Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods Receives National Recognition

Courtesy photo

Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods (HLH) has been recognized for the fourth consecutive year as a B Corporation Best for the World honoree from B Lab, a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit organization that serves a global movement of people using business as a force for good. HLH is among only two companies in Hawai‘i to earn the Best for the World recognition in 2017.

HLH was first accredited as a Certified B Corporation in 2013, joining a new class of companies using the power of business to help resolve social, environmental and economic problems. HLH earned a score in the top 10 percent of more than 2,100 Certified B Corporations on the 2017 B Impact Assessment in both overall and environmental impact.

The rigorous assessment measures a company’s impact on its workers, community, customers and the environment. Additionally, HLH is on the 2017 Changemakers list. This first-ever Best for the World list honors B Corporations that have made significant improvements on the B Impact Assessment between certifications or ratings.

“Best for the World is the only list of businesses making the greatest positive impact that uses comprehensive, comparable, third-party-validated data about a company’s social and environmental performance,” said Jay Coen Gilbert, co-founder of B Lab.

“We are honored to once again represent Hawaii on this prestigious list of leaders when it comes to companies who are creating the most positive impact on our world,” said Jeffrey Dunster, HLH ceo. “Our first-of-its-kind Legacy Forest on Hawai‘i Island has served as a catalyst for environmental, cultural and historical education throughout the state. We will continue on our mission of planting 1.3 million native and endemic trees in Hawai‘i for permanent reforestation.”

Through state-of-the-art technologies and proprietary forest management practices, HLH is promoting long-term forest health, carbon sequestration, ecosystem diversity and unparalleled data collection for research and development, all while creating permanent green jobs for Hawai‘i families. Working closely with the nonprofit Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative (HLRI), HLH has reforested more than 400,000 endemic and native trees in Hawai‘i while raising funds for more than 300 nonprofits worldwide.