Deepening Business Climate Action by Centering Community
B The Change Weekly: September 28, 2022
Delivered on Fridays, B The Change Weekly provides the most important and most relevant stories about people using business as a force for good. The newsletter features a weekly note from the B The Change team alongside insight and context on the stories we share here on Medium. Below is our latest roundup. To receive these insights directly in your inbox, sign up for B The Change Weekly today. Now on to the good stuff:
Through collective action, Certified B Corporations can be strong advocates for issues that are important to them and their stakeholders. With the future of our planet under threat, B Corps have the opportunity to deepen their climate action by centering the people who likely will be most affected by the climate crisis. Globally and in the U.S. and Canada, these populations are disproportionately People of Color and systematically oppressed communities.
Effective climate action and justice can take many forms, including developing new materials that reduce waste and harm to the Earth, or operating with transparency rather than under the guise of greenwashing. For B Corps, it’s all part of the continual journey toward improvement and a more inclusive and regenerative economy.
Creating a Business Climate Action Plan Centered in Justice
As they adjust practices and policies to help heal and protect the Earth, businesses also have a responsibility to center people and justice in their climate action. A recent webinar from B Lab U.S. & Canada featured companies and organizations leading the way in working with the most affected communities to tackle the climate crisis.
Operating Transparently to Combat Greenwashing
How have businesses and the advertising sector misled consumers about their environmental responsibility? That’s one question explored in the second episode of B Lab’s Forces for Good podcast, which offers tips to spot greenwashing and examples from companies that are telling transparent stories about their environmental footprint.
Taking a Circular Path to Leave a Lighter Footprint
While calculating its footprint as part of its B Corp commitment to net zero, Skandinavisk discovered that glass is the overwhelming source of the candle company’s carbon emissions. The subsequent work to make candle refills a reality involved a quest to find the right wax base — circling the globe from paraffin to palm to soy — that was right on the B Corp’s doorstep.
Stay in the Know
Here’s your chance to catch up on recent articles:
- Creating a Business Climate Action Plan Centered in Justice: How Companies Can Center Most Affected Communities in Climate Action Work
- Toast Ale Aims to Reduce Food Waste While Educating Consumers About the Global Problem: Breweries Collaborate on Climate Crisis Call to Action
- How Do SMEs Overcome Industry Barriers with Sustainable Innovations and the Right Perspective? Positive Impact Innovation and Expertise Are Advantages to SMEs Gaining Scale and Traction
- Refilling a Sense of Scandinavia: The Circular Path to Leave a Lighter Footprint
- B Lab Forces for Good Podcast: How Can Business Combat Greenwashing? Companies Telling Transparent Stories About Their Environmental Footprint
B The Change gathers and shares the voices from within the movement of people using business as a force for good and the community of Certified B Corporations. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the nonprofit B Lab.
