Certified Benefit Corporations (BCorps), “purpose-driven companies” that conduct biennial impact assessments to test their social and environmental footprint, have a crucial role to play in the response to climate change, Ottawa entrepreneur and The Energy Mix subscriber Mike Gifford argues in a recent Huffington Post blog.
“Business contributes more greenhouse gases than government and should be handed a bigger role,” Gifford writes. “Business adoption needs to be a key policy of any government strategy for addressing climate change,” and BCorps’ mission to engage with staff and customers put them in a great position to deliver.
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He says BCorps can cut their carbon footprints by establishing “clean supply chains”, with procurement policies that favour local businesses and other BCorps. They can also focus on energy and water consumption and waste reduction.
“Historically, business has focused on growth and profits,” Gifford notes, but BCorps show that a broader view is possible. “Business can be a force for good, and this innovation engine can be leveraged to reduce our global CO2 footprint.”
