IT'S OFFICIAL
WE'RE B CORP CERTIFIED
For over 14 years, we’ve been on a journey to support the wellbeing of women worldwide. We’re proud to announce FRANKIE4 is now a certified B Corporation (B Corp), reflecting our ongoing commitment to science-backed design as well as social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.
Joining the B Corp community reinforces our purpose beyond profit, embodying the “Benefit for all” ethos. This milestone is just the beginning, as we strive to become more responsible and impactful, with recertification required every three years. Thank you to our global community for being part of this journey.
WHAT IS A B CORP
AND WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE ONE?
The "B" in B Corp stands for "Benefit for all". B Corps aim to benefit all stakeholders in their operations, including workers, customers, suppliers, the broader community, and the environment.
Companies become a B Corp by completing an intensive assessment of their operations and must score a minimum of 80 points. Company answers and their final score are verified by B Lab.
“This important milestone reflects the hard work and dedication across all FRANKIE4 teams. We’re proud of our journey so far—and look forward to FRANKIE4 continuing to be a force for good as part of the B Corp community.”
HILARY MCMILLAN
GROUP CEO
WE ARE B CORP CERTIFIED
FRANKIE4 was created to support the wellbeing of women worldwide through award-winning science-backed designs that create long-term health and wellness outcomes.
Why did FRANKIE4 choose to become B Corp certified?
Since the creation of our very first pair, innovation and responsible business practices have been at the core of all we do. We are proud to say FRANKIE4 has become a B Corp certified brand to solidify this commitment to high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.
How did FRANKIE4 score?
FRANKIE4 has secured B Corp Certification with a maiden score of 85.7, passing the qualifying score of 80. Numerous businesses complete the assessment in the hopes of gaining certification, with the overall median score being 50.9 out of 200.
You can view our public B Corp profile here. We look forward to continuously improving our score over the next three years ahead of our recertification milestone.
Who manages the B Corp process?
The certification process is managed by B Lab, a global non-profit network transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. B Lab was founded in 2006 and is driven by the B Global Network’s Theory of Change.
What can we expect now that FRANKIE4 is a B Corp?
We've found setting clear short and long-term responsibility objectives is helping us improve our impact. These objectives are communicated organisation-wide to all team members.
Part of these objectives include numerous projects that support positive social and environmental outcomes in the areas we operate, as well as future B Corp recertification scoring.
FRANKIE4 exists to support positive wellbeing and health outcomes for women around the world.
The brand was born from a place of frustration for suitable, supportive footwear for women who experience pain and discomfort, but don’t require interventionist surgery or custom orthotics based on their medical diagnosis.
Our podiatrist-designed footbed technology is found in every style across the range, which aims to alleviate foot pain and support lower limb alignment.
PRODUCT TESTING
All FRANKIE4 product is developed and tested in-house through a rigorous product development program, conducted by an all-female Design team.
All new styles undergo in-house wear testing and size trial phases. A trusted group of testers are given samples, and report back to the Design team in weekly fit sessions.
These non-randomised control groups allow us to maintain a high level of performance and fit in all new styles developed, and ensures we’re directly engaging stakeholders when developing and refining our products.
When it comes to shoes, every millimetre counts to deliver a consistent and positive underfoot experience. Testing and fit sessions help us create a consistent FRANKIE4 look and feel.
RESEARCH PARTNERS
Our positive health outcomes are verified by independent research conducted by university partner Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and informed by insights from high quality, peer-reviewed secondary research.
To date, the hard work of our teams has contributed to over 120,000 verified five-star reviews from you—and counting!
FRANKIE4 exists to support positive wellbeing and health outcomes for women around the world.
Read more...
Beyond our customers, FRANKIE4 aims to make a positive impact in the communities we operate in. B Corp defines ‘community’ through charitable giving and justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives.
NON-PROFIT PARTNERS
100% of net profits from all FRANKIE4 sock sales in Australia are donated to Brainchild Foundation, who support children and families suffering with spinal cord tumours.
100% of net profits from all FRANKIE4 sock sales in the US are donated to The Cure Starts Now, a non-profit dedicated to funding research for a ‘Homerun Cure™’ for cancer.
