How to Declare a
Climate Emergency& Take Climate Action
A playbook for business
Brought to you by B Lab UK with the support and guidanceof The B Team and Oxford University’s Saïd Business School

Contents
Foreward
Setting the Scene
Introduction
Part 1: The Climate Emergency
Part 2: Taking Action
Part 3: Climate Advocacy
Part 4: For the Road Ahead

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How to Declare a Climate Emergency

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Foreword

eakdown

The U.N. Climate Action Summit, the youth-led
Global Climate Strikes, and the U.N.’s report on theimpact of climate change on the world’s oceans andfrozen regions, and more importantly climate-related
natural disasters and extreme weather events aroundthe world, have placed the climate emergency frontand center in the news and the collective zeitgeist of
the planet. And for good reason.
Accelerating climate change and ecologicalbreakdown pose an existential threat to all life on
Earth. The scientific community has agreed that a
1.5°C increase in average global temperature is thelimit to reduce the worst impacts for our planet andits inhabitants. At the current trajectory, we willreach this limit as early as 2030.
Simply put: there is a climate emergency. And
we must act. There is no choice. We need bold,courageous, urgent, and unapologetic leadership,from all sectors and all levels of society, morethan ever.
As the source and cause of the vast majority ofthe planet’s greenhouse gases, the business sector
is uniquely culpable for the climate crisis — and3

How to Declare a Climate Emergency

therefore responsible for demonstrating leadershipin eliminating emissions and drawing down carbon
as rapidly as possible. As the conservationist DavidBrower aptly says: “There is no business to be doneon a dead planet.”
We are facing a global emergency that threatens our
only home and all our children. It’s time for leaders
to lead. At the World Economic Forum in Davos inJanuary 2019, Greta Thunberg famously said,“I want you to act as if our house is on
fire. Because it is.”The agency to act in response to the climate
emergency, resides in every one of us as businessleaders and as individual human beings — ineverything we say, do, write, eat, buy, and invest in.
We have the power to rewrite our future as a species.
Every person and every company must choose theirown path within that agency.

We commend to you that declaring a
climate emergency can be a powerful
first step.

Taken from the article: For Such a Time as This:
Climate Action and True Leadership in a Time of Crisisby Kim Coupounas

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Setting the scene
Climate Emergency
There is no single agreed formal definition. We believe the “Climate Emergency” is the acknowledgementthat urgent and fundamental change is needed to mitigate the extent to which global warming causes
irreversible change to the Earth and all life on it.
Ecological Breakdown
Ecological Breakdown describes a situation where an ecosystem suffers drastic reduction and extinction of
species and organisms. This is usually precipitated by disastrous events happening in a short timescale.
Why Declare a Climate Emergency
While a climate emergency declaration is largely symbolic, it is also a means to engage and mobilise key
stakeholders to tell the truth about the seriousness of the climate emergency and ecological breakdown weare experiencing and to make meaningful commitments on how to address them, including radically andurgently reducing carbon emissions and preparing key stakeholders for adaptation and resilience in theface of irreversible negative impacts.
By declaring a climate emergency, business leaders can not only justify to shareholders the necessity ofchanging their own practices and business models, but also, and more importantly, create the context inwhich policymakers can align incentives so that the capital markets reward instead of punish sound, longterm planning. This is how we will spring into immediate action that can help mitigate the worst of thelife-altering challenges we will face if we fail to behave “as if the house was on fire.” - Greta Thunberg

Image taken from online source4

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Organisations
declaringa climateemergency
Declaring a climate emergency means committing to tell thetruth about the reality of the climate breakdown and making ameaningful commitment to address this breakdown, by taking
action to radically and urgently reduce carbon emissions.

1,216

jurisdictionsin 26 countries
have declareda climateemergency 1

7,000

universities
have declareda climateemergency2

11,000scientists
have declareda climateemergency3(as of December 8th 2019)

1. 1,216 Jurisdictions in 26 Countries have Declared a Climate Emergency
2. Networks of 7,000 Universities declare climate emergency
3. Over 11,000 Scientists Declare Climate Emergency, Share 6 Steps To Save the Future

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Introduction
Purpose of the playbook
The purpose of this playbook is to inspire andsupport businesses of all sizes who want to takeclimate action, declare a climate emergency andengage in meaningful climate advocacy. The
playbook will present practical tools and resources
for business executives and employees who wish
to step up their commitment to transforming theirorganisation’s governance, operations and businessmodels to address the climate emergency.

Guiding beliefs
Underpinning the creation of this playbook are
four key beliefs:
This is an urgent situation, and we must act now.
We do not blame anyone. We take apositive approach.
We believe the answers exist. Let’s be bold in our
ambitions to embrace new practices and businessmodels that offer proven solutions to the climate
emergency and ecological breakdown.

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How to Declare a Climate Emergency

Real progress will require each of us to becommitted to continuous improvement, fueled by
the urgency of the situation to keep stepping it up.

Who is this playbook for?
The playbook is for all businesses with us on thisjourney including board members, employees andexecutives of any business taking the climate andecological breakdown seriously. The playbook is
ideal for 3 main business archetypes:
Climate committed. Companies that understandthat there is a climate emergency and are willing tocommit to take action at a board level.
Climate active. Companies already on thejourney that are engaged in direct climate action
and advocacy.
Climate ambitious. Companies that are setting thepace in the market by working towards ambitious
goals in response to the climate emergency.

The power of community
Let’s be clear: declaring a climate emergency
is not risk-free.
Your company may become a target for those
who will say that because you’re a business
you are part of the problem - or that you’re
not going far enough.
We know this is hard. But we also know thisis important.
The strength of a community is that we are
there for each other. We have each other’sbacks when needed.
When you declare a climate emergency,
remember that there is a growing communityof organisations and businesses on thisjourney with you. We are stronger together.
And we are on the right side of history.

