Press

RIALTO, California – December 3, 2020: Plant Prefab, the nation’s first prefabricated design and construction company dedicated to sustainable building, materials, processes, and operations, has completed the process to become a Certified B Corporation™ (B Corp™). B Corps are for-profit companies that use the power of business to build a more inclusive and sustainable economy. Administered by the nonprofit B Lab, the designation is earned by achieving a verified passing score on the B Impact Assessment, a rigorous audit of a company’s impact on its workers, customers, community, and environment. Plant is the first custom modular and panelized homebuilder to achieve B Corp certification, surpassing the required baselines for social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability.

“As a socially responsible business, we’ve always been committed to wedding purpose and profit in our work,” says Plant Founder & CEO Steve Glenn. “We’ve used the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program for years as a way to secure independent, third-party verification of the sustainability and performance standards of the homes we design and build. In our opinion, B Lab is the equivalent authority for measuring the impact of a company’s business practices. Their process is extremely comprehensive, and they require that companies undergo verification every three years to ensure continued compliance.”

Plant initiated the certification process earlier in the year with a full life cycle assessment of its operations and products. Everything from electricity use to employee policies were documented and furnished to B Lab, which reviewed and scored Plant’s practices in five categories: governance, workers, community, marketing, and environment. Following the scoring and an audit of the assessment, B Lab then conducted an exhaustive peer review process. A final score of 93.5 was assessed, surpassing the required 80 to achieve B Corp certification.

The achievement comes roughly one year after Plant announced its commitment to become net carbon neutral in its operations by 2028, following a similar carbon pledge by investor Amazon. Plant views the B Corp certification as an important milestone in their carbon reduction plan.

“The B Impact Assessment helped us benchmark our performance,” explains Plant Environmental Health and Sustainability Manager Cristina Garzozi, who led the B Corp certification. “We now have a formal process for monitoring our emissions, water use, electricity use, and waste generation.”

The certification process also provided a framework for implementing many new social protocols at Plant, ranging from a breastfeeding policy for working mothers, to a vendor code of conduct to ensure responsible practices throughout Plant’s supply chain.

“Social and environmental accountability have always been core values for Plant,” says Glenn. “Now they are also a part of our governance. We are honored and humbled to be the first custom modular and panelized homebuilder to achieve this designation.”

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ABOUT B LAB
B Lab is a nonprofit that serves a global movement of people using business as a force for good. B Lab’s initiatives include B Corp Certification, administration of the B Impact Management programs and software, and advocacy for governance structures like the benefit corporation. B Lab’s vision is of an inclusive and sustainable economy that creates a shared prosperity for all. There are nearly 4,000 certified B Corporations in 74 countries, and over 70,000 companies use the B Impact Assessment. B Lab is supported by an integrated network of interdependent regional partner organizations across North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.

ABOUT PLANT PREFAB
With a mission to build a better world by design, Plant Prefab makes it faster and more efficient to build custom, high-quality, healthy, single-family and multi-family homes. Plant Prefab is the first prefabricated residential design and construction company dedicated to sustainable building, materials, processes, and operations.

All Plant Prefab’s projects are prefabricated in the company's 62,000-square-foot homebuilding factory in Rialto, CA utilizing the Plant Building System. Combining advanced engineering with Plant Panels and Plant Modules, specialized components designed and patented by Plant, the Plant Building System provides greater design flexibility, quality control, and time and cost efficiencies than both site-based construction and conventional prefabricated approaches while minimizing the negative impact on energy, water, and resources. Clients can work with any architect they choose, including Plant Prefab's award-winning, in-house design studio.

Plant Prefab is defining a new standard in residential home design and construction, helping individuals, architects, and developers efficiently design and build high-quality, cost-efficient, healthy homes. Plant Prefab was funded by Amazon, Obvious Ventures, and others.