a culture of work-life balance and prioritizing self-care.
During the first half of 2023, BOSKA is training employees on B Corp™ best practices. In the second half of the year, the company aims to provide more training opportunities to develop new personal skills, including stress management, resilience, personal financial planning and more. Employees also receive a paid day off per year to volunteer and BOSKA aims to get at least 10% employee participation in 2023.
Charitable Contributions:
BOSKA prioritizes helping individuals and organizations that positively impact society by supporting causes and initiatives that promote social welfare, education, and other prominent issues. Currently committing 0.1% of revenues to charity, 59% of BOSKA’s cash donations were distributed to projects in the Netherlands and the remaining 41% to projects in Africa. BOSKA aims to increase donations to 0.2% in the coming years.
Charting A Path Forward:
To progressively move towards an impact business model, BOSKA aims to effectively measure the percentage of satisfied and engaged employees and retention rate, provide internal training on ESG aspects and include ESG in KPIs as well as promoting volunteer services and increasing revenue donations. On the environmental level, BOSKA is employing an avoidance (minimize), rehabilitate, and offset strategy, while continuing to increase positive impact on a social level. The company aims to enact actions including product (re)design, smarter production processes, less packaging, sustainable shipping, and production closer to natural resources or the end-user.
"Quality = Sustainability" - Food Tools for Life