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An important noteon system failure
We believe that one of the primary drivers of the climate emergency, and the greatest impediment to meaningful
climate action, is the system failure that centers our economy on maximising profits at the expense of people
and the natural world. This leads to short-term decisions that externalise environmental and social costs,
creating massive systemic risk and social unrest, and undermining healthy markets. Business leaders have a vitalrole to play in calling this system flaw into question at every opportunity, starting first with embedding broader
stakeholders interests into their own corporate operating system.
As we systematically — company by company, industry by industry, market by market — remove impediments
and align incentives, we can accelerate meaningful climate action and move toward a new economic system that
requires corporations, and the investors who own them, to operate with a first principle to preserve the naturaland social systems upon which life and thriving markets depend.
Any legitimate response to the climate emergency cannot be limited to bold climate action within individualcompanies, but must also be focused on bold advocacy to upend the system failure of shareholder primacy.

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Voices of young people“

8

Listen. Be open to what those around you are saying
and asking for. The climate crisis has awoken new
emotions and responses in individuals across society.
From mass action protests like XR, to students as
young as four chanting about how this crisis will affectyounger generations the most, it is clear that people
care about what’s happening to our planet. Don’t
ignore those voices. Invite youth activists or local
climate leaders to speak at board meetings. The battle
against the climate crisis can’t be fought alone, andthe solutions we pioneer must be inclusive (especiallyfor those who are so often shut out of businessconversations). – Emily, youth activist.

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Youth voices
What does climatechange mean to you?
seeing the deterioration of our“ It’splanet before my very own eyes. For

many, climate change may seem like
an issue to be faced in the future
however, for my peers and I, climatechange means acting immediately
and doing what we can to protect ourearth. – Katie, 16, Northern Ireland

What scares you about the
future with climate change?
am scared that plants and animals are“ Ibecoming
extinct and I won’t be able tobring up a family of my own.
– Isabella, 14, England“that I worry about the future“ Itandmeans
whether it will get much worse
before it gets better. It’s palpabledaily because there are clearlychanges in the weather.
– Sakeena, 21, India

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How to Declare a Climate Emergency

What scares me the most is the lackof time we have left to fix the damage
we have caused… I worry that theseriousness of this issue is being
forgotten or not understood by the older
generations and by those in power.
– Katie, 16, Northern Ireland

Do you think businesses
today are doing enough?
If not, what do you thinkthey should do?

“No, they need to use the best things forthe environment, even if it is expensive.
– Grace, 14, Englandthey should use renewable energy“ No,
and stop trying to trick us into thinking
it is our fault. Nothing can change until
they do. – Hannah, 14, England

How much are your purchasing decisions influenced bycompany’s climate actions?

““

When I know that the company isdoing its bit for the environment, it
makes me more interested in buying
their products. – Alvaro, 23, Peru

Generally, I am trying my best to
consume less. I also think that a lotof business and governments try to
offload responsibility on to the individual
consumers. We could all do our partto be better, obviously, but no amountof paper straws will create the drasticchange we need to stop the planet
warming. – Aubree, 25, Irelandbcorporation.uk

,

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Letter to my child
The actions we take today will matter
profoundly to the next generation.
Consider using this space to write aletter to a young person in your life your son/daughter, grandchild, niece/
nephew - and articulate the things you
have done - and plan to do - to impact
the world they are inheriting.

How to Declare a Climate Emergency

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Part 1: The
ClimateEmergency

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Top 10 climate facts
1
2

We are on track to reacha global temperature riseof 3 degrees by the endof the century.1
We need to reduce carbon
emissions by 45% from 2010
levels by 2030 and become net
zero by 2050 to meet the 1.5ºC
scenario of the Paris Agreement.2

3

Wildlife populations have declined
an average of 60% since 1970.3

4

Only 7% of reefs in The Great
Barrier Reef have escaped
bleaching entirely.4

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How to Declare a Climate Emergency

5

We’re on course to lose overhalf of all insects by the end of
the century.5

8With the current rate of soil
degradation, we have 60 yearsof farming left.8

6Over the past 2 decades, sealevels have risen by 3.2mm perannum and three quarters of alllarge cities are located on the
coast (UN).6

9

Climate change will drive themigration of 200 million people
worldwide by 2050 9

10Climate change could havean impact on a greater rangeof diseases since approximately
63% of pathogens are climatesensitive.10

7The past five years - from 2014 2018 - are the warmest years everrecorded in the 139 years thatNOAA has tracked global heat. If
current trends continue, the Arctic
could be entirely ice-free by 2040
(Arctic Council).7

1. Nature.com 2018

6. Royal Society

2. IPCC

7. Nasa

3. WWF

8. Scientificamerican.com

4. Coralcoe.org.au

9. National Geographic 2019

5. Sciencemag.org

10.Infectious disease advisor

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Building ajust transition
The shift toward a net-zero world will bring economy-wide
transformation on a scale we’ve never seen. This transition will
impact all industries, jobs and communities. While we know thisis necessary for a clean energy future, how can we ensure it is fair,respects the rights of all people and builds a more inclusive economy?
With the right planning, dialogue and processes, this shift will
create robust communities and industries, spurring new job growth,
diversifying educational opportunities and transforming livelihoods. A
just transition makes this possible by engaging workers. It ensures noone is left behind in this movement and that all communities have theskills, investments, and capabilities they need to thrive in the face of
rapid change.
Learn more about how to plan a just transition in this report‘Just Transition: A Business Guide’ by The B Team and the Just
Transition Centre

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What does declaring a
climate emergency actuallymean for business?
There are many different definitions of what it means to
declare a climate emergency.
For the purpose of this document we propose thecriteria set out by the Business Declares Network:

What is your business committing to?
1. Develop a ‘Climate Emergency Plan.’ Bring to your
Executive and board within 6 months.
2. Publish a board resolution. Share publicly thisdeclaration and report your ‘Climate Emergency Plan’progress annually.

