What happens when we stop thinking about "giving back" as something that a successful business does on the side, and start thinking about it as a part of how we build businesses from the start? At the Fast Company Innovation Festival, Morgan Brady brought together Alexandra Amouyel of Newman's Own Foundation, Sharon Prince of Grace Farms Foundation, and Les Szabo Chief Strategy & Impact Officer at Dr. Bronner's and Executive Director of Purpose Pledge, for a conversation on Giving Back to Get Ahead. The conversation offered businesses a simple challenge: Know where you stand. Know your superpowers. Make the commitment (even if you don't have it all figured out). Because maybe the biggest opportunity isn’t figuring out how businesses can give back more — but rethinking how they do business in the first place. Watch the full conversation: https://lnkd.in/gvXM6VAp #FCFestival Fast Company Events
About us
The Purpose Pledge is a collaborative initiative anchored in ten clear, time-bound commitments that embed purpose into company governance, operations, and supply chains. It brings together an ecosystem of companies and allied support organizations in a shared, accountable community—where members learn from one another and measure progress publicly and transparently. The Purpose Pledge 10 Commitments define what it means to be purpose-led in practice: 1. PURPOSE-LED GOVERNANCE Ensure majority control stewarded by purpose-led Board of Directors. 2. PRODUCT QUALITY & TRANSPARENCY Develop and market products that prioritize consumer well-being and transparency 3. SUPPLY WEB INTEGRITY Certify products to meet high standards for environmental and social responsibility through credible benchmarks 4. FAIR & BALANCED COMPENSATION Maintain a CEO-to-median employee pay ratio of no more than 25:1 in the country where the company is headquartered 5. LIVING WAGE & DECENT LIVELIHOODS Ensure all employees earn a living wage, as defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and calculated by Living Wage for US 6. WELL-BEING & INCLUSION Cultivate a workplace culture that promotes well-being, inclusion, and respect for all employees 7. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Dedicate a minimum of 1% of net revenues or 10% of net profits to philanthropic initiatives, including financial contributions, in-kind donations, and volunteer efforts 8. CLIMATE ACTION Take verified climate action, by funding climate projects at a level proportionate to emissions, and achieve Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reductions in line with science 9. CIRCULARITY FOR ZERO WASTE Achieve TRUE certification, an average 90% or greater diversion rate, and prioritize circular packaging solutions 10. CAPABILITY BUILDING Share knowledge, collaborate, and strengthen organizational capabilities to advance all Purpose Pledge Commitments
- Website
-
www.purposepledge.org
External link for Purpose Pledge
- Industry
- Industry Associations
- Company size
- 2-10 employees
- Type
- Nonprofit
- Founded
- 2025
Employees at Purpose Pledge
View 6 employees at Purpose Pledge
or
Updates
-
It’s been a whirlwind few weeks for Purpose Pledge — from the Fast Company Innovation Festival (more on that soon!) and PlanetHAUS to our Purpose Pledge & Purpose Capital Strategy Gathering. We’ve come away with deep gratitude for community and a real sense of momentum — of what becomes possible when we do this work together. At PlanetHAUS, we connected with over 1,000 people through our rooftop Gifting Garden. It was joyful and high energy as people experienced the products and mission of Pledge Companies and learned about the Purpose Pledge 10 Commitments in action. We also took the PlanetHAUS stage for a conversation about operationalizing purpose in business with rigor, accountability, and collaboration featuring Seth Goldman, Gally Mayer, Manuel Gorrin and Les Szabo. At our Strategy Gathering, Purpose Pledge Companies, Commitment Catalysts, investors, partners, and thought leaders came together — including the amazing Seth Godin and Jacqueline Novogratz — to shape what comes next for Purpose Pledge and Purpose Capital. Seth challenged us to make this work sticky and contagious: "You're not stuck in traffic, you are traffic," he observed. Jacqueline brought us back to the foundation: “We think we’re so clever with our capital structures — but it’s community that makes it happen.” We came away energized by the opportunity ahead: ✔️ Company Transformation: Support companies changing how they govern, operate, and share value, while demonstrating that purpose-led practices can strengthen business ✔️ Sector Momentum: Building spaces where companies can be vulnerable, access deep support, and tackle issues no company can solve alone ✔️ Systemic Change: Collaborating to address systemic challenges, drive narratives, and shift industry norms and investments to make purpose-led business the norm, not the exception Join with us in moving purpose to practice! #PlanetHAUS #NYCClimateWeek #PurposePledge
-
-
-
-
-
+2
-
-
Dr. Bronner's 2026 All-One! Report offers a powerful look at the work behind the company’s commitment to being a purpose-led business. We’re proud to see this work explored through the lens of the Purpose Pledge and our 10 Commitments, which provide a framework for companies to embed purpose into how they operate, make decisions, and create and share value. Congratulations to the entire Dr. Bronner’s team on another year of turning purpose into practice!
