NEWS

Sustainability at Rich Brilliant Willing.

In 2019, New York lighting manufacturer Rich Brilliant Willing became a certified B Corporation. B Corporations are held to high standards of ecological and social accountability, setting the sustainability bar for companies across the globe.

But that’s not all that RBW is doing for the planet – the company runs on ‘kaizen’, a Japanese principle which it defines as ‘a philosophy of continuous improvement’.

For Rich Brilliant Willing, kaizen is about reducing waste wherever possible – this means using sustainable raw resources, energy efficient technology and waste-reduction manufacturing. In partnership with Sustainable Business Consulting, RBW has analyzed its operations and set a goal to reduce their carbon emissions by up to 9% by 2022.

By using LED technology, RBW creates lighting that uses 1/4 of the energy of traditional halogen bulbs. They’re currently exploring the use of sensor technology, which deactivates lighting when not in use and dims it when daylight is detected. This further reduces energy consumption and promotes a smaller carbon footprint.

Since 2015, rather than use harmful plastics or EPS foams, RBW has packaged their best-selling sconces in Ecovative foam, a biodegradable material grown from the root structure of mushrooms. They’re also sourcing their materials within a 300-mile radius and undertaking 70% of their manufacturing in-house to reduce fuel consumption.

RBW also offers a liveable wage, far exceeding the manufacturing industry standard in North America. Free health insurance plans are given to full-time employees as well as up to 12 weeks of paid time off and 12 weeks of parental leave for new parents, including adoptive parents.

And, to top it all off, women hold 40% of leadership positions across the board. 

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