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How to Declare a Climate Emergency

3. Accelerate your current climate action trajectory.
Ensure the ‘Climate Emergency Plan’ represents anacceleration of your current trajectory and actions
are 1) in line with what is needed to reach net zerotimescale between 2025-2050 and 2) keeps the planet
within 1.5 degrees.
4. Set interim targets. Design realistic milestones
which allow for business reconfiguration withappropriate interim targets if net zero is beyond 2030.

“

We need to move from‘business as usual’ to‘business unusual’ if
we are to have any
chance of achieving
the #GlobalGoals.
We must act with far
greater urgency. - Paul

Polman, Oct 2nd 2019

5. Share best practices. Connect and engage withyour peers.
6. Advocate for change. Encourage staff andstakeholders to take action.

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Why Declare a Climate Emergency?
5 Challenges and 5 Opportunities
This section is designed to equip you with the information you needto make a business case for taking climate action.

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5 challenges
of inaction
The costs and operational
issues caused by the climate
emergency will jeopardise
every unprepared business.

1

Licence to operate

2

Business value

3Your business will become obsolete,
left behind, and even eventually inviolation of prevailing law if it is notfundamentally geared towards doing its
part to address the climate emergency.
Examples: The Bank of Englandand Legal & General Investment
Management have strong views onlevels of risk.

There is already a steady and significant
stream of divestment from businesses
producing, or reliant on, fossil fuels
and other non-renewable resources.
We believe this will continue, eroding
the equity value of such companies andchallenging their underpinning revenue
models (through regulation, taxation
and resource scarcity).

Distribution andlogistical challenges
An unpredictable climate will increase
supply chain vulnerability, particularly
in regions impacted by increasingly
severe weather patterns.

4

Availability and affordabilityof finance5

Implications for people

Twelve institutional lenders haverecently agreed to a deal with
Danone that pegs the company’s
cost of borrowing to its social andenvironmental performance. Larry
Fink, Chairman and CEO of Blackrock,the largest asset manager in the world,
has set out a clear challenge to all
investees to “clearly and effectively
articulate their strategy for sustainablelong- term growth”.11 We expect to see
this trend increase in the coming years
as investors and lenders seek to manage
the risks in their own portfolios bydivesting from the worst offenders
and backing those providing solutions.
The OECD is recommending taxing
businesses that damage nature.12

Most importantly, there are extensive
implications on people who will beaffected by rising temperatures, air
pollution, flooding, and extreme weather
events. These include risk of disease,food shortages, displacement anddisruption to property.

11. Business Insider 2015
12. OECD

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5 opportunities 1
if we act
There are massive
opportunities in making
clear commitments to solvethese challenges.

2
3

13. undp.org

Market opportunities
Achieving the SDGs could open up $12
trillion USD in market opportunities
in areas such as food and agriculture,
cities, energy and materials, and healthand well-being.13 In 2013, McKinsey
reported $ 700 billion USD annualmaterial cost savings in the FMCG
sector alone from a transition to
circular economy business models.14

4

Engaging employees

5

It is the right thing to do

Consumer engagement
Consumers will increasingly lookfor brands that are leading change and be critical of those taking action
late. A 2018 report said that 81% of
global respondents feel strongly thatcompanies should help improvethe environment.15

Innovate or die.

People are waking up to the climate
emergency and could increasingly
question the work they do and how
it is contributing to a solution rather
than adding to the problem. Societal
impact and ethics are the most common
reasons why millennials change
their relationships with businesses.16
Businesses that declare a climate
emergency will have a clear head starton attracting top talent who want towork in business where they can havethe most impact.

As a business leader, this is an
opportunity to establish moral
leadership. By ‘walking the talk’
to tackle the climate emergency,
businesses can ensure they sit on theright side of history.

The sooner you’re doing business inthis way, the more time you have tocement the practices and policies thatall businesses will ultimately be required
to adopt. Only 13% of businesses on
the Fortune 500 list 50 years ago arestill on the list today - businesses must
innovate to survive, and now the context
is changing faster than ever.

14. McKinsey 2013
15. Nielsen 201816. Deloitte 201917

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5 Companies that have Declareda Climate Emergency

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How to Declare a Climate Emergency

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Pukka Herbs“We can’t grow healing herbs on a sick planet” says Vicky Murray,
Sustainability Manager at Pukka Herbs. The company’s organic herbal
teas and wellbeing supplements are now sold in over 49 countries andits commitment to the planet is evident from the mission statement
to the choice of energy tariff at its UK office. Pukka declared a climate
emergency in September 2019.

Pukka Herbs’ advice on declaring a Climate Emergency:

19

1

2

3

Resource the process
and your commitments
properly: you need
dedicated resourceand budget to bringin external experts.

It’s ok to set an
ambitious target.
Pukka’s Climate
Manifesto will outline
the specific steps on
how the targets will
be met.

Go for it! The time
is now. It’s anexistential crisis,
and we can’t wait.
Increasing levels ofclimate literacy meanthat many people
now know it is theright thing to do.