100% of net profits from all FRANKIE4 sock sales in New Zealand are donated to Brain Tumour Support NZ, a charity supporting adults diagnosed with brain tumours.
Funds raised:
- BrainChild Foundation: $683,722.88 AUD (30 June, 2024).
- The Cure Starts Now: $13,046.01 USD (30 June, 2024).
- Brain Tumour Support NZ: $10,026.87 NZD (30 June, 2024).
JUSTICE, EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION (JEDI)
We engage with our employees on a yearly basis to understand our team’s diversity and set specific, measurable, and timely diversity and inclusion improvement goals.
Beyond our customers, FRANKIE4 aims to make a positive impact in the communities we operate in. B Corp defines ‘community’ through charitable giving and justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives.
Read more...
Raised for BrainChild Foundation
$683,722.88 AUD
Raised for The Cure Starts Now
$13,046.01 USD
Raised for Brain Tumour Support NZ
$10,026.87 NZD
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
We survey our team every year to understand what’s important to them as a FRANKIE4 team member and ways we can improve how we work individually and collectively.
PARENTAL LEAVE
We recognise the importance of taking time to care for a child. To support new FRANKIE4 parents, we provide parental leave options and financial assistance to all employees following the birth, foster, or adoption of a child (regardless of the parent’s gender identity).
PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELLBEING
We sponsor health and wellness initiatives for our team members to encourage our employees to prioritise their physical and mental wellbeing, hit their wellness goals, and be rewarded for doing so.
Moreover, through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP), all employees and their families have free access to health services. Services are accessed confidentially and include counselling, a wellbeing content library, interactive assessments, and virtual fitness sessions.
We’re proud to have a committed and ambitious team across Australia and the US.
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CARBON EMISSIONS
We conduct yearly Greenhouse Gas Assessments (GHG) with Plan A, an award-winning carbon accounting platform provider (and fellow B Corp). We’re committed to setting targets in FY25 and putting in place actions to reduce our emissions.
For example, we have an internal policy to prioritise maritime freight over air freight where possible and analyse our Category 4: Upstream transportation and distribution of goods emissions results year on year.
We’ve also conducted a third-party Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) with Pangolin Associates – another B Corp – to measure the environmental impact of specific products across our range.
PRODUCT AND MATERIALS
We exclusively use Leather Working Group (LWG) materials sourced from gold and silver-rated tanneries to reduce the impact of our leather products. In using LWG sourced leather, this reduces the use of toxic or hazardous substances, reduces pollution, and aids with water management.
FRANKIE4 is also committed to keeping shoes out of landfill. Our partnership with TreadLightly gives old shoes new life as gym mats and springy playground floors, with over 20,000 pairs saved from landfill to date.
Our shoeboxes are made from 100% recycled materials and are curbside recyclable once the cotton shoelace handles are removed.
Lastly, we upcycle various materials in styles across the range. For example, the footbeds in the majority of our slides are made of 10% rice husk – an agricultural by-product. We also use recycled PET plastic (rPET) for the forefoot lining in 67% of the styles across our current range.
FRANKIE4 is committed to doing better by our planet and continuing to implement initiatives that minimise our environmental footprint.
Read more...
The footbeds in the majority of our slides are made from 10% upcycled rice husk — an agricultural by-product
Our leather is sourced through the Leather Working Group—click here for more information on how the LWG is making an impact in fashion.
Once the recycled-cotton shoelace handles are removed, our shoeboxes are curbside recyclable.
HOW IS FRANKIE4
GOVERNED?
OUR COMMITMENT
As a business, FRANKIE4 has amended its constitutions to reflect our commitment to all stakeholders in our decision-making. This is an important legal requirement for all Certified B Corps.
We carefully abide by the FRANKIE4 Code of Ethics and suppliers adhere to our Supplier Code of Conduct.
OUR OBJECTIVES
We conduct an annual Materiality Assessment to prioritise environmental, social, and governance topics that are most important to our stakeholders.
We formally include social and environmental goals in our decision making and employee training, with 100% of full-time managers having social or environmental goals in their job description.