Buzz from the Hive: B Corp Recertified + Our 2025 Impact Report

Over the past decade, companies have flooded the market with claims of being “sustainable” or “purpose driven.” Corporate Sustainability Reports and Impact Reports have become table stakes. ESG funds have grown rapidly. For those of us who’ve worked in sustainability for years, this momentum has felt like progress.

Some of this shift comes from new regulations, but much of it is driven by marketing. Brands want to appeal to a growing group of people who care deeply about our future. Yet for consumers, it’s increasingly difficult to tell which companies are walking the talk—and which are simply borrowing the language of impact. As a result, people who care most have also become the most skeptical of sustainability claims.

That’s why third-party, independent certifications emerged: to verify how companies actually operate. Examples span industries and sectors and include certifications like USDA organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, Fair Trade, Cradle to Cradle, LEED, Carbon Neutral…the list goes on. These certifications were meant to add clarity, but they’ve also created confusion. Consumers struggle to know which badges truly matter. And for businesses, keeping up with multiple certifications is time-consuming and costly.

Why B Corp Matters

B Corp certification is different because it’s holistic, covering almost every facet of a business. It’s not a logo you buy or a one-time achievement. Every three years, B Lab requires a full recertification—and asks tough, substantive questions:

• Are you and your suppliers operating ethically and transparently?
• Are you reducing waste and avoiding harmful chemicals or toxins?
• Are your employees supported and fairly compensated?
• Do you protect customer data?
• Are you genuinely improving your community—or just claiming to?

We’re proud to share that Project Hive Pet Company has been recertified as a Certified B Corporation, affirming that our commitment to people, pets, and the planet meets some of the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance. And we’re thrilled to be part of a community that aspires to use business as a force for good.

Transparency is Key

The B Corp movement itself is changing. As larger corporations join, many have raised fair questions about whether the standards are being diluted. We see this not as a setback, but as an opportunity. It’s a reminder that every B Corp—including ours—must lead with transparency, substance, and measurable impact.

That’s why we publish annual Impact Reports: to share our progress, our challenges, and what we’re doing next. For our first year publishing it in 2023—two years ago—I wrote a blog post about what an impact report is and why it’s important: they serve as a compass, guiding companies toward responsibility that goes beyond profit.

For last year’s report, I wrote about how we measure our carbon footprint—a scintillating assessment that every organization should do, because carbon emissions remain an urgent issue.

Below are a few highlights from our 2025 Impact Report, covering fiscal year 2024.

USA-Made Dog Toys

No dog toy is inherently “sustainable.” What matters is whether it’s more sustainable than the alternative. Most dog toys are produced in Asia. Manufacturing ours in the USA supports local jobs, ensures safe labor practices, and significantly reduces transportation emissions. Container ships, while efficient, still emit 10–40 grams of CO₂ per kilometer.

Impact: By making toys domestically, we estimate avoiding ~2.5 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions—while supporting U.S. manufacturing.

Vegetarian Dog Treats

Sustainability is always relative. In the dog treat industry, beef and chicken dominate. Plant-based treats dramatically reduce emissions, land use, and water use. This article in Nature Food says that “vegan and vegetarian diets have substantially lower GHG emissions, land use and water use requirements than meat-containing diets.”

Impact: Compared with beef-based treats, we estimate avoiding ~309 mte of greenhouse gas emissions and saving ~22 million gallons of water. Compared with chicken, we avoided ~19 mte of emissions and saved ~6 million gallons. And of course—no animals were harmed to make our treats.

Accessible Dog Toys

Like humans, dogs need physical exercise for their mental and physical wellbeing. For dogs who like to fetch, it can be exhausting for pet parents. Dog toy launchers were meant to address this problem. But not all launchers are created equally. With the Hive Zoomer, we saw the opportunity to make a better, more accessible dog toy launcher. It’s much easier to pick up and toss the looped dog toys, making the game of fetch almost effortless. For those with physical limitations like arthritis, arm pain, or shoulder weakness, they can still experience this joyful bonding time with their dogs.

Impact: Expanding the ability to play fetch to people of more ages and abilities, strengthening the human–dog bond.

Recyclable Dog Toys

Most dog toys—like those made from nylon, rubber, or plush cannot be recycled into new dog toys. Project Hive's dog toys are made from TPE, or thermoplastic elastomers. We know plastic waste is pervasive. What's different about our dog toys is that they are 100% recyclable, meaning they can be ground up and made into new dog toys if they are returned to us. Or they can be recycled through municipal recycling (#7). Creating a circular economy requires this type of design thinking.

Impact: Reducing landfill waste and helping build a circular economy for pet products.

Saving Bees

Our greatest impact continues to be our mission to save the bees. Bees pollinate about one-third of our food supply, and their survival depends on habitat. As members of 1% for the Planet, we support the Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund in the U.S. and the Canadian Honey Council—nonprofit organizations that help landowners restore acres of critical habitat.

So, for example, in the United States, farmers, ranchers, corporate campuses, schools, park boards—anyone with at least two acres of land—can apply to The Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund’s Seed a Legacy Program and receive free wildflower seeds, along with five years of expert technical guidance, to transform their land into beautiful pollinator meadows. 

Impact: Over the past year, we’ve supported an additional 3.9 million square feet of pollinator habitat in the US and 523,000 square feet of habitat in Canada.

In the vast landscape of sustainability challenges, we believe this work is among the most important. The two biggest threats to the health of our planet—which thus far has provided suitable conditions for life—are the loss of biodiversity and climate change. Planting pollinator habitat helps alleviate both crises, and it’s something almost anyone can do, even in their own backyard.

Planting wildflowers isn’t complicated. It doesn’t require special expertise. And the payoff—beauty, biodiversity, and a healthier planet—is immeasurable.

In Gratitude

As we enter this season of Thanksgiving, we’re deeply grateful to everyone who has supported Project Hive Pet Company in our mission to save the bees and create a better world for pets, people, and the planet.