How to Declare a Climate Emergency

Walking the talkScience-Based Targets. In 2017, Pukka mapped
its carbon footprint from ‘crop to cup’. This data
was used to inform science-based carbon reduction
targets which Pukka included in the declaration anduse on an ongoing basis.
Supply chain and farmer resilience. Targets
have helped the team to define their top priority:
supply chain and farmer resilience. Suppliers use
regenerative organic farming, low-carbon farming
practices and funding from Pukka to implement
their resilience plans. Pukka is currently developing
an in-field app to help farmers assess climate risk
and opportunity.
Consumer engagement. Pukka tea drinkers boilingtheir kettle constitutes almost 49% of the company’s
carbon footprint. The team is targeting emission
reductions through customers, encouraging themto boil less water, use an eco kettle and switch theirenergy to renewables.

“

There isn’t abigger imperative
than supply chain
security. For
any fast-moving
consumer goods
company, climatechange is going
to fundamentallyshift how we growthings. Acting
now will create
cost savings andensure we still haveproducts to sell in
the future.”- Vicky Murray,
Sustainability Manager,
Pukka Herbs

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The Body Shop

Why are you
declaring a climate
emergency?

The Body Shop’s decision to declare a climate emergency was largely driven by Extinction
Rebellion’s negative portrayal in the media. Internally, the company believed not only that
Extinction Rebellion’s efforts were in line with science, but also that their demands wereright for business and right for the world.

“Like other companies, we signed to declare a climate emergency at our board and be a partof the Business Declares movement. It is critical we embrace the chance to unite and work
together for the sake of the next generation” – Christopher Davis

The Body Shop, a UK-based cosmetics and skincare company,
is a steadfast proponent of the principle that business canbe a force for good. In 2019, the company declared a climate
emergency alongside likeminded companies endeavoring totaking climate action. Looking forward, The Body Shop is intent
on deeply understanding and offsetting their climate impact,
and in 2021 will launch a commitment to become a zero-harmbusiness across all social and environmental impacts by 2030.

“

Like other companies, we signed to declarea climate emergency at our board and be apart of the Business Declares movement . Itis critical we embrace the chance to unite
and work together for the sake of the next
generation” - Christopher Davis, International
Director of Corporate Social Responsibility andCampaigns, The Body Shop

What will thismean for yourbusiness?

Within the organisation, The Body Shop employees view the company’s environmental
advocacy as a correspondent and justified response to the climate emergency. Regarding
their consumer base, The Body Shop perceives its customers to expect action in this arena.
In the future, the company anticipates ramping up their climate advocacy to increasingly
challenge the status quo and inadequate environmental policy initiatives.

“People will see what we are doing as a good start but there are expectations, and rightly
so, that we will and should be doing more in the future.” – Christopher Davis

What challenges
do you see inmaking thisdeclaration?

For The Body Shop, declaring a climate emergency felt like a natural response to the
obvious deteriorating state of planet. It wasn’t even a debate. International Director of
Corporate Social Responsibility and Campaigns, Christopher Davis, credits this to thecompany leadership, and noted that in the wider business landscape “what we need is leaders

The Body Shop’s
advice on how
businesses
should consider
declaring a climate
emergency• If not now, when? The science is overwhelming and the need for action is compelling. I don’t
think anybody who pays attention to the outside world can ignore that and of course businessdoesn’t live in a vacuum.

who are committed to driving change across the company, and luckily we have it..”.

• Pace is critical. It is obvious that action needs to happen; we’ve gone beyond the question ofwhether action is a good thing for business or a good thing for the planet. The question is, rather,
how fast should businesses move? Businesses must set an ambitious pace in order to two avoid
both excessive, imposing regulations and a total system collapse. “The black swan of change isgoing to hit us; it’s a question of when and how prepared are we going to be for it.” Christopher Davis• Using Heart & Head. Christopher Davis spoke of the power of both heart and head; the moral andlogical factors that drive businesses to take action. The heart needs only to look outside to see
climate change as a threat to future generations. The head understands that we are running out
of fossil fuels imminently, and thus seeking alternative energy sources is only logical in a businesssense. The Body Shop draws on both of these influences in crafting and executing their climate
action initiatives.

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Ecotricity
On 20th May 2019, Ecotricity declared a climate
emergency and has set targets to become net
carbon zero by 2025. Gary Thomas, Sustainability
Lead, and Simon Pickering, Principal Ecologist
explain that Ecotricity has always had a focus on
returning land back to nature, as part of its corefocus on energy, transport, food and nature. It
is now looking to offset its remaining residualcarbon footprint with a UK based habitat creation
scheme, by taking a piece of land and giving itback to nature.

Ecotricity’s approach
Ecotricity’s founder, Dale Vince, started thecompany with sustainability in mind and it is acore part of Ecotricity’s values. Ecotricity started
off as a green generation business but since grewto cover energy, transport, food and nature.
A “bills-into-mills” model is used, where all
profits from the energy business are reinvested
into new windmills, sunmills and soon gasmills.
Profits from its telecom business are also used tobuy land for rewilding and to use as a carbon sink.

progress. It measures the impact of its business(input, output and everything in between),
identifies areas and assets that have a significant
impact, assigns a point score to each and createsa list of targets to work towards. The team asks:
What can we avoid? What can we reduce? Whatcan we replace?

Ecotricity’s employee engagement
Senior management call the budget decisions
and must buy in to the vision. New employees
go through an induction process and training
program to get them involved in the 4 key aspectsof Ecotricity (energy, transport, food, and nature).
It gives everyone a good grasp of what we’re here
for and how they can contribute.
Once everyone buys into the vision, we canquantify the environmental impact of various
things and bring them to people’s attention.
Teams then begin to take ownership. Teams
start to see that there are budget implications,staff implications, environmental implications
and resolving this one issue could potentially
improve the situation.

Advice for other companies
looking to act:

1
2
3
“

Engage employees, from both a
top-down and bottom-up approach. This is crucial.

