Oboz Footwear, the True to the Trail® outdoor footwear company headquartered in Bozeman, MT, has joined the B Corp™ community of companies using business as a Force for Good®.
“Achieving B Corp certification is an incredible milestone and the culmination of our team’s hard work and ongoing collaborations across our entire network of suppliers and partners,” said Amy Beck, Oboz Footwear president. “B Corp certification is another step in a long journey to becoming the best corporate and global citizen we can be.”
B Corps are for-profit organizations 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.
While Oboz officially entered its journey towards B Corp certification in 2021, it has been acting as a Force for Good since its founding in 2007. From the beginning, Oboz has planted a tree for every pair of shoes sold and to date has planted over 5 million trees. The brand continues to not only be mindful of the environment through its materials and operations decisions, but has also made progress in its social and community related initiatives.
Through partnerships with organizations such as Black Folks Camp Too, The Conservation Alliance, and the Continental Divide Trail Coalition, Oboz has been able to exact change on the greater good in its local, outdoor and greater communities.
“We are very proud of what we have achieved, and we know there is a lot of room for additional collaboration and impact,” added Beck. “Being a part of the B Corp community – and its rigorous certification process – keeps us focused and accountable while connecting us with a broad network of businesses that inspire us and others to continue to push each other for the greater good.”
Oboz has identified climate, circularity, and community as initial areas for improvement. In terms of climate and circularity, Oboz is focusing its attention on material choices and science-aligned targets and emission reductions within its operations and value chain. As for community, Oboz is working to expand its healthcare benefits offering and working to increase employee diversity among other community related goals.
Oboz’s certification comes simultaneously with the B Corp certification of its parent company, KMD Brands, and each of its sister brands, Rip Curl and Kathmandu, who received their certification and recertification respectively.
“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,” said Jodi Beasley, Sr Director of Community, B Lab U.S. & Canada. “Their focus on continuous improvement sets a leading example for other businesses and sends a powerful signal that will further advance change in the outdoor, lifestyle and sports sectors, and our broader global economic system.”
To learn more about Oboz’s environmental, social and corporate governance initiatives, visit www.obozfootwear.com.
About Oboz Footwear
Founded in 2007, Oboz Footwear builds ‘True to the Trail®’ outdoor footwear inspired by the vast 18-million-acre Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem surrounding the company’s Bozeman, Montana home. This rugged wilderness inspires Oboz to build shoes and boots that deliver unmatched fit, unrivaled feel and exceptional performance on any trail, anywhere. Oboz is a certified B Corp and plants a tree for every pair of shoes sold. For more information, visit obozfootwear.com.
