Explore the full 2022 list of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, 528 organizations whose efforts are reshaping their businesses, industries, and the broader culture. We’ve selected the firms making the biggest impact with their initiatives across 52 categories, including the most innovative workplace, media, and social good companies.
As commitments to cut emissions, plastics, waste, and water become standard in the corporate world, the question becomes how companies will actually reach those goals—and what other ways can they continue to give back as they do? The forefront of innovation in corporate social responsibility is going well beyond simple charitable programs or carbon-offset purchases. These 10 companies are pursuing innovative paths to shrinking footprints (or to helping other companies shrink theirs) or supporting their communities.
Stripe has embedded a carbon-removal project inside the core of its business, bringing along tens of thousands of its customers to fund ambitious new carbon technologies and bring down the price by being their first customer. Relatedly, the athleisure giant Lululemon’s exploration of polyester made from carbon emissions and lab-grown leather normalizes these next-generation materials that can reduce the impact of apparel production. Sustainable home brand Ecos removed the water from its laundry detergent, washing away a lot of excess water and plastic use as well as the need to ship all that weight. Outdoor apparel brand Smartwool has embraced the circular economy, upcycling customers’ old socks into dog bedding and pursuing regenerative agricultural practices in its wool farming. Doconomy is building calculators that help both individuals and businesses understand their carbon footprints and where particular changes in lifestyle or materials, respectively, could have a meaningful impact. Sweetgreen, the newly public chain of salad restaurants, is engaging its customers in the company’s aggressive push to net-zero carbon emissions (by 2027) by sharing its menu options that require the least carbon emissions to produce. Beyond climate-related issues and conserving resources, Land O’Lakes has continued to push rural broadband as the events of the past two years have only reinforced the importance of good internet access as an essential element of participating in society. And Zoetis has helped contain the spread of COVID-19 among the animal population.
1. Stripe
For being the first buyer of bold carbon-removal tech
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