Take a robust approach to data. For example, identify
and quantify energy and water consumption, and assess
where the company’s largest impact lies. Look at what
you can avoid, reduce or replace.
Take a longer-term vision of where the company
wants to be. Imagine where the company will be in
five-years’ time and what it would take to get there.
This helps everyone understand that the company isgoing to change, what it looks like, and what thebenefits are.

It’s no good having one person at the top demanding
sustainability change, and a working team of six at the bottom
and absolutely nothing in between. You need a chain throughthe business for everybody to be engaged and actually makea difference.” – Gary Thomas, Sustainability Lead, Ecotricity

Ecotricity uses an environmental management
system to systematically set targets and monitor
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Bates Wells
In September 2019, Bates Wells became the first UK law firm
to recognise formally the climate emergency. As part of thisdeclaration, the organisation committed to further decrease its
carbon emissions to net zero by the end of 2019. Bates Wells
leadership have shared that the firm recognised the climate
emergency to achieve two immediate goals: 1) To reflect theurgency of the situation and the need for all of us take significant
steps to reduce our environmental impact; and 2) To commit tospecific actions to make a difference.

“

The enormous damage inflicted by biodiversity loss and climatechange are issues that affect us all. This announcement is a small
but significant step towards doing our bit to address the problem.
Over the coming years we will be making a substantial effort toremain net zero carbon, to address our Scope 3 emissions, and todeliver on our other declared commitments.
We encourage other firms across the sector to come forward andjoin us in recognising the climate emergency and identifying thesteps they will take to address the crisis confronting us.
We are already using the law as a strategic environmental tool,
supporting a coalition of leading charities to seek a landmark
ruling in which we hope to see clarification of the law applying toinvestment by charities in a way that recognises the severity andimportance of the climate crisis.” - Martin Bunch, Managing
Partner, Bates Wells

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How to Declare a Climate Emergency“

As a partnership, once we acknowledged this as an emergency, and mindfulof our commitment as a B Corp to delivering positive impact, we asked
ourselves, “If not us, who?” and “If not now, when?” The answers madedeclaring the obvious next step. – David Hunter, Climate Lead, Bates Wells

How can youremployees
participate in yourclimate action
agenda?

Bates Wells offers a range of opportunities to involve its employees and clients on its climate
action agenda.
• Using the law to protect or improve the environment through applying existing laws morecreatively, advocating for changes to laws which inhibit progress and developing more open
relationships with clients and others to question and improve our collective impact• Sustainable education programmes are offered to employees to upskill staff on how to makemore sustainable choices in their personal lives, including changing to renewable energy athome and switching existing personal investments to sustainable businesses• All in-office catering is vegetarian by default• The employer-nominated pension fund emphasises sustainable options for staff to consider• Sustainability evaluation guidelines exist to evaluate whether to accept client instructions
based on whether they are congruent with Bates Wells’ aspiration

What will thismean for yourbusiness?

“We were the first law firm in the UK to declare a climate emergency. We did this not because wewant to differentiate ourselves so much as because we want it to be easier for others to follow
the same path. We may benefit from being known as a leader, and because it is demonstrably
an authentic action aimed at contributing to the society and market we want to be part of, not amarketing tactic, but it is our hope that those benefits are only short-term. Longer term returns
would be other firms and the market responding in similar fashion, supporting meaningful action
to address the climate and biodiversity crises.” – David Hunter, Climate Lead at Bates Wells

What advice doyou have forother law firms
considering
declaring a climate
emergency?

“If you accept the magnitude of the climate crisis, then declaring a climate emergency is an obvious
next step. The severity of the climate crisis requires global action but that starts with each of us
stepping up and saying we are ready to do what we can. Waiting till we have to is a recipe for failure
and the fact we may fail collectively will be no consolation if it comes to pass. Law firms have more
influence than they like to admit and if we take responsibility we can make a difference that many
more will thank than chastise us for.” – David Hunter, Climate Lead at Bates Wells

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Tribe Impact Capital
Tribe Impact Capital LLP (Tribe) is a discretionary wealth management
firm within the UK dedicated exclusively to impact investment. Tribe
was created to support the significant increase in demand fromindividuals and charities wanting to achieve both sustainable impact anda financial return from their wealth.
On 23rd April 2019, Tribe Impact Capital, and 20 other businesses,
penned an open letter in the Times newspaper declaring a climate
emergency. Amy Clarke, Co-Founder and Chief Impact Officer, explainsthat Tribe moved quickly as they made their decision to declare; thecommitment was clear, they held a board meeting, evaluated thepotential costs and implications and charted a path forward.

“

We need to take a head and heart approachto this crisis. We have a once-in-a-generation
opportunity to create the future we need – itwill require conviction, courage and agility”– Amy Clarke, Co-Founder and Chief Impact Officer,
Tribe Impact Capital

23

How to Declare a Climate Emergency

Tribe’s approach:

Tribe’s advice:

Tribe Impact Capital is committed
to playing it’s part in keeping global
temperature rise below 1.5 degrees. Apartfrom the moral imperative to do so, if as
an industry we don’t, says Amy, we will be
exposing client capital, which we all havea fiduciary responsibility to protect, tosignificant levels of risk and potential loss.

To address the challenges associatedwith the climate crisis, vision andvelocity are essential.

The sooner we can accurately andcomprehensively quantify financial losses
associated with the effects of climatechange, the better. We need to bettertranslate climate risks into financial terms
to stimulate more engagement and action.
But that shouldn’t mean we don’t act now.
What is right to do, is right to do.