Dr. Bronner’s 2026 All-One! Report is here 🌈 Our teams work hard across the company year-round to ensure that the way we operate reflects the principles we stand for. This year’s report shows how we put our purpose into practice last year, and explores our work and progress in the context of our cosmic principles and the Purpose Pledge—a framework of 10 commitments designed for companies whose purpose is to align their values with their operations. We also tell the stories behind that work—from protecting our mission and supporting employees’ financial well-being to advancing regenerative organic agriculture, reducing plastic waste, tackling climate action, and giving employees a voice in how we support our communities. Take a look at the 2026 All-One! Report here: drbronner.net/2026A1R
-
-
We’re heading to PlanetHAUS at the Chief Clubhouse next week, September 21–22, as part of New York Climate Week! Find us on the 5th floor in the Gifting Garden, where you can meet Purpose Pledge Companies and Commitment Catalysts, discover products from across our community, and learn how companies are putting the 10 Commitments into practice. Join us on the main stage from 9:50 - 10:20 am ET on Tuesday, September 22 for a conversation with Gally Mayer (Buena Vida Specialty Coffee), Seth Goldman (Just Ice Tea), and Manuel Gorrin (Nature's Path Foods) facilitated by Les Szabo (Purpose Pledge & Dr. Bronner's) about what it really takes to put purpose into practice at companies today – the progress, the challenges, and what we can learn from one another along the way. Come experience what sustainability looks and feels like — and see what purpose looks like in practice. RSVP: https://luma.com/x4z01l07 #PlanetHAUS #NYCClimateWeek #PurposePledge
-
-
What does it actually mean to be a socially responsible business? Errol Schweizer poses that question to Seth Goldman, Co-Founder & CEO of Just Ice Tea and Les Szabo, Purpose Pledge Executive Director and Chief Strategy & Impact Officer at Dr. Bronner's in the latest episode of Grocery Nerds. They discussed the Purpose Pledge and efforts to move beyond good intentions toward measurable changes in how companies operate, make decisions, and create and share value. The conversation gets into why we need to rethink what business responsibility looks like—and what it might take to shift business norms, not just individual companies. https://lnkd.in/gH93JGaQ
-
Purpose-led business is about more than what a company stands for. It’s about how it operates, makes decisions, and creates and shares value. In a new episode of ShelfSense: Stories Behind Our Stuff with Cynthia Barstow, David Bronner shares how Dr. Bronner's works to embed purpose across its business—from regenerative organic and fair trade sourcing to living wages, community engagement, and more. David also shares his perspective on Purpose Pledge, with insights into several of the 10 commitments and the role they play in helping companies put purpose into practice. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/gTFP2yMX
-
Last week, we gathered the Purpose Pledge community alongside One Step Closer (OSC)'s Ripple Fest for an evening and morning of connection, reflection, and shared learning. Manuel Gorrin’s words capture so much of what we heard and felt together, particularly the power of the 10 Commitments as a framework and of a community committed to doing this work together. Thank you, Manuel, for this beautiful reflection—and to every Pledge Company and Commitment Catalyst who joined us! At its core, Purpose Pledge is about restoring right relationship among companies, people, communities, and the natural systems on which we all depend. And we believe there is so much possibility in doing that together.
