What’s Going On Here?
First BP, then Coca Cola, now Amazon – in the past week the corporates have been making the headlines as they announce new strategies to positively impact people and the planet!
What Does This Mean?
BP – aka the big fossil fuel giant that was not-so-long-ago found to have been funnelling millions of ££ into lobbying against climate policy – made headlines last week for a very different reason…the new CEO announcing their plans to have a Net Zero carbon footprint by 2050!Following this, Coca Cola announced its own plans to ‘attach sustainability metrics to its performance indicators when calculating executive bonuses’…basically making environmentally friendly pay!AND THEN Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos announced the creation of a $10bn (yes TEN BILLION!!) fund that will issue grants for ideas and businesses that are tackling the climate crisis.
With businesses that value people, planet and profit equally becoming increasingly mainstream, the rise in businesses certified as B Corporations, and existing businesses changing their business models so that they are compatible with a climate-friendly world – is this a positive sign of change within the private sector?
Why Should We Care?
Businesses are a powerful force in society. Like it or not, they impact what we eat, where we go, what we own and use and how we spend our time…and therefore have an immense capability (and arguably responsibility) to positively impact the world both now and in the future.
Recent headlines show how business doesn’t have to mean evil corporations squeezing our planet for profit – business can be a force for good!
However, in this era of transparency, a word of caution…greenwashing sadly continues to be employed amongst some corporations. Not all businesses are equal in their levels of climate action, and some action is tiny in comparison to the negative impact the company has overall. In this modern world, we at curious.earth encourage an element of curiosity when judging whether a company’s commitment to the planet is legit…
Be Curious!
- Is it business, or BS? Be curious to learn more about what the big corps are up to, and assess for yourself whether this is true commitment to the climate cause, or just a load of hot air…
- Power-up your purchasing – Like what you read/see? Buy from companies whose values, purpose and products reflect what you care about!
- Sift out the greenies from the greenwash – Not sure who is really committed and who is just saying things for the crowds? We find these directories super useful to identify businesses, products and services that are committed to positively impacting people and planet:
– B Corp Directory – list of businesses that are B Corp certified – aka balance people, planet and profit within their business purpose, strategy and impact.
– Good on You – a comprehensive breakdown of fashion brands’ sustainability efforts.
– Fairtrade/Organic/MSc certified businesses.
– Ethical Consumer – a great resource for screening credentials of companies.
