B Corp certification for KDM Brands

Global outdoor, lifestyle and sports company KMD Brands, has announced that it, and all three of its brands, Kathmandu, Rip Curl and Oboz, are now Certified B Corporations.

The KMD Brands group becomes one of the first multinational companies in Australia and New Zealand to have all its brands individually certified.

KMD Brands Managing Director and Group CEO Michael Daly (pictured) said B Corp Certification was a significant achievement because it meant the entire business was now part of a global community of businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental impact, accountability, and transparency.

“At KMD Brands, we continually push ourselves across our group of Brands to be better and being B Corp Certified is recognition of that and of our commitment to balancing people, planet and profit. This is a great achievement for our business and our people,” Daly said.

B Corps are for-profit organisations whose performance is measured across five impact areas: governance, workers, customers, community and the environment. Companies must document their positive impact to apply using the B Impact Assessment tool, and undergo an independent verification process every three years to achieve and maintain certification.

Kathmandu was one of the first outdoor apparel brands in Australia and New Zealand to be B Corp Certified in 2019, and has now re-certified with a significant improvement on its impact that was commended by B Lab, the not-for-profit organisation behind B Corp Certification.

Rip Curl and Oboz have worked hard for a number of years to evolve, expand and improve on their existing practices and policies to achieve B Corp certification for the first time.

“We are a large organisation and have a responsibility to consider the impact of our decisions on all of our customers, our employees, our shareholders, the wider community, and the environment, and being B Corp Certified across our entire business demonstrates that we take this responsibility very seriously, and that we need to continue working hard to retain our certification,” Daly said.

B Lab commended KMD Brands for its commitment to the B Corp movement which is using business as a force for good.

“The entire KMD Brands business is now part of an accelerating global cultural shift to redefine success, build a more inclusive and sustainable economy and use business as a force for good. This certification is a great example of how B Corps like Kathmandu can lead others – Rip Curl and Oboz – to improve theirimpact for people and the planet. We need businesses of all sizes to step up and be accountable and we applaud KMD Brands for doing so,” said Mindy Leow, Acting CEO of B Lab Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

“Achieving B Corp Certification across a large and diverse business like KMD Brands is a credit to them and an inspirational demonstration of how to do better business at scale. Their focus on continuous improvement sets a leading example for other large, global businesses and sends a powerful signal that will further advance change in the retail sector, and our broader global economic system.”