Our Purpose Pledge community gathering was the event we knew we needed 💙. CEOs, founders and changemakers from all 20+ brands, our beloved catalysts and the Purpose Pledge team connecting from the heart, listening, learning, sharing, celebrating and setting things up for success. Both a dinner and a breakfast that gave me more reasons to believe, to do more things together and get ready for work of the nine years ahead within each commitment area 🚀 What I shared during the dinner: “Purpose Pledge is the only framework where I feel safe, represented and comfortable when defining what it really means to be purpose driven. And that only works because the commitment areas hold each other up. Pull one out, and the rest doesn't stand”. I am proud of this community, our leaders, my Nature's Path Foods team, and the people behind these amazing brands. One Step Closer and Purpose Pledge, thank you for hosting us and for getting us even more excited for what's ahead: Real. Tangible action. Together 🌎 #PurposePledge #Leadership #Sustainability | Les Szabo | Alissa Barron-Menza | Lara Jackle Dickinson | Alexandra Groome Klement
-
-
-
-
-
+3
-
-
This is what it looks like to put purpose into practice—and why we bring our community together. Michelle Pusateri built Nana Joes Granola with an understanding that food starts with the land, the soil, and the people who care for it—and that caring for people, planet, ingredients, and profit don’t have to be competing ideas. Purpose Pledge brings companies and leaders like Michelle together an ecosystem of companies and allied support organizations in a shared, accountable community—where members learn from one another and measure progress publicly and transparently. Thank you, Michelle, for your leadership, your optimism, and for showing what becomes possible when we do this work together!
Why Purpose Pledge? Last night, I sat in a room surrounded by fellow Purpose Pledge Leaders and I had one of those moments where I realized: the change we wanted to see is actually happening and its not just instant gratification but a thoughtful non-transactional movement. When I started Nana Joes Granola 16 years ago, sustainability, ingredient transparency, and knowing where your food came from weren’t necessarily selling points. They were simply things I believed should matter. Looking back, I realize so much of that was already in me because of my family. My grandfather, Joseph F. Pechanec, dedicated his career to understanding and protecting our land through his work with the U.S. Forest Service. He was one of the founders and the first president of the American Society of Range Management, created to advance the responsible management and conservation of our rangelands. My other grandfather, Joseph Pusateri, sold produce and ate farm to table his entire life. From growing up in Sicily and then Chicago (Fun fact: the Joes in our name is for both my grandfathers, hence no apostrophe.) Two very different careers, but both gave me an understanding that food starts with the land, soil and the people who care for it. Long before I had words like regenerative agriculture, farm-direct sourcing, or sustainable supply chains, those values were instilled in my DNA. For a long time, building Nana Joes Granola this way felt like swimming upstream and I didn't have words or direction to describe what it was I felt was missing. I also felt so insecure and lacked confidence because I wasn't sure it could be done. But last night, listening to amazing thought leaders talk about how they are building their companies, caring for their people, sourcing their ingredients, and thinking about their impact, I felt something I haven't always felt in this industry: optimism. We are finally starting to see the progress. Walk through a grocery store today and more and more ingredient panels are beginning to read like your pantry. There is still SO much work to do. But we're no longer pushing for this change alone. There is an entire community of businesses proving that caring about people, planet, ingredients, regenerative agriculture and profit do not have to be competing ideas. And maybe the future of food actually looks a lot like its past: Know where your food comes from. Know who grows it. Take care of the land. Take care of your people. And make something you're proud to feed your community.
-
We’re excited to share that Les Szabo, Chief Strategy and Impact Officer at Dr. Bronner's and Executive Director of Purpose Pledge will be joining the main stage at Fast Company Innovation Festival on September 17th! He’ll be part of a conversation called Giving Back to Get Ahead, alongside Alexandra Amouyel of Newman's Own Foundation and Sharon Prince of Grace Farms Foundation, moderated by Morgan Brady of Fast Company. They’ll be talking about what it looks like for businesses to move beyond traditional philanthropy and use their resources and reach to create lasting change. At Purpose Pledge, we work with companies to create and distribute wealth more responsibly from the start, while also making meaningful contributions to their communities. We’re excited to bring that perspective to this conversation! If you’re heading to the festival, come say hello! We’d love to see you there. https://lnkd.in/g6HGPnuS #FCFestival Fast Company Events
-
-
The Purpose Pledge community is growing! We’re thrilled to welcome four new companies to Purpose Pledge: Annmarie Skin Care, Buena Vida Specialty Coffee, salt+blue, and Terra Nostra Organics. At its core, the Purpose Pledge is about restoring right relationship—between companies, people, and the natural systems on which we all depend. Anchored in 10 clear, time-bound commitments, Purpose Pledge helps companies embed purpose into their governance, operations, and supply chains. With each new company that joins, we strengthen an ecosystem of businesses learning from one another, sharing progress, and working together to put purpose into practice. Swipe through to hear from Gally Mayer, Hendrik Rabbie, and Rachel Pachivas about why they joined → We’re so excited to have them in this community and to support their progress in the years ahead. Learn more about our newest Pledge Companies and explore their commitments at www.purposepledge.org.
-