OKA x B-Corp: Prioritising People and Planet

March is B-Corp Month, a time for sustainability-conscious companies like ours to come together and celebrate what it means to lead the way in responsible business practices. The timeless, last-a-lifetime pieces you’ll find in our collection are the result of our intentional collaborations with craftspeople around the world, and they’re created in ways that do right by both planet and people – including future generations. Let’s shine the spotlight on some of the things we’re doing to stay true to this commitment.

What Is a B-Corp? 

A quick explanation to start with: B-Corp stands for B-Corporation, and it’s a movement of businesses who’ve pledged to put people and planet on an equal footing with profit. We’ve been a Certified B-Corp since 2023, marking a major milestone on our sustainability journey. It reflects our on-going dedication to reducing our impact on the planet and contributing positively to the communities we come into contact with. Even meeting the stringent standards needed for certification still leaves more that can be done; but, with every little action counting, we’re committed to making better choices every day. 

Furniture That’s Built To Last 

Reducing our impact on the planet starts by designing timeless pieces that rise above trends and will stand the test of time, so that they shouldn’t need replacing. Ours will wear in, not wear out, only getting better over time and forming part of your home for a long time to come – particularly when they’re looked after with reference to our thoughtful care guides. That’s why we source the highest-quality materials, such as our beautiful types of wood, use fabrics that will age beautifully, and build in recycled materials where possible.  

When our pieces do need a little TLC, we’ve made it simple to prolong their life through our on-going Spare Parts Project, which means we can repair them here in our warehouse or even in your home. We repaired 700 products in 2023 alone, and we also help rehome our products to community projects and charities when you feel it’s time for a change.

Reducing Packaging and Waste 

Reducing what we send to landfill is a key part of minimising our impact on the planet, and that goes for both the pieces we create and what we package them in. So, our popular Outlet stores and warehouse sales are about more than just giving you the chance to pick up sample and old season stock at bargain prices – they’re also about giving our seconds the chance to become a much-loved part of people’s homes instead of going to landfill. 

As for packaging, we’ve switched to 100% paper retail bags, which you can recycle from home, and we’re reusing cardboard and flat-packed boxes in our stores and warehouse. We’ve also reduced the amount of paper we use by 27.1 tonnes, and expanded polystyrene by 5.2 tonnes. 

Supporting the People Behind Our
Products 

Creating unique pieces that take pride of place in people’s homes is our raison d’etre, but we couldn’t do it without our makers. Each piece in our collection is the result of the collaborations we’ve nurtured around the world with traditional artisans whose craftsmanship has been honed over generations. In bringing their incredible designs to your home, we’re careful to champion their craft and make sure their stories take centre stage. 

That commitment to people is reflected in the longevity of our relationships with suppliers, the top ten of which have been independently audited to ensure they’re complying with human and labour rights in China, India, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Holding Ourselves Accountable 

We’re conscious of our carbon emissions, particularly given that we source our beautiful designs from around the world. That’s why we offset our emissions by contributing to two global projects: The Great Bear Forest Carbon Project and the Guatemalan Conservation Coast Project.

We’ve also set ourselves achievable Science Based Targets that align with the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to a 1.5 degree increase by 2030. To that end, 56.2% of our emissions were from renewable sources in 2022, compared with 2% in the previous year. 

If you’re interested in finding out more about our on-going efforts to make our impact on people and planet a positive one, feel free to have a read of our full sustainability report.