Why Cop27 Should Be A Reminder That Businesses Need To Put Their Foot On The Accelerator In Their Bid To Help Save The World…
Aimee Luther, MD at The Liberty Guild, talks about why #Cop27 should be a reminder that businesses need to put their foot on the accelerator in their bid to help save the world…
….and becoming B Corp is a great way to start that journey
"Collectively we can help ease the foot from the accelerator."
On Monday morning as António Guterres, Secretary General of the UN, opened COP 27, he tweeted:
“I have just warned global leaders at COP27: We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator.
Our planet is fast approaching tipping points that will make climate chaos irreversible.
We need urgent #ClimateAction.”
Sometimes, while we have burning issues in front of our very eyes, it can be easy to ignore the fact that the whole house is blazing behind us. Even after a summer of 40-degree heat, melting roads and water shortages, few of us have fundamentally changed our behaviour. Personal and in business.
The war in Ukraine and the resultant threats in energy supply are making the front pages – and we feel their pain in our hearts and our homes. Yet the quietly smouldering global shitstorm only seems to tempt protests involving glue and soup. Is that all keeping our children’s future on the agenda? Is that really all we’ve got?
Sometimes when something is so huge and so bleak, it can feel overwhelming. Our place on the planet and the influence we can each wield, seem insignificant. But collectively we can help ease the foot from the accelerator. As individuals, we can choose to buy from BCorps. To vote with our pound. To choose the proven good guys over the unproven.
And as stakeholders or shareholders in this industry, we should all be looking at how we operate day to day. Everyday. For tomorrow.
As a (proud) BCorp, we run a triple bottom line. We measure our impact on people, profit and the planet. We’re not eco-warriors. We’re doing what we believe everyone should be doing and can be doing. We use our business – and therefore our people, our voice and our spending – as a force for good.
Procurement departments are key to the industry's tide turning. In their quest to keep abreast of the needs of the brand, the selection and review processes are changing too. The growth in ESG, triple bottom lines and accreditations like BCorp are allowing brands to invest their pounds wisely to.
Not only is BCorp good for Mother Earth, but it’s good business too. From our experience, clients are now actively seeking businesses that behave responsibly, that aspire to do no harm and to benefit all. Whether that’s by working with minority-owned partners, ensuring a supply-chain free of modern slavery or are carbon neutral. And it doesn’t cost the Earth. It just takes some planning, thought and motivation. And a foot on the right accelerator.
But it is long hard graft. I managed to have 6 rounds of IVF and a baby in the time it took us to achieve our status. And the pain in birthing both was comparable. But so was the outcome. Bringing something beautiful into the world and planning for the future.
The audit process is constructed around five pillars (Governance, Workers, Community, Environment, Customers) and there are 200 ‘points’ on offer between them. Most companies would score 50 points - but to be a B Corp you need a minimum of 80.
It’s a long gestation period, and one requiring meticulous attention to every aspect of the business. This and the minimum score requirement means that only 3% of companies applying to become B Corps actually succeed.
But in spite of the Herculean efforts required, there are now 5,100 B Corps globally - a 66% rise since 2020 - and 750 here in the UK. And it is a process of continual monitoring and accountability, with recertification required every three years.
To give a flavour of the breadth of questions requiring responses; the percentage above the legal minimum wage that the lowest paid employee earns, listed practices around diversity, equity and inclusion; the percentage of our purchases that are from companies that are majority owned by women or individuals from underrepresented populations. Civic engagement amongst employees; energy usage reduction targets; recovery and recycling programs in place - even when working from home!; client satisfaction; through to no on-job fatalities, tax reduction schemes or human rights violations. Our staff handbook now details everything from our modern Slavery Act Statement through to Whistleblowing Policy and Taxonomy. All ground is covered!
And finally, our commitment to being a force for good in the world is recorded in our Articles of Association at Companies House.
The process has allowed us to demonstrate our credentials and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a cohort of like-minded businesses to fix the sustainability and DE&I issues we are all facing.
But to be part of the elite group of businesses – whether producing ideas or ice cream – that are trying to change the world by doing what they do, consciously, is worth it. But it’s a bit lonely here. So, whether you want to do it for fame, fortune or our collective future, please join us. Personally, and in Business.
First published by BITE Creativebrief
Photo by Nicholas Doherty on Unsplash
