We all have a role to play in the fight against climate change. This final section focuses on the important role that businesses play in making products that are good for people and planet. Products that respect and are in balance with the planetary boundaries. With this in mind, this section has two important perspectives. One is from B Corp, a certification body and community of businesses that strive to use business as a force for good. The other is from the perspective of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to highlight the current work ongoing from a global perspective.
Estimated time to complete: 45 minutes
In this section you will:
Learn about what B Corps are and the vital work they are carrying out.
Look at how well MUD Jeans performed in the B Corp Impact Assessment and which areas we scored highly on.
Learn about what the UNFCCC does and what COP26 and the Race to Zero is about
B Corp
Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.
How did the B Corp movement start?
In 2006, three friends left their careers in business and private equity to create an organization dedicated to making it easier for mission-driven companies to protect and improve their positive impact over time. The first 82 B Corporations were certified in 2007.
Society’s most challenging problems cannot be solved by government and non-profits alone. The B Corp community works toward reduced inequality, lower levels of poverty, a healthier environment, stronger communities, and the creation of more high-quality jobs with dignity and purpose. By harnessing the power of business, B Corps use profit and growth as a means to a greater end: positive impact for their employees, communities, and the environment.
B Corps form a community of leaders and drive a global movement of people using business as a force for good. The values and aspirations of the B Corp community are embedded in the B Corp Declaration of Interdependence.
B Corp Certification
B Corp Certification doesn’t just evaluate a product or service. It assesses the overall positive impact of the company that stands behind it. And increasingly, that’s what people care most about.
Certified B Corporations achieve a minimum verified score on the B Impact Assessment—a rigorous assessment of a company’s impact on its workers, customers, community, and environment—and make their B Impact Report transparent on bcorporation.net. Certified B Corporations also amend their legal governing documents to require their board of directors to balance profit and purpose.
The combination of third-party validation, public transparency, and legal accountability help Certified B Corps build trust and value. B Corp Certifications are administered by the non-profit B Lab.
Verified Performance
Legal Accountability
Public Transparency
"There are currently over 7,000 certified B Corporations."
B Corp Declaration of Independence
We envision a global economy that uses business as a force for good.
This economy is comprised of a new type of corporation - the B Corporation - which is purpose-driven and creates benefit for all stakeholders, not just shareholders.
As B Corporations and leaders of this emerging economy, we believe:
- That we must be the change we seek in the world.
- That all business ought to be conducted as if people and place mattered.
- That, through their products, practices, and profits, businesses should aspire to do no harm and benefit all.
- To do so requires that we act with the understanding that we are each dependent upon another and thus responsible for each other and future generations.
MUD Jeans - A proud B Corp
B Corps are new kinds of businesses that balance purpose and profit. All B Corps are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment. To become a B Corp, a company is assessed on their overall positive impact, based on the criteria displayed on the right. Only if the company scores above 80/200 can they call themselves a B Corp. MUD Jeans has been a proud B Corp since 2015. In 2020 we completed our reassessment, hitting 124.7 points, as can be seen on the right.
What is the UNFCCC Secretariat?
The UNFCCC Secretariat (UN Climate Change) is the United Nations entity with the responsibility of supporting the global response to the threat of climate change. UNFCCCstands for United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Convention has near universal membership (197 Parties, or countries) and is the parent treaty of the 2015Paris Agreement. The main aim of the Paris Agreement is to keep the global average temperature rise this century as close as possible to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The UNFCCC is also the parent treaty of the 1997Kyoto Protocol. The ultimate objective of all three agreements under the UNFCCC is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system, in a time frame which allows ecosystems to adapt naturally and enables sustainable development.
The COP
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is an annual event held by the United Nations and an annually changing host country. The goal of it is that all parties of the UNFCCC meet and discuss how to to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
COP28 is taking place at the end of 2023 in Dubai and it is the 28th time that national governments which are part of the UN climate convention meet to discuss climate action.
Race to Zero
Race To Zero is a global campaign to rally leadership and support from businesses, cities, regions, investors for a healthy, resilient, zero carbon recovery that prevents future threats, creates decent jobs, and unlocks inclusive, sustainable growth. The objective is to build momentum around the shift to a decarbonized economy, where governments must strengthen their contributions to the Paris Agreement.
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