Informed by data and research, we design and manufacture sustainable branded products that drive impactful behavior change.
We are a certified B Corp and use our business as a force for good to provide the best workplace, care for our environment and positively help others.
MaCher has been creating branded products for over 30 years.
We take a data-led approach and use circular design principles in our aim to responsibly manufacture products for brand campaigns.
Our ultimate goal is to be a purposeful business, and encouraging others to do the same.
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Our goals for sustainable action have been designed to focus on where our business can have the most significant impact. We have identified three core pillars; Waste Reduction, Decarbonization and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion which are all tied to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
These pillars are encompassed by our central tenet of collective action through diverse partnerships. We rely on these relationships to challenge, guide and collaborate with us on responsible business practices. They include industry associations, nonprofits, and B Corp network groups.
We still don’t have all the answers on how we will meet all our goals, but experience has taught us that bold ambition and embracing the fear of the unknown, creates an innovative environment where answers are found.
Fostering a corporate culture that balances work-life harmony, and operational efficiency is a core objective.
We needed a thorough evaluation of the key performance indicators, that would allow us to realize our goal. We would need strategies that would sufficiently enhance our performance and productivity for a 32-hour week to make business sense.
One pivotal realization we encountered throughout this process was the critical role of team engagement in the implementation of new practices. It became evident that while processes could be meticulously designed, their efficacy relied on the collective dedication of the team.
As we embraced decentralized decision-making during the pandemic, we took steps to identify inefficiencies and inconsistencies in our interview process.
To address these challenges and update our interview questions, we also had to increase the balance between subjective and objective evaluation. The format we had been using allowed unskilled interviewers to ask questions inconsistently which risked leading to inequitable evaluations.
The revamped process streamlined efficiency, boosted interviewer confidence, and enhanced transparency in decision-making. Through this process, we were also able to foster inclusivity and lead candidates to share their unique needs.
As we embraced decentralized decision-making during the pandemic, we took steps to identify inefficiencies and inconsistencies in our interview process.
We needed to go beyond the purchase of carbon credits and find investment solutions in our value chain to dramatically reduce our emissions. Many of the emissions reduction solutions in our scope 3 value chain include an increased cost to implement, for example converting a manufacturing site to solar energy.
In the last year we have avoided 400 MT of CO2e through the use of recycled materials, compared to their conventional, virgin counterparts. We have also committed to creating a Climate Fund, a budget of 1% of our revenue will be allocated to spend on both compensation and mitigation.
A key metric for our 2023 company vision was to reduce emissions by near-shoring some of our manufacturing partnerships.
As manufacturing moved offshore from USA over the past several decades, it can be more difficult to always ensure human rights and environmental protections. When developing our supply chain partnerships, we have invested in checks and balances to establish a top tier, transparent and ethical supply chain.
While we are still in the early phases of onboarding these new suppliers, we have been pleased with their ability to manufacture excellent quality products that are also aligned with our social and environmental practices.
The Interaction Design (IxD) program provides students with the opportunity to earn a fully accredited bachelors degree from a community college.
Students on vocational courses often find it difficult to understand some of the commercial challenges of their conceptual designs and difficult to find companies willing to help them gain experience outside of the classroom walls.
The partnership allowed for SMC students to gain valuable real-world experience by working on industry-sponsored design challenges and paid freelance projects. We believe that this has helped them enhance their professional capabilities. We enjoyed the opportunity to foster a partnership in this way to create a thriving ecosystem of learning, innovation and positive community impact.
In 2018 we made a commitment to start eliminating PVC as a main or secondary component in all our products by 2023.
This goal required us to engage our suppliers’ help to identify available alternative materials that met key factors such as quality, functionality, and environmental impact. Existing alternatives, like EVA and TPU, are still from virgin petroleum inputs.
When we set the reduction target in 2018, we weren’t sure of its attainability given the nature of our products. A target makes a difference, and since 2018 we have steadily reduced the presence of PVC in our supply chain. Ultimately we hope to minimize the production of clear bags altogether. We are actively advocating for industry changes.
Due to the use of Uyghur forced labor in the Chinese cotton supply chain, we have a goal to completely eliminate cotton that can’t be easily traced such as virgin, conventional cotton. We are applying this across our global supply chain for cotton.
We have long held the belief that our business should play a role in being a positive contribution to society and the planet.
Our mission specifically has an emphasis on helping others, to create ripples of change through collaboration.
As Part of Eight-Week Capstone Project, we helped SMC Baccalaureate Program Juniors re-imagined Flagship Products for Certified B Corporation and EcoVadis Platinum-rated Sustainable Company.
We provide leadership training, mentoring and advice for sustainability practices providing resources that support the transition of the industry towards more regenerative practices.
We collaborate with other B Corp beauty brands and suppliers to support the transition of the beauty industry. We are dedicated to knowledge sharing and building resources to genuinely benefit our customers, communities, and the planet.
We joined this coalition of consumer and B2B travel B Corps in order to grow wider industry and consumer awareness of travel businesses with purpose. A large focus of the group’s advocacy is on supply, rather than sustainability.
Serving on USTOA’s Board’s Sustainability Committee, we help create a sustainability eco-system through workshops, webinars and 1:1 mentoring, advancing industry learning and action around sustainability.
Every year, we donate hundreds of pro bono hours to support industry partnerships. Each team member is encouraged to use their 20 paid volunteer hours each year to contribute to the well being of their own communities as well, developing their skills away from our business, is also a benefit to our business.
We are funding an annual Native American Scholarship in Graphic Design and offering student mentoring in the IxD (Interaction Design Program) at Santa Monica College
“The extreme issues in our world can only be navigated through shared responsibility such as collective action and partnerships.
We experienced two significant opportunities to put this shared action into practice this past year. The first through USTOA and Tourism Cares sustainability platforms and the other through the B Corp Beauty Coalition.”
