In creating an initial six-month action plan and shaping a 10-year vision, the B Leadership Summit attendees identified concrete steps to accelerate climate mitigation work collectively, as individual companies, and through cross-sector collaboration and public advocacy.

Emerging from the Summit is the B Corp Climate Action Collective, a group of committed B Corps interested in furthering this work. The Collective has agreed upon a draft Vision statement: “We demonstrate the collective power of our businesses to transform commerce and to create an inclusive society and environmental regeneration. We commit to taking bold steps towards climate resiliency by using advocacy, cross-sector collaboration, corporate action, and the capital markets to stop emissions and drawdown carbon, improve global well-being.”

The Collective is launching with five Action Groups:

B Corp Climate Advocacy Action Group to be led by Chris Miller, Social Mission Activism Manager, Ben & Jerry’s;

B Corp Measure What Matters CO2 Reduction Action Group to be led by Saskia van Gendt, Senior Director of Sustainability, method products pbc;

B Corp Climate Employee Engagement Action Group to be led by Rob Michalak, Director of Social Impact, Ben & Jerry’s;

B Corp Pilot for Sustainable Packaging to be led by Sasha Calder, Director of Sustainability, Beautycounter; and

B Corp Climate Action Collective Governance Creation Group to be led by Stephen Irvin, CEO, Amicus Solar Cooperative.

The Collective’s Action Groups have each developed six-month action plans to drive wider stakeholder engagement and to further this work, with the next major convening to take place in September at the 2019 B Corp Champions Retreat in Los Angeles.

The Setting

The Summit was held in and hosted by Taos Ski Valley, a B Corp in New Mexico. Like most alpine regions globally, the ski resort is distinctly negatively impacted by climate change. Taos Ski Valley is a demonstrable leader in both social and environmental practices globally.

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham spoke at the B Inspired Festival, a free public event.

“As the world’s first Certified B Corporation ski resort and one with a deeply vested interest in changing our current climate trajectory, we’re honored to be hosting the 2019 B Leadership Summit,” said Taos Ski Valley CEO David Norden. “We can’t wait to see the transformational change that will come from this gathering of leaders.”

The culmination of the event was the B Inspired Festival, a free public event where B Corp leaders from Patagonia, C.F. Martin & Co, Wanderlust, Badger, and Guayaki joined special guest, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and athletes from Protect Our Winters (POW), a nonprofit that aims to turn outdoor enthusiasts into effective climate advocates. Throughout the festival were conversations about how business, sport and music can positively impact the environment — and how each of us as individuals can Vote Every Day by buying from, working for and doing business with B Corps. The event concluded with a performance by renowned American folk band Rising Appalachia.

What Summit Participants Had to Say

“Business is changing, and remaining relevant is no longer simply about a product or service, yielding a transaction. The role of the private sector in shaping and driving positive economic, social, and environmental change is critically important,” said Angela McElwee, President of Gaia Herbs. “This is our responsibility as leaders, and part of a new paradigm of measuring what success looks like in business. The opportunity to work alongside fellow B Corporations this week on climate was equal parts inspiration and perspiration. We worked hard and with urgency, and I found myself deeply appreciative of this community filled with so many aligned leaders, coming together with shared purpose. Business as a force for good is a powerful vehicle for creating change — and hope — as we work to address the effects of climate change.”

“The B Leadership Summit was an amazing gathering of business leaders determined to work together to find systemic solutions to address the biggest challenge of our time — climate change,” said Joey Bergstein, CEO of Seventh Generation. “This gathering served as an inspiring example of how business can work together as a force for good.”

“As the leading group of companies using business as a force for good, B Corps prove that it is possible to be financially successful and socially and environmentally responsible,” said Hilary Dessouky, General Counsel at Patagonia. “At Patagonia, our greatest success comes when we’re on the front lines fighting to save our home planet. Investing in the future of the planet couldn’t be more urgent and we are proud to be a part of a community that values future generations over short-term profits.”

“We all know that we need to do more to address climate, and having committed collaborators makes it feel possible,” said Chris Mann, Chairman of the Gourd of Guayaki. “Through inspired action and deep commitment, the B Leadership Summit enabled us to develop concrete next steps and build a foundation that will make it clear how all companies can participate. Importantly, these plans are built to catalyze and accelerate the work that so many organizations are already engaged in so we can move together to drive systemic change quickly.”

“For 13 years I’ve been going to climate change conferences and working with with some of the brightest minds and leaders in climate change — entrepreneur leaders in sustainability and renewals, non profits, scientists and, major corporations and heads of major energy companies. Over time we realized many of the businesses were doing nothing but greenwashing, no commitments and all talking heads. None of them did the work the group you put together did — create a real plan for action. We moved from throwing as much as we could on the wall to see what sticks to moving to collective action that was focused on systems change,” said Raj Aggarwal, President of Provoc. “I was encouraged by the fact that equity and inclusion were front and center as focal points of our work going forward while the group also recognized the need for this group to have far more diverse representation in future gatherings.”

“This summit demonstrates an important shift in the B Corp community that’s underway, from supporting the growth of a purpose-driven model, to harnessing that collective power into a compelling level of advocacy and actions that can drive the critical changes necessary to create a world that serves our collective humanity and the earth we all share,” said Rob Michalak, Director of Social-Purpose Impact at Ben & Jerry’s.

“Given the critical state of our Earth and the increasing divide between her most privileged and most vulnerable people, the world needs the B Corp movement now more than ever,” said Amy Hall, Vice President of Social Consciousness at Eileen Fisher. “I left the Summit with a profound sense of hope in the power of business to heal the planet for future generations.”

The B Leadership Summit was facilitated by Justin Wright of Certified B Corporation Habitus and Jessica Friesen, Director of Strategy and Operations at B Lab.

B Corps participating in the leadership summit included: 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, Simply Straws, Taos Ski Valley, Inc., and Wanderlust Festival.