Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts

The Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts is a Cambridge-based nonprofit that brings together locally owned, independent businesses working to build a local economy that is green and fair. Founded in 1988, SBN describes itself as the nation’s first business trade association with a mission of using business as a vehicle for social, environmental and economic change. It also educates consumers, businesses and government agencies about the benefits of buying from independent companies that care about their communities and the environment.

Members get networking through a B2B group, interactive events, and one-on-one consultations and small group discussions with leading local entrepreneurs. SBN runs several programs, including the Sustainable Business of the Year Awards, a Local Food Program, a Solar Energy Program and the Cambridge-Somerville Black Business Network. It has also organized a Black-Owned Business Marketplace pop-up in Harvard Square and a free financial education workshop series for small businesses, offered with Cambridge Savings Bank and Cambridge Local First.

What to Know

• Founder and executive director Laury Hammel started the group in 1988 as the New England Business Association for Social Responsibility.
• The organization reports that its leadership is majority BIPOC and/or women.
• SBN publishes annual reports on its work.
• Its broader vision is a world economy built from thousands of interconnected local economies.