What It Takes to be a B Corp

As stewards of one of the most renewable resources our world offers, we are keenly aware of the opportunities we have to incorporate sustainability into our everyday practices. At Swift Printing Company, sustainability is top of mind but that goes even further than environmental sustainability – we are a proud B Corp! Let’s dig into what that means for us.

What is a B Corporation?

Here's the definition provided by B Lab, the nonprofit behind B Corps: Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.

In 2022, MLive Media reported that there were 26 B Corp certified businesses in Michigan, including Swift Printing Company. This certification is rising in ranks and notoriety because it will truly matter in the future. Businesses that have learned how to put community before profits, or recognize that both can coexist, will lead the way for generations to come.

More Than A Certification

We proudly share our B Corp status! It takes a lot of hard work to become certified B Corp, and it’s not a one-time thing. Not only is it a very in-depth application (and re-application!) process, but they up the stakes each time and push companies to do even more. We were first certified as a B Corp in 2017 after internal conversations and exploration of their program (shoutout to Local First for marketing it and WG2 for the push!). For us, it’s a great challenge to continually think outside the box and dream up new ways we can incorporate environmental practices into our business.

“It’s important to us because we have a real passion for sustainability,” says president Jessica Gutowski-Slaydon, a Grand Rapids Zoo School Graduate. “But even more than we love the impact, we love that we are not just saying it, but we’re proving it through this certification program.”

The B Corp certification goes beyond environmental sustainability - think community involvement, overall well-being of employees and social justice.

A Look into Swift’s B Corp Certification

At Swift, our focus is always on our employees, customers and our community. With our B Corp certification in our pocket, it serves as our roadmap and gut check in everything we do. 

“I like the transparency element of it,” says Jes of the B Corp certification program. “It would be easy to say we do the right thing and move on. With B Corp, someone reviews our metrics to give a thumbs up or push us to be better. Also, there wasn’t a ton of changes we had to make as companies that choose to be a Bcorp generally already have that vibe.”

Our mindset is always on print – how we optimize our outputs, combine print jobs to save paper and save budget for our customers, and how we track our FSC paper and recycling rates. At Swift, we have the space so are able to save scraps for other uses. For example, when we printed those iconic bag mailers for Bridge Street Market, we saved the scraps and were able to donate them to Grand Rapids Pubic School Foundation for kids to use as index cards.

It’s important to our team to try to get every usable piece of paper used at least once before being recycled.” says Slaydon. “Sure, it’d be easier to just dump into the recycle bin, but that’s just not the Swift way.”

Some other places that have recently received the paper scraps are: Grand Rapids Museum, ArtPrize, ACT & Lakes Elementary.

The Future is Bright at Swift Printing Company 

No business is perfect, we still have a lot of work to do, but the needle keeps moving in the right direction. We continue to focus on deeper roots in our West Michigan community – and our B Corp certification – close to our hearts and business plan. This summer, we are proud to share that we are re-certified as a B Corp and continue to be part of that small group of Michigan businesses with this level of commitment. 

If you’re a local business owner interested in sustainability or becoming a B Corp, reach out to us! We love to talk all things sustainability (and paper!).