Episode Summary
What does it take to turn company values into measurable commitments, and hold yourself accountable for meeting them?
In this second episode recorded live at Ripple Fest, Anne Oudersluys speaks with Les Szabo of Dr. Bronner’s and The Purpose Pledge, and Cameron Stearns, CEO of Mountain Rose Herbs, about turning purpose-led business practices into actual commitments that advance progress. Les explains why The Purpose Pledge established ten commitment areas, including executive compensation, living wages, supply chain integrity, and climate action, and how companies navigate the inevitable trade-offs between them.
Cameron shares what those commitments have looked like in practice for Mountain Rose Herbs, as a founding member of the Purpose Pledge. From investing in higher-cost domestic organic farming before customer demand was proven to building on Mountain Rose Herbs’ zero-waste achievements, Cameron discusses some of the challenges and opportunities she has experienced. Together, the conversations reveal how clear standards, shared learning, and external accountability can help companies make difficult decisions and accelerate progress without compromising long-term relationships.
Key Insights
- Why Dr. Bronner’s chose not to recertify as a B Corp, and how The Purpose Pledge developed a different model built around ten measurable commitments.
- How The Purpose Pledge’s 25:1 executive-to-median-employee compensation limit challenges conventional pay structures, and why one company chose not to participate.
- Why executive pay limits and family living wages are separate but interconnected commitments.
- How Dr. Bronner’s reallocates resources among employees, philanthropy, farmers, and other relationships rather than trying to maximize every priority simultaneously.
- Why The Purpose Pledge pairs standards with practical support, including confidential wage benchmarking and implementation roadmaps.
- How Mountain Rose Herbs moved from organic certification to platinum-level zero-waste practices—and the labor and employee education required to sustain them.
- Why Cameron identified domestic organic farming as the company's next major investment, despite higher costs and underdeveloped supply chains.
- How Mountain Rose Herbs expanded a farm contract to nearly $1 million annually while investing ahead of proven customer demand.
- What a shortage of imported chamomile revealed about domestic sourcing, customer willingness to pay, and supply chain resilience.
- Why Mountain Rose Herbs maintains both imported and domestic options rather than immediately replacing lower-cost products.
- How The Purpose Pledge helps Mountain Rose Herbs tackle difficult challenges, including measuring carbon impacts across a complex product portfolio.
- Why public commitments, three-year priorities, annual goals, and peer accountability are accelerating work that might otherwise take years.
Timestamps
00:00 Introduction: The Purpose Pledge and Ripple Fest
02:15 Why Dr. Bronner’s moved beyond B Corp certification
04:15 Defining ten measurable commitments
09:00 Executive compensation limits and living wages
15:45 Practical support and shared accountability
18:20 Managing trade-offs across company relationships
27:45 Mountain Rose Herbs: Raising the bar on sustainability
32:00 The operational demands of zero waste
35:45 Building domestic organic supply chains
40:30 Balancing sourcing costs with customer value
44:00 Farm contracts, customer demand, and supply chain resilience
48:45 Turning long-term goals into annual accountability
Resources & Links
Connect with Les Szabo:
Connect with Cameron Stearns:
Connect with Anne Oudersluys and Core Impact:
What is Grow Good ?
Grow Good tells the story of purpose-driven leaders who grow their businesses while staying true to mission and values. Hosted by growth and brand strategist Anne Oudersluys, each episode features candid conversations with CEOs and founders about real decisions they make and how they operate across strategy, product, marketing, people, and scale. This show provides practical, thoughtful insight for leaders who want to grow with intention.