Manitobah has taken a major step in its commitment to measuring its impact on the environment, consumers and communities.
The footwear brand known for its Indigenous roots on Tuesday announced that it has been certified as a B Corporation, which measures a company’s environmental and social impact.
“Manitobah is dedicated to transparency and communicating our impact mission,” said Sean McCormick, founder and chief impact officer of Manitobah. “We’re thrilled to achieve B Corp certification and to share our inaugural social impact report, reflecting our unwavering commitment to our core values and social mission. We acknowledge that there is always more work to be done and remain steadfast in our commitment to setting ambitious goals.”
With the announcement, the Canadian company joins the more than 7,400 businesses worldwide with a B Corp certification, including brands such as Toms, Eileen Fisher, Cotopaxi and Patagonia. Prior to achieving B Corp status, Manitobah has focused on social impact in other ways and has signed The Climate Pledge and secured Benefit Corporation status. The company also unveiled its first Annual Impact Report for 2023, which analyzes its positive impact via four pillars: Art in Action, Education for Change, Trade for Community, and Sovereignty through Leadership.
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In 2021, Manitobah recieved a major financial investment from Endeavour Capital of Seattle, which pushed it into a new phase of growth. Industry veteran Greg Tunney was subsequently named CEO to help the company expand in the U.S. The footwear brand has since opened its own stores and has added Dillard’s, Farfetch, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue and Zappos.com as partners.
In a January interview with FN, Tunney explained the company’s four pillars are meant to support the Indigenous community. “The first one is everything that we do is to support Indigenous artists,” he said. “There isn’t anything that we designed that hasn’t come from an Indigenous artist first and foremost. The second part is the Indigenous marketplace that provides a platform for authentic Indigenous art to be sold, and the artisans get 100 percent of the proceeds. The third one is our Manitobah Mukluk Storyboot School, which is an educational opportunity for students across Canada, where they can learn about the history of the culture and it teaches traditional mukluk and moccasin-making skills. The last part is economic sovereignty. A lot of that has to do with us hiring Indigenous people, giving them economic opportunities to grow.”
