At Opella, we’re making self-care as simple and sustainable as it should be by challenging the conventions of care and defining a new way to think about health – for our people, communities, and planet. The centerpiece of this effort was our North American division becoming the first, large, pure consumer healthcare company to earn B Corp certification. With products in nearly 54MM households in the U.S. and Canada, including Allegra®, Icy Hot®, Dulcolax® and Unisom®, Opella North America’s B Corp certification enables millions of people to take part in transforming business into a force for good.
While B Corp certification isn’t an end goal, it’s a key enabler of Opella’s Sustainable Care Pledge. As guardians of personal health, we’re creating a healthier society by enabling better health with our global reach and a healthier planet by transforming operations to protect the environment. Every year, we invest heavily to empower 100MM people worldwide to take better care of their health. We’ve set a goal to reach five million people by 2030 with on-the-ground programs and partnerships with NGOs that improve the health and well-being of communities.
Across our business, we’re committed to reducing our operational (Scope 1 and 2) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 65% by 2025. And we’ve committed to achieving 100% landfill-free sites powered by renewable energy and 100% paper-based packaging sourced from certified sources or recycled material by 2025. Finally, to help preserve natural resources, we’re aiming for a 20% reduction in overall water withdrawal by 2030.
A recent study by NielsenIQ found 78% of U.S. consumers say a sustainable lifestyle is important to them and Opella is committed to meeting this demand by integrating sustainable practices into every aspect of our operations. That’s why our North American division embarked on a journey four years ago to become B Corp certified, aiming to establish the company as a purpose-driven leader in the consumer healthcare industry.
B Corps, certified by B Lab, are leaders in the global movement for an equitable, sustainable economy. B Lab measures a company's entire social and environmental impact; earning B Corp certification means a company meets high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
Our B Corp certification is a mark of trust for customers looking to purchase from brands that share their values. Our strategy was focused on getting our primary audiences – customers, consumers, and colleagues – to be more aware of what it means to be B Corp certified and connect those ideals and principles with our brands (led by Allegra, Xyzal, Dulcolax, Unisom and Icy Hot).
B Lab’s rigorous process enabled us to take a meaningful look at what we’re doing and where we could deepen our efforts. This made us a stronger team and a better, more purposeful business all around. Because this certification process is tailored to a company’s scope, complexity, and obligations to stakeholders, it’s more difficult for a larger company to certify than a smaller one. Multinationals are held to stricter standards, deeper verification processes, and additional requirements.
Key strategies for announcing Opella North America’s B Corp certification included:
Embrace precedent-setting and scale by highlighting Opella – led by its brands – as the first, large, pure consumer health company to attain B Corp certification and highlight the important role multinationals can play in scaling systemic change.
Connect to Opella’s broader sustainability agenda and inspiring sustainability-related brand stories.
Inspire and encourage engagement among internal teams to become B Corp champions.
Collaborate with key external validators to scale awareness and reach priority audiences.
Leverage media and influencers to drive consumer awareness of what it means to be B Corp and help enhance Opella brand preference, including our paid Well+Good partnership.
Through targeted communications tactics tailored to specific audiences, we highlighted the benefits of our B Corp certification and seamlessly integrated B Corp principles into brand storytelling. The certification became a centerpiece in community engagement activations, which were leveraged to attract and retain top talent.
The uniqueness of this project lies in its scale. As a large multinational company, given its size and scope, Opella's B Corp certification has the potential to inspire and influence other businesses in the industry. Just this year, Opella Italy, Germany, Hispanic Latin America, and Western Europe (excluding France) became B Corps, as we work towards certifying all Opella entities globally. If other multinationals join the B Corp movement, our collective efforts can make a significant difference.
In the summer of 2023, Opella’s B Corp announcement generated over 43 million impressions, including 849,608 unique impressions via eight original, positive articles. Recognizing the passion within the organization, the company identified almost 40 internal B Corp ambassadors eager to share content via their personal LinkedIn channels to further amplify sustainability news.
Over the past year, Opella made significant progress increasing its products’ positive impact on people and the planet, including:
Eliminating 35 tons of plastic by removing plastic windows on product packaging.
Helping over 90 million allergy sufferers find cleaner air using a revolutionary navigation tool.
Powering its North American manufacturing and distribution site with 100% renewable electricity, achieving zero waste to landfill for its facility in Chattanooga, TN.
Attaining 41% representation of women in senior leadership roles.
Partnering with Well+Good to educate and engage 887K+ conscious consumers.
Earning additional B Corp certifications in Germany, Italy, Latin America, and Western Europe (excluding France).
Enabling shoppers to help plant 100,000 trees through One Tree Planted.
Expanding its take-back TerraCycle recycling program from 4 to 15 U.S. brands.
Supporting the Lookout Mountain Conservancy’s conservation efforts.
Sponsoring offsite beehives to promote pollinator health.
Providing access to sports opportunities for young people in under-resourced communities in the U.S. and Canada.
Our B Corp certification keeps Opella striving for continuous improvement and taking steps to ensure our brands are as sustainable as possible. We’ll continue to leverage our brands as a platform to empower self-care and create a healthier society and planet.