Climate science is complex and theresulting changes in our atmosphereand their knock on effects even more so.
Understanding the climate crisis fromthe perspective of businesses can bechallenging; it relies on complex data
and an ability to translate it. Using theright language to articulate the criticalityof addressing the climate crisis and abusiness strategy to do so is key.
The projected financial cost of inaction ishigh. Businesses must become more awareof the risks of inaction and the impact
it will have on their future operations
and growth. Businesses that are ‘on thefence’ need to fully appreciate the risk
the climate crisis poses to their business.
We have an opportunity to future-proof
ourselves. We must take this opportunity.

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Part 2: Taking Action
How to Declare a
Climate Emergency

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How to Declare a Climate Emergency

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How to declare a climate
emergency: getting started

25

1

2

3

Get behind the facts

Commit to change

Move together

Publicly acknowledge thescience and raise the profile ofthe climate emergency. Use yourposition as a business leader toboldly support the science andremove impediments to action
or doubts about climate change.

Publicly commit to change anddevelop a business strategy
for how you will make change
happen, including setting
science based targets anddeeply reviewing your current
business model.

Engage in the creation andactivation of shared solutions
and commitments to drive
wider economic change. Inspire
your employees, executives,competitors and customers
to make sure climate action
stays at the forefront of ourinterconnected priorities.

How to Declare a Climate Emergency“

The same commitment and energy thatdrives engagement by employees also
affects consumers. Tell the same story
to all the people you deal with, so thatyour suppliers, your investors, yourcustomers, you employees are getting
the same message. You do that overtime and it’s consistent, it’s backed bycommitment and it builds trust. That’s
my experience at Patagonia.”– Vincent Stanley, Director ofPhilosophy, Patagonia

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Taking the
ClimateEmergency
to the Board
The climate emergency declaration
should be made, generally, by theboard of the company, although thegoverning documents should be reviewed
to ensure they do not contain relevant
requirements to be taken into account.
For specific questions we encourage you
to reach out to your legal advisor.

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How to Declare a Climate Emergency

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1

2

Draft a declaration statement
which includes the following:

Adopt the declaration

Our business was designed in a time when there was a different expectationof the role of business in taking climate action. This context has changed.
Today we are clear there is a climate emergency which will require
immediate and radical action by our business.

If you are an employee/executive:

If you are a board member:

Allocate some time in staff
meetings to climate change andpotential impacts.

We believe based on the facts we know today, it would be a breach of ourduties as directors of the company and custodians of our stakeholders’interests to continue as though there is not a climate emergency.

Form a committee and bring
together colleagues interested in
the topic. Involve representationfrom across the different parts ofthe business.

Determine the date of the next
board meeting. Contact the holderof the agenda and ask to put
climate emergency on the agenda
suggesting the proposed agenda
and minutes in the Resources
section of this Playbook.

This Declaration requires that the entire business design be rethought inthe context of a climate emergency. This includes a commitment to carbon
neutrality before 2030 (set a date) with realistic interim milestones along
the journey including science based targets.
This declaration commits us to reshape the short, medium and long-term
strategy and business model of the company, and that this redesign mustembrace the principles of ‘just transition’ which takes into account people
who will be implicated in this declaration.
We must seek to maximise the interests of all stakeholders - shareholders,
employees, suppliers, customers - in the context of a total commitment todoing what is required by the climate emergency.

27

Board Chairman: __________________________

Employee rep. : ___________________________

CEO: ____________________________________

Youth rep.17 : _____________________________How to Declare a Climate Emergency

Generate support in yourworkplace for the request that a
climate emergency declaration
is made by the company. Set
up a survey/petition to have
employees sign to show
support for the request.

Circulate the proposed declarationof climate emergency in advance.
If there is no board meeting
planned on the immediate
horizon - propose calling one
at the earliest date consistent
with the terms of the company’s
governance arrangements.
Establish whether shareholders
are required/entitled to make thedecision on declaring a climate
emergency, with legal input
if necessary.

17. Ensure that there is a transparent process for selecting a youth representative

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Making it happen:
5 steps to get going
1

Communicate internally
Hold internal conversations about the climate
emergency (over company-wide lunches and/or
Town Hall meetings) and the need for the business toensure a ‘just transition,’ through dialogue between
management, staff and where relevant, unions. Thisdialogue will identify where the business contributes
positively to the climate emergency and areas where
it has a negative impact. It can also identify transition
opportunities and risks to be identified and managed,
encouraging everyone in the business to contribute
ideas and solutions. Do not move beyond this stage
until the business is with you. See more on how toplan a just transition here.

2

Appoint a transition team3

Set Science-Based Targets

28

This team will set a new strategy for the business,
which includes setting science based targets (point 3)
and steps for implementing changes to the businessmodel (point 4).

Science based targets are goals set by companies toreduce GHG emissions, in line with the latest climate
How to Declare a Climate Emergency

science suggestions to meet the goals of the Paris
Agreement (limit global warming to 1.5% above preindustrial level). These targets can be externallyverified by signing up to the Science Based Targets
initiative (SBTi) which is a collaboration between
Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the United Nations
Global Compact (UNGC), World Resources Institute(WRI), and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)and is one of the We Mean Business Coalitioncommitments. Understanding your carbon impact
across your full value chain will be a key part ofsetting your target. This must extend to Scope 1,
2 and 3 emissions.

4

Reimagine your business model
If your business is in any way dependent or fuelled byfinite resources, it is time to think about a transition.
External input might be required if your in-housecapability is limited. You can find inspiration from thework of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation18 and Kate
Raworth’s Doughnut Economics19. Start by identifying
areas of conflict, or potential conflict, between yourcore business model and factors of potentially negativeenvironmental impact (e.g. production of or relianceon fossil fuels or other finite resources). For eachconflict, review ways in which the negative impact

identified could be altered to become positive. In
many cases this will require some radically creative
thinking and a workshop environment. Facilitation by
an outside expert could be useful. For example: If yourcompany manufactures washing machine components,
and you identify that your (finite) raw input material
is likely to become scarcer (therefore more expensive)over the next 10 - 20 years, you could consider a moveto a leasing model whereby you retain ownership ofthe component, lease it to your customer, and recoverit for remanufacturing or reuse after it has reached
end of life.

