The Future of Manufacturing: Why Partnering With a Benefit Corporation Matters

A growing number of retailers, manufacturers, suppliers, and category buyers realize that, for long-term resilience, sustainability can’t just be a marketing buzzword — it has to be an ethos infused in every layer of the supply chain. Rather than simply reacting to consumer trends, they’ve become active partners in the push for responsible sourcing and environmental stewardship, building a way to do manufacturing differently. And the beverage manufacturing industry is no exception to this push. 

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We know ethical beverage manufacturing can be a lever for good as well as for profit. But how brands embrace this shift matters. Even the perception of greenwashing — or, inaccurately describing something as environmentally beneficial in order to manipulate consumers — has been linked to lower customer satisfaction levels, regardless of what a company’s true intentions were. That makes it all the more crucial for brands to ensure efforts are aligned with true, meaningful action over lip service. 

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For companies looking to create real change, partnering with a Benefit Corporation can offer the framework and tools for amplified impact. Benefit Corporations are for-profit companies with a legally codified mission to better lives and the planet. Unlike B Corp certification, which is a third-party assessment and accreditation, becoming a Benefit Corporation focuses on flipping traditional corporate law governance — which, typically, is shareholder-motivated — and adopting a legal governance model that: 

• Is held to higher standards of purpose, transparency, and accountability, and
• Makes the company legally obligated to consider the interests not just of shareholders, but of all stakeholders — from employees and customers to the communities the company operates within and the environment as a whole. 

At FedUp Foods, we’re proud to be one of 4,000 Benefit Corporations in the U.S. It formalizes the fact that doing good and leading with intention are core to our identity, helping us align each of our decisions and actions with a purpose-driven mission that goes much deeper than profit. For us, it isn’t a tagline or a box to check — being a Benefit Corporation is a real commitment woven into our DNA. It shapes how we operate, innovate, and engage with the world as a private label beverage manufacturer who serves not just our own bottom line, but our team, our planet, and our shared prosperity.

The biggest advantage of our Benefit Corporation status, though, isn’t about us — it’s about our ability to better support clients and suppliers as they take transformative action in the beverage industry. 

Through infrastructure, expertise, and a shared commitment to better business, we help hold the door open so that our partners — from category buyers and purchasing managers to the diverse group of manufacturing, retail, and food & beverage leaders we work with — can scale responsibly and create products that deeply align with their mission. We’ve seen how this helps set brands up for long-term success, all while driving positive change and prosperity for people and the planet. 

A Force for Positive Change

Manufacturing as a whole has too often placed profit over responsible resource use. And traditional beverage manufacturing has long been associated with resource-intensive practices, from excessive water and energy consumption to wasteful packaging and unsustainable sourcing. 

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Companies that partner with Benefit Corporations, on the other hand, have a direct avenue to: 

Ethical Sourcing

For us, this means supporting suppliers who use regenerative agriculture and fair labor practices. Consider the example set by Global Organics, our dual-source supplier for sugar and ginger (both of which are regenerative, organic, and Fair Trade Certified). 

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For more than 20 years, Global Organics has partnered with the Native Green Cane Project in Brazil — the largest sustainable agriculture project in the world — to create a closed-loop sugarcane process that puts the focus on whole-ecosystem health over crop health. The resulting cane fields aren’t just certified organic — they support 23 times the biodiversity of conventional fields (including 49+ endangered species), are 100% carbon neutral across every stage of growth, production, and shipping, and have eliminated 47,000 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere. 

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As a Benefit Corporation, that’s exactly the kind of impactful supplier we take care to support. We vet each and every supplier behind our private label manufacturing business, prioritizing those who are Certified B Corporation, Certified Organic, ROC (Regenerative Organic Certified), LEED Certified, Energy Star Certified, and/or Fair Trade Certified.

Sustainable Packaging Solutions

When we talk about sustainable packaging, we don’t just mean cutting down on single-use plastics — it’s about prioritizing materials that use fewer resources and actively remove existing waste from the environment, too. At FedUp Foods, we’re able to support our clients’ goals of shifting to more sustainable packaging by: 

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• Innovating with lighter, stronger materials: By switching to Billerud folding cartons, which use 17% less material than standard options, we’ve reduced packaging weight and cut transportation emissions. Even better, these cartons are produced with 80% lower CO₂ emissions, and they use less water and energy in the process.

• Championing 100% PCR plastic in our 48oz bottles: PCR — or post-consumer recycled — plastic means recovering and recycling plastics from the waste stream, like discarded water bottles. Our 100% PCR bottles offer up to a 33% lower carbon footprint than virgin PET (maybe more!) while reducing reliance on virgin plastics. And they also support demand for PCR materials, promoting a more circular economy.
• Reducing emissions with locally sourced glass: Sourcing glass bottles from a North Carolina manufacturer less than 200 miles away eliminated our need for overseas imports and long-haul freight. By keeping sourcing regional, we’ve lowered our transportation emissions, cutting the carbon footprint of our glass procurement by 85%. Speaking of…

A Lower Carbon Footprint

This might start with packaging solutions, but it doesn’t end there. FedUp Foods has harnessed renewable energy sources across our private label manufacturing processes, and we also donate a percent of our profits to One Tree Planted to restore our carbon-consuming forests in Appalachia and across the globe. 

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We know that tangible steps that go beyond performative talking points to truly tackle carbon reduction are vital, especially against a backdrop of recent reports like: 

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• 90% of rainforest carbon offsets offered by the world’s leading certifier were found to be effectively worthless (The Guardian, 2023).
• Only 9% of plastic waste ever gets recycled, despite widespread “recyclable” packaging claims (OECD, 2022).

