Every business’ environmental journey looks different, governed by their structure, location, size and more. The 20 Best for the World: Environment B Corps have demonstrated that no matter their size or offerings, environmentally conscious decisions can be a priority and an opportunity for significant positive impact. From B Corps like Minimum Wines producing organic wines, to Emaho, a boutique family-run tree farm, everyone can do it!
The Impact through Environment: A B Corp Workshop contained a wealth of useful information, from deep-diving into the Environment impact section on the B Impact Assessment (BIA), to learning firsthand from one of our region’s own Best for the World 2022 honourees, Method Recycling.
Utilising the B Impact Assessment and improving your environmental impact
Starting off, we learnt the ins and outs of the Environment impact area from Mindy Leow, B Lab AANZ’s Director of Impact and Growth. This included information about the policies and practices that not only go towards earning points in this impact area but, but that create long-lasting and meaningful organisational change. Topics for review relate to air, climate, water, land, biodiversity and the way in which an organisation uses energy, water and materials.
Mindy highlighted that the B Impact Assessment (BIA) is not only used for the certification process, but that it is a fantastic impact and measurement tool which can guide businesses towards more environmentally-friendly practices. The BIA presents an opportunity for businesses to not only reduce their environmental impact to earn points towards certification, but it enables them to collaborate with other companies and increase their sphere of influence, such as with customers and suppliers.
The environmental journey with Method Recycling
Image Source: Impact through Environment: A B Corp Workshop
Method Recycling received a B Impact Score of 93.4, with an Environmental impact score of 43.8. Their Impact Business Model (IBM) of ‘Resource Conservation’ earned them 27.8 of those points, demonstrating how significant their environmental impact is.
Steven Korner, CEO and Co-Founder of Method Recycling, spoke about how they’ve created a product with a purpose, catalysing sustainable change within communities. Having designed bins for offices and public spaces, Method Recycling encourages their customers to dispose of waste in a more environmentally-friendly way. They have made a difference to the world by elevating the proposition of recycling in the workplace to drive behaviour change that is necessary in our society.
“Our goal is to enable organisations to divert 1 billion kilograms of waste from landfill by 2030.”
— Steven Korner, CEO & Co-Founder of Method Recycling
Steven advised businesses looking to improve their environmental impact to “really get clear on what problem they’re trying to solve.” This included understanding the users of the products and/or services, as well as the organisational goals. He also highlighted the importance of ensuring that there’s a valuable end-of-life solution for product materials.
For people looking to start their environmental journey, Steven suggested:
- Start small by choosing one small area to improve on
- Measure and prove your impact: “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”
- Put a roadmap in place so you can work towards an ultimate goal.
Image: The Method Recycling Team
Environment impact area tips for our B Analysts
Informative and insightful tips on earning points in the Environment impact area:
- Documentation is a necessity to demonstrate impact claims. Ensure that your organisation collects ongoing documentation such as measurements of your environmental impact, and supporting documents and policies i.e. environmentally sustainable travel policy
- Answer questions in the BIA based on evidenced current and past performance, not aspirationally!
- Utilise the ‘Learn’ button on the BIA below question titles for supplementary information including links to external sources and documentation examples
- Prepare! Sustainability metrics and impact reporting are fantastic tools for demonstrating impact year-in and year-out, not just for BIA purposes but as positive public narratives for your customers too.
The presentation slides for this workshop can be downloaded here.
A big thank you to Method Recycling for sharing their learnings on creating impact through the environment, and to Seated Massage for leading the group through a wellbeing stretch break.
Excited to learn more about the Best for the World: Environment honourees? READ NEXT: Green, greener, greenest — how these top scoring B Corps are striving to ‘leaf’ no trace on the planet↗
