RP158 Dr. Bronner's Soaps

RP158 Dr. Bronner's Soaps

Dr. Bronner's Soaps is a company that makes a variety of soaps. It was founded in 1948, and members of the Bronner family still run the business. Though Dr. Bronner's may seem like any other company, the business is actually rather unusual.

First, Dr.Bronner's believes in fair business practices and giving back. It says that, over the past five years, it has donated almost as much money to charity as it has earned in profits. The company also limits executives' salaries. That means that the highest paid employees of the company can only earn up to five times the amount of the lowest paid employees. Therefore, the difference between the highest earners and the lowest earners is minimized. This is an uncommon rule for a company to have.

Dr.Bronner's likes to work fairly around the world, too. For that reason, Dr. Bronner's became a certified Fair Trade business. This means the supplies it gets from around the world come from farmers or other workers who are paid fairly and work under good conditions.

Finally, the founder of the company believed deeply that all living things on Earth should be united. To spread his message, the company printed his beliefs on the labels of his soaps. His ideas are still on every soap bottle label. They can be summed up in two sentences:

1. Constructive capitalism is where you share the profits with the workers and the earth.

2. We are all brothers and sisters and we should take care of each other and the earth.

Dr. Bronner's Soaps believes making money and doing good should go hand in hand. While this is not a typical business belief, Dr. Bronner's proves that a company can be successful and charitable. After all, its philosophy has been working for over 60 years.