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Action, and not marketing jargon or vague corporate commitments, is what drives real change here. And we know that even a single purposeful action today can help set off a positive chain reaction. Every time a retailer — say, Costco — selects a regenerative beverage brand to stock or a manufacturer chooses a Benefit Corporation supplier to work with, the potential for lasting ripple effects is huge. 

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By partnering with a Benefit Corporation, retailers and manufacturers alike vote to promote the financial viability of regenerative agriculture, elevate labor standards across global supply chains, and reach new, lower carbon footprint standards for consumer products.

Growing Consumer Trust

Consumers today are more informed and discerning than ever. Around 78% of them consider sustainability an important factor when shopping, and 65% of values-based consumers expressed a strong interest in regenerative products in a 2025 consumer survey. (Even beyond consumer interest, we know that regenerative agriculture is good for business — it increases soil health, water retention, and long-term yield stability, helping prevent the kind of supply chain disruptions that have cost businesses over $1 trillion annually.)

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But while 75% of consumers want to support brands that align with their values, 68% don’t trust sustainability claims. Given the prevalence of greenwashing, you can hardly blame them. With their purchasing decisions, consumers aren't just looking for buzzwords or a product that promises “less harm.” They’re asking: Is this brand actually making a difference? 

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Partnering with a Benefit Corporation can help brands prove out what they preach and build stronger consumer trust, including by: 

Enhancing Brand Loyalty 

Consumers care about making purchases that have a lighter environmental impact, even if it costs them more. This may be even truer for young people. A survey highlighted by Whole Foods found that over 70% of Gen Z supports climate-friendly agriculture, and 77% of Gen Z respondents said they’re ready to pay more for sustainably made goods and services. That’s up slightly from the 75% of millennials who told McKinsey & Co. they consider sustainability when making a purchase. 

Establishing credibility

Companies working with ethical manufacturers are seen as trusted leaders in their industry. This, when trust is increasingly vital — and rare. A 2024 Gallup survey showed that Americans are giving most professions a lower ethics rating while, at the same time, 95% of business executives told PwC that organizations have a responsibility to build trust. 

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Within the beverage manufacturing industry, we know that working with suppliers and manufacturers who promote regenerative farming pays off — for people, the planet, and bottom lines. A 10-year study by General Mills found that regenerative farming improves soil health, reduces input costs, and increases profitability over time. That means the retailers and manufacturers who invest in regenerative supply chains today will gain a long-term strategic advantage.

Putting People’s Well-being First

Choosing ethical partners who prioritize fair wages, safe working conditions, and community investment ensure thriving industries from the ground up. In the beverage manufacturing industry, it’s a way to take care of the farmers, workers, and local communities without whom our work can’t happen, plain and simple. Companies that align with Benefit Corporations contribute to:

Fair Wages & Ethical Labor Practices

Ensuring workers throughout the supply chain are treated with dignity and respect is fundamental to ethical business operations. Benefit Corporations are legally mandated to uphold high labor standards, promoting fair compensation and safe working environments. That kind of codified commitment enhances employee well-being while boosting productivity and reducing turnover to boot.

Community Impact Programs 

Supporting initiatives that enhance local economies, environmental restoration, and social well-being is a hallmark of ethical partnerships. Benefit Corporations often engage in:

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• Local Empowerment: Investing in small businesses, creating jobs, and improving infrastructure to drive economic vitality in the communities a business operates within.
• Sustainability Initiatives: Participating in projects that restore ecosystems, protect natural resources, and promote environmental health locally and abroad.
• Social Development: Supporting programs that enhance quality of life, including access to education, healthcare, and essential services.

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By incorporating all three, a community impact program can go beyond agriculture to address the entire food system and everyone it involves, from the farmers working the fields to those packaging and shipping ingredients. Teatulia, one of the suppliers for the Fair Trade Certified tea used in FedUp Food’s functional fermented beverages, has done this with its Teatulia Co-Op program in Northern Bangladesh. 

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Operated by over 800 women, the Co-Op combines regenerative farming practices with organic farming training, literacy and math education, and a preschool for members’ children, as well as providing members with a direct line to consumers and a milking cow-lending program to support their financial health. That’s a powerful example of what real regenerative practices look like in action.

The Role of Retailers & Manufacturers: The Power to Shape the Future

Retailers and manufacturers today sit at a critical leverage point in shaping supply chains, industry standards, and long-term resilience. While sustainability has become a buzzword in many industries, we know that true impact comes from action, not just marketing claims. 

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Together, FedUp Foods and the incredible roster of clients and suppliers we’re able to support are dedicated to making real, measurable change through the beverage manufacturing industry. In an era where skepticism around sustainability claims is rising, we remain committed to building trust through action, not just words. 

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FedUp Foods’ Benefit Corporation status means we are legally committed to balancing profit with purpose, ensuring that our mission isn’t just a marketing strategy but a core part of our business model. We don’t pursue certifications for the sake of having them — we pursue impact. The real work of regenerative business happens beyond the label, in the daily decisions that shape a more just, sustainable food system. And that’s a commitment we’ll never step away from.

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By partnering with us, clients join a network of like-minded businesses committed to reshaping the beverage industry for the better. The future of beverage manufacturing depends on companies taking a stand for authenticity, responsibility, and sustainability. Let’s create a future where business success and social impact go hand in hand. Join us in driving meaningful change — one beverage at a time.

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