Sustainability is the reason why we do the things we do.
It’s deeply embedded in our products, our culture and the way we do business. We believe in reaching outside our company to influence not only what people eat, but the way they think and act. We believe that business should be fun, fair and profitable. Money is not an endpoint. It’s the fuel to make a positive lasting change in our community, our environment and our employees.
Over the years our founder Ian Walker and the entire LCO family have asked over and over again, “How can we do better?” (Sometimes we actually have to tell Ian to stop asking so often – but we know he won’t stop and we like it that way.)
We do what’s called an Environmental Footprint Assessment to figure out where we can make the biggest impact. Sometimes the answers are surprising. Over the years we have taken steps to reduce the size of said footprint.
We ask all of our partners, farmers and suppliers to complete our sustainability scorecard which is a critical factor in determining whether an organization is a good fit for LCO.
We get to know our partners and farmers to make sure they are values-aligned and also believe in working to make this world a better place.
- In 2010 we renovated our offices creating LEED-certified environments for our employees with more efficient heating, non-toxic paint and floor finishes, ventilation and low-energy natural lighting.
- We became a proud member of the Bullfrog Power Network for our electricity and natural gas needs. That means wherever possible our energy comes from clean renewable sources.
- Over the years we have tried to reduce how much waste we create and have asked our partners to do the same. From the size of our bags and boxes and what they are made of to how we can recycle and compost more and throw out less.
Part of being a sustainable company and attracting the best people means a happy and healthy workforce. We work pretty hard but we got it pretty good too.
- Some of us have flexible work schedules
- We get paid time off at the holidays (even Festivus)
- We all get full health benefits
- We get awesome environmental incentives to do stuff like cycle to work, take transit, carpool, buy organic groceries. (We even get $100 every 3 years toward a new bike!)
- We get onsite, free massages once a month
- We have an onsite gym and weekly small group training sessions.
- We throw great parties
This might sound like bragging, but really it is a great place to work. We are happy, real people and we believe it shows in our products AND on our bottom line.
We love our Community!
We show it as often as we can by donating 5% of our profits for community projects that have a positive lasting impact on the environment and youth. Over the years we have made donations to the following charities.
- Big Brothers – Teen Mentoring Program
- Canadian Organic Trade Association
- Certified Organic Association of BC
- Farm Folk City Folk
- Museum of Vancouver – Local Food Homegrown Exhibit
- Nature Conservancy of Canada
- Organic Trade Association
- Take a Hike Foundation
- Youth for Sustainability
We try to put our time where our money goes too. Every LCO employee is given three (paid) days a year to volunteer for the cause of their choice.
And of course, any product we can’t use goes to the Vancouver Food Bank.
We could not be happier that we are a founding Canadian B-Corp. Basically, being a B-Corp means making all of this stuff that we think is important, the environment, community, social responsibility, employee welfare, into a primary way we measure our success. And it gives us a way to hold ourselves accountable to our goals.
When we write it all down, it seems like a lot. But really we do most of it because it’s what we do. It’s just the right way to do business.