The B Corp Climate Collective is a coalition of left-of-center companies with environmentalist agendas that advocates for left-of-center environmental policies worldwide. The coalition is affiliated with the nongovernmental organization B Lab.

Its members are companies that are certified B Corporations or “B Corps,” a certification program operated by B Lab and its affiliates that requires companies to adopt internal policy and governance changes in order to embrace environmentalist policies and adopt a structure aligned with Environment Social, and Governance (ESG) activism and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) ideologies. Companies participating in the coalition include Ben and Jerry’s, Patagonia, and Danone International. ^{1 2}

Background

The B Corp Climate Collective was formed in 2019 at the B Leadership Summit, hosted by B Lab and consisting of what the organization described as some of the most climate-progressive companies in the world with the goal to develop short and long-term “collective action plans” to address global warming and support left-of-center climate and environmental policies. ³

The B Leadership Summit, where the group was conceived, was hosted at the Taos Ski Valley resort. Taos Ski Valley billed itself as the world’s first certified B Corp ski resort, and the summit was partially sponsored by Protect Our Winters (POW), a left-of-center advocacy group that conducts grassroots outreach to winter sports enthusiasts to lobby on behalf of left-of-center environmentalist policies. ⁴

Activities

The B Corp Climate Collective has created several initiatives and resource guides to drive B Corps to adopt left-of-center environmentalist commitments. The organization has developed several action groups focused on various groups of countries and continents. The organization’s U.S./Canada Climate action groups include a climate advocacy group dedicated to “activat[ing] B Corps around policy advocacy and works closely with Ceres’s Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP) Network to present such opportunities to the community.” Other climate action groups operated by the B Corp Climate Collective include efforts to engage employees of B Corps to “engage more deeply around climate activism” and an action group that “engages executives from the highest emitters to encourage them to adopt more climate-just practices in their organizations.” ⁵

The B Corp Climate Collective created the Net Zero 2030 campaign following its launch in 2019 to solicit commitments from B Corp companies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In 2022, the B Corp Climate Collective retired its Net Zero 2030 campaign in favor of partnering with the SME Climate Hub and the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). The group encouraged companies with fewer than 500 employees to join the SME Climate Hub and companies with over 500 employees to partner with the SBTi. ⁶

While the Net Zero 2030 campaign was the primary focus of the B Corp Climate Collective, the organization stated that it would continue operation and continue to “exist and be stewarded by the global network of B Lab and Sistema B organizations through our regional climate collectives and action groups, with a focus on driving the B Corp community toward collective action on climate while centering climate justice.” ⁷

Members

Members of the B Corp Climate Collective include 1908 Brands, 3Degrees, All Good, Alter Eco Foods, Amicus Solar Cooperative, Athleta, B Lab, Badger, Beautycounter, Ben & Jerry’s, C.F. Martin & Co., Cabot Creamery, Cotopaxi, Danone North America, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, Eileen Fisher, Gaia Herbs, Guayaki, Habitus Incorporated, KeHE Distributors, MegaFood, Meow Wolf, method | People Against Dirty, Namaste Solar, NativeEnergy, Participant Media, Patagonia, Provoc, Rhino Foods, SecondMuse, Seventh Generation, Simple Energy, Taos Ski Valley, and Wanderlust Festival. ⁸

Partner Organizations

Listed partner organizations of the B Corp Climate Collective include B Lab, the B Team, the University of Oxford Said School of Business, Marrakech Partnership, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Climate Collaborative, Ceres, B Lab United Kingdom, Leap, Protect Our Winters, Ceres’s Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP) Network, and Rare. ⁹

1. “Supporters.” B Corp Climate Collective. Accessed August 7, 2023. https://www.bcorpclimatecollective.org/supporters
2. “News.” B Corp Climate Collective. https://www.bcorpclimatecollective.org/news
3. “About.” B Corp Climate Collective. Accessed August 7, 2023. https://www.bcorpclimatecollective.org/about
4. “Climate-Leading B Corps Gather to Develop Business-Focused Climate Change Action Strategy.” B Lab. Accessed August 7, 2023.  https://bthechange.com/climate-leading-b-corps-gather-to-develop-business-focused-climate-change-action-strategy-bf7699b27317
5. “Action Groups.” B Corp Climate Collective. Accessed August 7, 2023. https://www.bcorpclimatecollective.org/action-groups-all
6. “Net Zero.” B Corp Climate Collective. Accessed August 7, 2023. https://www.bcorpclimatecollective.org/net-zero
7. “Net Zero.” B Corp Climate Collective. Accessed August 7, 2023. https://www.bcorpclimatecollective.org/net-zero
8. “Supporters.” B Corp Climate Collective. Accessed August 7, 2023. https://www.bcorpclimatecollective.org/supporters
9. “Supporters.” B Corp Climate Collective. Accessed August 15, 2023. https://www.bcorpclimatecollective.org/supporters