Amika announces b corp certification

amika, the Brooklyn-based hair care brand, announces its B Corp accreditation with an industry-leading score of 99.2. B Corp certification is a high standard of excellence for social and environmental responsibility, and amika continues to further its mission of being a friend to hair, hairstylists, the planet, and our communities through this certification.

"We've transformed amika in a matter of a few years, from the beginning of our CSR journey in 2018 to achieving one of the greatest validations of becoming a certified B Corp brand,” said Chelsea Riggs, amika’s brand president. “In 2022 we qualified for the highly respected Clean at Sephora seal, further confirming our safe, responsible, and efficacious approach to formulating products. This progress is remarkable and a huge testament to our entire organisation's commitment and passion on this journey. We hope to inspire more hair companies to become B Corp certified and shift the industry as a whole." 

To qualify for B Corp certification, companies are evaluated across five categories, and need at least 80 points combined from all five categories to be applicable for certification; an average score is 50.9. amika achieved a score of 99.2 points—exceeding the industry expected scores due to incorporating all five B Corp facets into the brand’s DNA and investing equally in these categories across the brand.

The categories considered in B Corp certification include:

• Environment – how environmental stewardship is measured. amika uses PCR plastics, partners with recycling program TerraCycle®, is certified Climate Neutral, has pledged to be Net Zero by 2030, and is vegan and cruelty-free.
• Workers – how employees are treated. amika offers 401k matching, paid parental leave (including for miscarriage + abortion), and competitive PTO and healthcare benefits.
• Community – relationships with vendors, suppliers, and the community a company works in. amika partners with HairToStay, an organization that raises awareness and funds for scalp-cooling treatment, which significantly reduces hair loss during chemotherapy.
• Customers – the protections a company gives to the public. amika has implemented privacy data settings, warranties, feedback, and quality control to ensure the best possible experiences for our community.
• Governance (transparency) – how a company is governed. amika emphasises transparency both with its customers and within the organisation—for example, sharing the results of its clinical and safety testing. The brand also protects investments and initiatives with strong mission drivers and ethical concerns.

“For amika, B Corp certification felt like a natural path to move forward,” said Jamie Richards, CSR and sustainability lead for amika. “While often associated with sustainability, B Corp certification goes beyond that and measures our ethics and morals to our workers, community, customers, and higher governance structure. So many of B Corp’s principles were already in practice at amika, and the certification acts as the seal of approval that we are in fact a friend to her, him, them, and the planet.” 

amika has established additional initiatives in its commitment to environmental responsibility. In 2022, amika received Climate Neutral certification, measuring its greenhouse gas emissions, purchasing eligible verified carbon credits to offset that footprint, and implementing plans to reduce emissions in its pledge to be Net Zero by 2030. Additionally, the brand was certified Clean at Sephora—a collection of brands at the retailer that comply with Sephora’s rigorous guidelines, which focus on transparency in formulation, sourcing and the avoidance of certain ingredients that are known or suspected to be potentially harmful to people or the environment.

In Autumn 2020, amika launched a free, national recycling program for its haircare packaging in partnership with TerraCycle®, the international recycling leader. TerraCycle is an innovative waste management company with a mission to eliminate the idea of waste–disposing of the brand’s packaging in an environmentally-conscious way.

Why not read our tips on three ways to talk to clients about sustainability?