Honor Thy Label

Dr. Bronner's Unconventional Journey to a Clean, Green, and Ethical Supply Chain

By: Gero Leson, David Bronner - foreword

Narrated by: Kiff VandenHeuvel

“A compelling story about the kind of moral, life-giving decisions that businesses can make to do good while doing well.” (Mark Bittman, author of Animal, Vegetable, Junk)

What's in a label? For Dr. Bronner's, more than ingredients or intentions - it spells out an ethical commitment to fairness and sustainable growth, uniting consumers and companies worldwide.

Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps are renowned for their dense product labels (“All-One!”) and the curious tingling of peppermint. But how did this unusual natural soap transform the small print into soaring sales - inspiring customer loyalty not just with lather, but with good clean business?

In Honor Thy Label, Dr. Bronner’s head of Special Operations, Gero Leson, reveals the inside story of how a little-known family-run soap company grew from countercultural roots to create a revolutionary fair trade and organic supply chain from the ground up - and rode the waves of popular demand without losing sight of the process. Through stories of harrowing setbacks and hard-won triumphs in projects that spanned the globe, in Sri Lanka, Ghana, India, and beyond, Leson demystifies the process of building and scaling ethical production. And he proves that if done right, the results ripple outward to benefit customers, communities, and the environment we share.

Told with spirit and conviction, Honor Thy Label invites socially conscious entrepreneurs and shoppers on a journey to break the boundaries of production with the pioneers of socially just business - spreading Dr. Bronner’s radical vision of simple ingredients with cosmic impact.

©2021 Gero Leson (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“People often ask us if there are any companies Patagonia looks up to. We’re proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with Dr. Bronner’s for the work they’ve done to pioneer a socially and environmentally responsible supply chain. For the past fifteen years their special ops chief, Gero Leson, has spearheaded these efforts. His new book is required reading for those who are serious about transforming business to help save our home planet.” (Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia and author of Let My People Go Surfing)

“What would it look like for a major company to take the climate crisis seriously, with a commitment to organic, fair, and regenerative agriculture that can ripple outward to its customers and to other companies? With conversational accessibility, this engrossing book illuminates what makes Dr. Bronner’s so special.” (Jonathan Safran Foer, best-selling author of We Are the Weather)

“Dr. Bronner’s is a comet of light proving that a business can be a powerful and positive force. Gero Leson illuminates how the brand focuses that trail of light on ecological and social issues important to all of humanity around the globe.” (Jeff Moyer, executive director of Rodale Institute)

Awesome Self-Profile of this company

I've always been intrigued and slightly confused by the cryptic and slightly "crazy" message printed on Dr. Bronners products. This book explains the origins of that and SO much more. I was surprised at the many elements and examples of libertarianism throughout the book. I think they could have gotten their message across in less than 12 hours, though. I would suggest this as a must read for anyone interested in business/economics that is also environmentally conscious. Takes a bit of dedication (and brand loyalty) to get through some of the longer chapters though

True to form - great book, v long

If you have ever read a Dr. Bronner's label, you'll know this is a wordy bunch. The book is VERY good, and offers a lot to think about for SBOs but very wordy.

What a great story though! Thank you for your commitment to the value and transparency throughout your brand

Excellent, detailed, behind the scenes account

It’s rare to get an insider to write a book like this because they are always too busy doing the work to write about it, lack interest or perhaps aren’t good writers. Gero Leson and the leadership at Dr Bronners have done the world a big favor by writing down and making accessible what they are doing to create a responsible company with an ethical supply chain.

Honor Thy Label joins other books in this tradition like Force of Nature about Walmart, The Real Scoop about Ben & Jerry’s, Midcourse Correction about Interface, and the Battle to do Good about McDonalds.

Honor Thy Label shows that building an ethical supply chain is hard-work requiring total leadership commitment over the long-term, deep humility to learn about the local culture and economy, and operational excellence.