“Towards impact and beyond…” This is how one could sum up the common lineage adopted between ChangeNOW and B Lab!

On the one hand, there is a desire to federate, connect and multiply the synergies between the various impact players; on the other, there is a desire to support, provide tools and develop reading and action grids for greater commitment in companies. And in common, a great ambition to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable world.

Today, we, B Lab & ChangeNOW, would like to invite you to join our ecosystems. Companies, whether you are committed, in transition, questioning, motivated, lacking tools or networks: you are not alone. Join us in building a regenerative and inclusive economy that works for everyone.

Beyond speaking out loud, we want to give a voice to the business leaders who are initiating change in our ecosystems. Therefore, we interviewed 3 actors of our cross-communities to ask them why, and how, they manifest their impact on a daily basis in their companies. Alexandre Mars for Blisce, Clara Bardiau for the Skateroom and Belinda Christine Borck for Tony’s Chocolonely tell us about their commitment through a series of 3 pieces. Discover here the journey of Clara Bardiau, Impact Manager @ The Skateroom

Is The Skateroom the cool kids’ revenge on the world?

Yes, it definitely is! The Skateroom was born out of a revolutionary idea with a social mission at its core: with up to 10% of its sales, to support projects such as Skateistan, combining skateboarding and education. Especially back then when social entrepreneurship was not the norm.

Now, you may ask yourself: why skateboarding? The power of it is that it has so many positive side effects on individuals practicing it but also on communities surrounded by the discipline. It encourages resilience and brings confidence, improves mental health, and can even help deal with trauma. Skateboarding is an inclusive non-competitive sport, with no barriers or codes related to gender, race, background, or status and stimulates social interaction. 

Clara, you are an Impact Manager: how do you manage impact? 

When I first heard about The Skateroom, the job sounded ideal: ‘combining art with skateboards whilst creating social impact? That’s my thing!’ I had no idea that skateboarding could generate such a positive outcome for so many individuals.

Today, my job is all about advancing and improving our sustainability practices as a company, whether it’s through supporting our social skate partners, being actively conscious of our environmental practices and carbon footprint, through our role as a social enterprise. It is about maintaining our ideals as a responsible company and B Corporation and keeping our team informed about the latest sustainability developments. For a generation like mine challenged by awareness and guilt of our system, it brings hope to realise business can contribute to the greater good. 

The Skateroom will have reached its dream when…

Each year, we grow – by acknowledging our strengths while addressing our flaws -, and each year we are getting closer to our goal: supporting the 200 socially-skate projects needing support to thrive. By scaling up our model with others, we would leverage the necessary resources to be able to fund these projects by the Olympic Games in 2024. 

That would already be the first big step of what The Skateroom has been dreaming for. But I believe our duty – not only as a company but as citizens of the world – to keep on building a sustainable future is a never ending one. 

Why ChangeNOW, why B Lab? 

I believe that the strongest value of this ecosystem is the synergies it builds. Ultimately, we all have the same goal, and yes every little step counts, but by sharing practices and joining forces, we can be best for the world, together.

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Willing to know more about how to engage and commit at work? Here are a few ideas for you to know more :

• Read Alexandre and Belinda’s full articles.
• Join us online for the next ChangeNOW Summit on May 27-29, and sign up with a business pass to enjoy the best networking experience: https://www.changenow.world/summit-passes/ 
• And start measuring what really matters: https://bimpactassessment.net/