5

Share your story
Declarations of the climate emergency need to be vocal
and inclusive, but they also need to come with lastingcommitments. Develop an ongoing communications
strategy to share your commitments with otherbusinesses and celebrate the changes you are making.
Ongoing actions are integral components of declaring
a climate emergency and the more this becomes partof the ‘norm’ the more businesses will feel compelled
to follow your leadership.
18. Ellen MacArthur Foundation
19. Kate Raworth’s Doughnut Economics
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Engagingwith Key
Departments
It is vital to identify where your businesshas the biggest carbon impact. These
departments should then be considered apriority. Remember, your biggest impact
could be outside of your head office.

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Operations
Impact analysis

Work with your operational team to conduct a fullenvironmental impact analysis across all areas ofyour business. It is important to engage employees
and stakeholders at all levels of the business. The
best way to measure impact is:• Decide key impact measures to track• Conduct a baseline study• Continuously benchmark performanceto the baseline• Set and celebrate short-term wins

Set up a transition teamThis team will be responsible for developing a
new strategy for the business, which includes actionplans on how to identify new science based targets
and how to implement changes to the businessmodel. Ideally this team will be intergenerationaland cross-departmental.

30

Energy usage
Renewable energy is now easily accessible andcompetitively priced. If you aren’t currently witha renewable energy provider, switch.

TravelEncourage employees to use video conferencing
or other alternatives to minimise travel, especially
air travel. Incentivise walking, cycling or public
transportation for meetings.

Water use
Review your current water consumption andupgrade your conservation policies.

Waste management
Review your current waste management policies
and upgrade them by exploring how to go paperfree and plastic-free.

CarbonFood

Calculate and report annual greenhouse gas
emissions inventory (‘carbon footprint’) compliant
with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.

Consider your business catering to ensure itcomes from responsible sources using ecologicallybeneficial systems like organic. Discuss reducing
or eliminating meat and dairy from your businesscatering and snacks. Only purchase food and drinks
with verified environmental standards.

How to Declare a Climate Emergency

CultureUse of language
The cultural aspects of the organisation need toalign with behaviours and beliefs congruent withtackling the climate emergency. Integrating theright language when talking about this topic
is key. Companies must focus on the positivesof taking climate action while communicatingwith organisation members, and avoid using‘frightening’ or ‘threatening’ language as it canbe demotivating and make people increasingly
skeptical.

Behavioural alignment
Deep change requires shifting the organisational
mindset and moving towards a culture of climate
conscious leaders and staff. Introduce policies
and actions around communication, training,support networks, leadership development and theorganisational development agenda. Encourage
executives and employees to publish their own
commitments in their personal lives.

Engage your employees
Support and encourage your employees to change
their behaviour. This includes switching to
renewable energy at home, using more public
transport, cycling and walking, reducing food waste
and eating less meat and dairy.

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Taking action: Natura
Natura, a sustainable cosmetics company based in
Brazil, is part of the Natura & Co Group along with The
Body Shop and Aesop. Natura committed to being acarbon neutral company 12 years ago, with one of its
key initatives being to work closely with its suppliers
to map key areas for carbon reduction. In 2019, Natura
signed the Global Compact Pledge to go beyond carbon
neutrality to net zero emissions no later than 2050.

Natura’s approach
Knowledge sharing of best practices between
Natura & Co companies as they are at different
stages and have different baseline scenarios.
Mapping new technologies available inthe market.
Partnerships with suppliers as well ascompanies in different sectors who havesigned the same pledge to identify and leverage
new technologies for robust carbon emission
reduction, which require large investments.
This will enable cost reduction and scaleof solutions.

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How
toto
DeclareDeclarea Climatea Climate
Emergency
Emergency

Stakeholder engagement
Customers are easier to influence as they
already have the perception that Natura is agreen and sustainable company.
While employees already have the same
mindset, part of their bonus compensations
are linked to performance of carbon emissions,so employees are always working to pursue
projects with lower carbon emissions.
It is important to go beyond suppliers whoare part of the B Corp movement and invite
them to be part of the agenda. For example,
to reduce emissions related to delivery of
goods, can partnerships be forged withleading electric vehicle manufacturers?
Second, Natura’s suppliers must implement
sustainable offerings not only while supplying
to Natura but also within their own businessmodels as their regular standard of operations.
Emphasising cost savings associated with
supplying all clients with the same services
and materials that they provide Natura with, isa good way to get initial buy-in from suppliers.

Businesses must be shown the importanceof being part of this agenda. Keyvan Macedo,
Head of Sustainability at Natura says “We needto expand the mind-set of companies, to lookbeyond financial results and be the golden
standard for carbon reduction in their sector.”
Having a global platform of businesses can
aid collaboration and knowledge sharing
to support different businesses in theirjourney to achieve net zero emissions. “It is
often that one solution can solve the needs ofdifferent companies” says Keyvan.

Advice for other companies looking to act:
Businesses need to shift their efforts from
‘offsetting’ emissions to ‘reducing’ emissions
To take climate action, businesses must –i) Map the main sources of emissions in their
supply chain.
ii) Make a commitment to act either bydeveloping solutions themselves or by engaging
with suppliers who already have solutions.

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Legal and governancePurposeCarbon budget

Build climate and environmental principles into the vision and mission of yourbusiness. Clarify the key components of your purpose to enable your board toalign and guide effectively.

