{"id":62308,"date":"2017-12-26T10:00:27","date_gmt":"2017-12-26T15:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.uncommongoods.pro\/?p=62308"},"modified":"2018-03-12T12:32:39","modified_gmt":"2018-03-12T16:32:39","slug":"a-year-in-uncommongoods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/2017\/a-year-in-uncommongoods\/","title":{"rendered":"Doing Good, in Brooklyn and Beyond:
A Look Back at 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

At UncommonGoods, we strive to be more than a business: We strive to be a force for good. In addition to providing one-of-a-kind, high-quality handmade goods to our customers, we’ve made it our mission to use our business to help improve the world we live in. As an independently-owned company with 18 years under our belt<\/a>, we’re lucky to have the freedom to act according to our convictions<\/a>, providing our workers with a living wage and a generous paid family leave<\/a> policy, donating thousands annually to our Better to Give<\/a> partners, and supporting makers who create a positive social and environmental impact<\/a>\u00a0wherever possible.<\/p>\n

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Of course, this isn’t all that we do each year. There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes to ensure we’re supporting causes we believe in as effectively as we possibly can, and we’re always trying to make sure that UG is a great place to work. (Side note: Being a great place to work, like most things, requires a lot of trial and error, and we don’t pretend to have all the answers, but we\u00a0do <\/em>know that being open to change and putting our employees’ needs first are key points for us.)\u00a0This year, we’re letting you in on our proudest achievements, from work we’ve done within our Brooklyn warehouse to relationships we’ve built with new nonprofit partners. Read on for more on what we’ve done #InsideUG<\/a>, with our Better to Give partners, and within the B Corporation<\/a> community.<\/p>\n

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#InsideUG<\/h5>\n
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Samples line the walls in our newly renovated office, complete with custom woodwork.<\/p><\/div>\n

Here at UncommonGoods HQ in Sunset Park’s historic Brooklyn Army Terminal, we’ve made some improvements of our own. In June, we announced the launch of our Guiding Principles<\/a>, a series of seven carefully formulated standards by which we at UG strive to lead our professional lives. With values like We Are a Force for Good, We Are Open-Minded, and We Are Always Learning, we’re encouraged to foster a culture in which we respect one another and consider our company’s impact on the world. (But more on that later.)<\/p>\n

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Operations Team Lead Arnold Pittman, left, and UG Founder & CEO David Bolotsky in the old plasticky days; photo by Christopher Lane, American Express Open Forum<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Also of note? In August, we said bye-bye<\/a> to inflated plastic packing material, introducing recyclable, compostable paper-based alternatives from Emerald Brand<\/a>. Made from 80 percent post-consumer fibers, our new packaging saves enough water to fill 1,348 bathtubs each year, compared to packaging made from virgin tree fiber\u2014and it brought us some of our favorite customer feedback from the whole year. \u201cTHANK YOU for switching from plastic packaging!!!! This is the type of thing that definitely impacts which companies I use when I shop,\u201d wrote one customer. From another:\u00a0\u201cThank you for your commitment to sustainability and the planet. The world needs more companies who will live out these values.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Let there be light! And air-purifying plants.<\/p><\/div>\n

Less than one month after ditching puffed plastic, our staff said hello to a newly renovated portion of our office, complete with custom woodwork, plenty of plants, and lots and lots of natural light. As we’d say in Guiding Principle-ese, We Are Building for the Long Term. (Literally.)<\/p>\n

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#BetterToGive<\/h5>\n
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Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) with UG’s Jen Coleman, right, and other business representatives; photo courtesy\u00a0American Sustainable Business Council<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

It’s also been a big year for advocacy here at UG. In July, we launched our Causes<\/a> page, a one stop shop for detailed information on three of our most important campaigns: Wildlands for Wildlife<\/a>, a joint venture with longtime Better to Give<\/a> partner American Forests<\/a>; our fight to address (and eventually eradicate) the rape kit backlog<\/a>\u00a0alongside fellow partner RAINN<\/a>; and our push for\u00a0paid family leave<\/a> nationwide. Months earlier, for International Women’s Day<\/a>, we launched our interactive paid family leave map<\/a>, and in April, we announced<\/a> a temporary partnership with Family Values @ Work<\/a>, a network of coalitions in over 20 states working to pass paid leave policies\u2014and this year, through our Better to Give program, we raised over $7,900 in support of their work. Together, we also launched our Work\/Life Balance Keychain<\/a>, which continues to raise money for FV@W. (Another partner? Americares<\/a>, with whom we teamed up<\/a>\u00a0to aid victims of disaster in Texas, Puerto Rico, and other affected areas after this summer’s spate of hurricanes.)<\/p>\n

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When great companies like @UncommonGoods<\/a> prioritize #paidleave<\/a>, workers, families and the economy win! https:\/\/t.co\/MtfP6K2as1<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 National Partnership (@NPWF) October 4, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n