Flow Beverage Corp Could Be The Sustainable Beverage Company That Checks All The Boxes For ESG Investors

Flow Beverage Corp. FLWBF was founded in 2014 with a mission to be the first social water brand, committed to not just providing the highest quality water but to do it with the lowest possible ecological footprint and benefiting communities while doing so. 

Its sustainably-sourced water, eco-friendly packaging and ambitious social and environmental goals make it a popular favorite for environmental, social and governance (ESG) investors. Here’s a look at what the brand is doing to earn its rank among the top 5% sustainable companies in the world.

An Eco-Friendly And Recyclable Package

Water in a Tetra Pak format isn’t just a trendy design, the packaging offers a lot of advantages over the traditional single use plastic bottle or aluminum can, which are not made from renewable materials. Flow’s cartons are currently made from 68% renewable materials , and while it’s cap may look and feel like plastic, it is actually made with sugarcane and is 100% biodegradable.  The Company’s  goal is to develop a 100% renewable pack by 2030. 

Making the package is also a more eco-friendly process. Flow says its cartons boast a carbon footprint that’s four times lower than plastic, five times lower than aluminum, and more than eight times lower than glass. Flow is also committed to making its processing more efficient to minimize the resources used. That includes using renewable energy sources and carbon offsets for net zero emissions and a goal of recycling 98% of processing water by 2025.

A Tireless Commitment To Responsible Water Management

What really sets Flow apart is the beverage company’s commitment to sustainable water management. It works with ecologists and hydrologists to monitor the springs and surrounding habitats where Flow’s naturally alkaline water is sourced. Then, Flow takes steps to minimize its impact by improving production efficiency and committing to minimum sustainable usage of those springs. Currently, it extracts just 2% of total water capacity from springs per year, a minimal usage rate meant to ensure that the spring can continue to provide safe, clean drinking water for generations to come. 

Finally, the company works to improve the health of the springs and their ecosystems by planting trees and native plants as well as protecting the natural flow of the spring. The company also partners with other organizations on river cleanup and watershed restoration projects. 

A Top 5% Certified B Corp Maintaining The Highest ESG Standards

First certified in 2017, the sustainable water brand now ranks among the global top 5% of certified B corporations, making the annual “Best for the World” list in 2021 and 2022 along with companies like Patagonia. With an overall impact score of 126.5 in its latest impact assessment, the company is going above and beyond the minimum standards needed to qualify. 

Flow is determined to increase that score by 30% in 2025. Doing so would put it among the highest scoring publicly traded companies in the world, regardless of industry. 

B Corp certification is one of the most rigorous and comprehensive measures of a company’s whole social and environmental impact. To be certified, a company must go through an in-depth review process that scores its business across a comprehensive set of ESG standards including environmental management practices, eco-friendly operations, community engagement, workplace safety, worker-friendly business models and a positive impact on local economies. 

While the median score for an ordinary business is about 50, the minimum score to be considered for certification is 80. With the need to recertify via an updated impact assessment every three years, the rigorous certification ensures companies maintain or improve on those high standards. 

For ESG investors, B Corp certification is a great tool for investment research because transparency standards ensure you have access to detailed reports—like Flow’s annual Sustainability and Accounting Standards Board (SASB) report—to find out if a company lives up to its ESG claims. 

Even if you’re not digging into the reports, B Corp is a handy screening tool for finding companies that are the most committed to ESG standards. B Corp certified stocks like Etsy ETSY, Natura NTCO, and Lemonade LMND are easier to screen according to an investor’s personal ESG priorities because B Lab maintains public profile pages on each certified company, breaking down its performance across five impact categories. 

Featured photo by mrjn Photography on Unsplash

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