Case Study: Loulou Lollipop
Purpose of the Company
At Loulou Lollipop, our why is about crafting a brighter future for little ones and helping the moms and dads of today navigate the adventure of parenthood. We’re on a mission to sprinkle joy, wonder, and security into every moment—making life easier without sacrificing style or sustainability or safety.
Loulou Lollipop was born from two twin sisters who saw a problem that they felt driven to fix. Experiencing early motherhood, founders Eleanor and Angel felt that there was a lack of products in the market for babies and toddlers that were both high quality and beautiful. Eight years later, these entrepreneurs lead a quickly-growing brand that employs roughly 25 local Vancouverites and offers a range of products that uphold strong social and environmental values. Last year, the company took their impact-driven pursuit to a new level by achieving B Corp Certification and publishing their very first annual Impact Report with the help of Decade Impact.
Both of these milestones celebrate the conscientiousness this brand has put into the products they create and the company culture they’ve nurtured. In terms of their products, Loulou Lollipop has ensured the materials they use are toxin-free. They do this by meeting rigorous third-party standards, such as Oeko-Tex Standard 100, for their soft-goods and ensuring all of their silicone products are free from harmful chemicals that are commonly found in like-products (e.g. BPA, PVC, etc). Moreover, the company incorporates a community-giving strategy into their sales process: 1% of every online purchase goes directly to a non-profit when their customers make a donation recipient at checkout. But their positive impact doesn’t stop at their products. Loulou Lollipop also demonstrates the qualities of a purpose-driven brand by the company culture they steward. From a robust Career Development program to paid team Volunteer days for employees, Loulou Lollipop provides programs and policies that support holistic employee wellness.
To learn more about all the incredible, outsized-impact that this company creates and to see the cutest baby apparel you’ve ever seen, please check out their website.
The Opportunity We Activated
Angel and Eleanor were looking into the B Corp Certification as a way to have their social and environmental impact measured and validated by a reputable, third-party framework. When looking into the certification process they came to a similar conclusion as many companies who are interested in B Corp: The process is complicated and complex. Looking for support, Angel and Eleanor reached out to B Local Vancouver (a non-profit community hub for B Corp Businesses and the Impact Business community). Through this connection, they were introduced to us at Decade Impact!
Jump ahead six or so months and Loulou Lollipop became certified, with a score of 85.1 points! Once this major achievement was completed, the company wanted to share the good news, so they reconnected with Decade to create their first annual Impact Report and communications strategy.
Through our work with Loulou Lollipop, we witnessed the company really lean into the B Corp process which allowed us to integrate a tremendous amount of impact into their business as well as to uncover impact that already existed. Keep reading to hear about everything we accomplished!
What Loulou Lollipop and Decade Accomplished Together
Decade’s work with Loulou Lollipop started with an in-depth analysis of the entire company to understand where impact currently existed and to identify what opportunities there were, in the short and long-term, to build more socially and environmentally responsible practices into the business. Decade used two lenses to identify opportunities: 1) what activities best aligned with points in the B Impact Assessment; and 2) what actions were most strategically aligned with Loulou Lollipop’s mission, vision, and values.
Once this impact baseline and roadmap to certification was established, Decade worked alongside Loulou Lollipop to adopt practices, policies, and programs that brought the roadmap to life. Angel and Eleanor identified the following benefits of working with our consulting team on this project:
Decade kept the Loulou Lollipop executive team on track and progressing on their B Corp-related activities that were needed in order to meet and exceed the requirements for certification
Decade helped the company expand its community engagement activities and do so in a way that was mission- aligned and engaging for the entire team. (The company had their first team volunteer day with local non-profit Backpack Buddies! The team made 1,350 bags to support kids in-need!)
Decade helped formalize existing practices and procedures by creating written policies for the company to adopt
Loulou Lollipop was able to gather invaluable information from and about their team members by having Decade conduct an anonymous Diversity survey and Satisfaction & Engagement survey. Feedback gathered from these surveys are still being used to shape company practices and procedures.
Following the B Corp project, Loulou Lollipop wasted no time to re-engage Decade to help write the company’s first annual Impact Report. Decade worked with the Executive team and Marketing Manager to select key performance metrics that would best showcase the company’s social and environmental performance and create a compelling narrative of how the company is a true impact leader. Decade also worked directly with the company’s Creative team to shape the design of the report.
Decade’s Reflections
Since launching the company’s first Impact Report, Loulou Lollipop continues to integrate impact communications into their engagement with internal and external stakeholders. Most notably, Angel and Eleanor make sure to highlight their B Corp Certification with prospective employees during the hiring process as a way to showcase the company’s commitment to being a force for good.
The business community is also taking notice. Angel and Eleanor have witnessed a few retailers that sell Loulou Lollipop products reach out since the company certified to congratulate them and express interest in pursuing the certification themselves.
We are so proud of Loulou Lollipop for the countless ways that they are caring for current families and protecting our planet for future generations. We hope to work together again soon, whether it's through facilitating educational and engagement workshops with their team or by helping the company prepare for recertification.
Loulou Lollipop’s Reflections
“Working with the team of Decade Impact has been an absolute game-changer for our journey towards B-Corp certification. Their unparalleled expertise and dedication transformed what could have been a daunting and Decade Impact resource-intensive process into a seamless and efficient experience.
From the outset, Kristy and Michelle demonstrated a deep commitment to understanding our company's culture, values, and business model. Their meticulous review of our documents and processes, coupled with insightful suggestions for improvement, truly showcased their attention to detail and passion for our success.
Throughout the entire process, the wonderful team had remained patient, supportive, and consistently exceeded our expectations. They effortlessly guided us through each step, ensuring we stayed on schedule and never felt overwhelmed.
Thanks to the team of Decade Impact, we not only achieved B-Corp certification but also gained invaluable insights and enhancements that will benefit our company for years to come. We wholeheartedly recommend Decade Impact to any organization embarking on their B-Corp journey.”