Agree on top-level strategies and workflows to be deployed in order to achievecarbon targets (including approval of relevant budgets).

Control and ownership
Consider whether the ownership of your business supports your commitment toclimate action and adjust if necessary. Shareholders whose interests are alignedwith the business’ purpose are willing to take on crucial portions of longer term,
more stable shares, enabling you to make decisions supporting climate action
rather than purely prioritising profit. Foundation-owned firms taking thisapproach include IKEA and LEGO.

Climate directors

Risk
Add climate-related risks into the company risk register and details of risk
management procedures and internal controls.

Consider updating your articles
Include adherence to UNGC’s 10 Principles in your articles. And/or, if you’re not
a B Corp, consider adopting the B Corp legal requirement where director duties
include providing equal consideration to both shareholders and stakeholders.

Consider whether the board has requisite knowledge on climate issues andwhether, if not, this may be addressed by additional appointments, training,or use of a sub-committee.

Carbon target
Develop carbon reduction targets and agree on frequency of board reporting on
progress against them (monthly or quarterly).

Carbon transparency
Agree on a level of carbon target transparency and the company’s engagement(internal and external) on progress against the carbon targets.

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How to Declare a Climate Emergency

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Finance and accounting
Capital management

Look at how the company capital is secured, such aswhere it gets its project financing and loans. Where
possible, move this business to banks that refuse toinvest in businesses dependant on fossil fuels.

Carbon priceSet an internal price of carbon. Consider ameaningful price such as £40-80/tonne.20

Environmental profit and loss reporting
Develop a full environmental profit and loss
statement based on a relevant and meaningful priceon the cost of externalities caused by the businessin a standardized manner. This could include costof carbon offset, water treatment, and net neutral
biodiversity impact. This measurement has to bemeasurable and auditable.

Carbon reporting
Adopt the Greenhouse gas protocol (GHG protocol)
to objectively measure and report carbon emissions
on different aspects of the business. While there is
still a degree of subjectivity in measuring Scope 3
emissions (indirect emissions in the value chain)
under this protocol, it objectively measures Scope
1-2 emissions (direct emissions from owned
assets and indirect emissions from energy
generation), which can be audited andcompared with other companies.
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How to Declare a Climate Emergency

Voluntary reporting based on the Task
Force on Climate-Related Financial
Disclosures (TCFDs)
The TCFD recommendations can help companies
identify climate change related risks andopportunities in their business, by considering
the areas of the company’s governance, strategy,
risk management and metrics & targets. Thisadditional reporting in the annual financial filings,
can increase the investors’ and lenders’ confidence
in the company’s climate-related risks, and also
strengthen the company’s awareness of climaterelated risks/opportunities.21

HR

Air travel
Significantly reduce flight travel and offer employees
alternatives and incentives not to fly.

HabitsEncourage commitments to change habits at workand home. Using a platform like Do Nation enables
you to run an employee pledge challenge, educate
and engage your team.

Time off
Offer paid days off for employees to engage inclimate activism and volunteering.

Incentives
Evaluate company incentives and theirenvironmental implications. If existing incentives
drive employees towards goals with negativeenvironmental consequences, adjust them. Consider
new incentives to support agreed upon operationaland cultural changes. Pukka connects a percentageof employee bonuses to carbon savings.

CommutingPensions

Encourage low carbon commuting e.g.
cycle-to-work schemes.

Set up pensions with environmentally responsible
providers and provide employees with the choice
to switch to these providers. Look into funds that
directly put part of their investments into impact
investment projects that will deliver returns andsocial impact over the long-term.

20. World Bank
21. tcfdhub.org
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Marketing

Supply chain

The bridging role of marketing

Supplier ledger

Climate resilience

Marketing serves as a bridge to customers and thatunique vantage point should be used to understandhow customers feel about climate change and theimplications of their purchase choices.

Review all your suppliers and look to buy fromcompanies that are also operating with climate
emergency conditions guiding their strategy. Gearing
the supply chain to achieve the organisation’s
climate commitments is a key step. The goal must
be to create a ‘coalition of the willing’.

If reliant on agriculture, build climate resilience into
your supply chain (e.g. drought resistance, watersaving, agroforestry). With complex supply chains,
start by mapping significant suppliers and identify
those in hot spot areas.

Purchasing power
Educate your clients and customers around using
their purchasing power to create change. Encourage‘buy less but better’. Clearly communicate theimpact of purchasing.

Brand alignment
Alignment between the organisation and its brands
and products is essential to deliver on commitments.

Go public
Send a clear public message, integrating your climate
emergency declaration into your communications.

Partnerships
Review your existing partnerships. Are you working
with other organisations that are actively contributing
to tackling aligned issues?

Travel footprint
Find out how products are transported and give
preference to goods that are not transported by air.
Move materials as little as possible.

Delivery
Explore using alternative fuelled vehicles (electric,
CNG) where possible.

Material inputs
Review all the materials used in your manufacturing
processes and shift to the most responsible (andleast impactful) materials. Use reusable or recycledmaterials where possible. Undertake a full Life Cycle
Analysis (LCA) on your products.

EnergyEncourage your suppliers to switch to using
renewable electricity and biogas.

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How to Declare a Climate Emergency

Buyer power
Encourage suppliers to adopt science based targets.

For a comprehensive list of actions that you can taketo improve your climate practices, to access additional
improvement resources, and to be able to actively
manage and track your progress over time, use the B
Impact Assessment and/or the SDG Action Manager.
The B Impact Assessment is used to manage acompany’s impact on their workers, community,
customers, and the environment, and is used to meet
one of three requirements for a company to be eligiblefor B Corporation Certification. Users can focus theirimprovements in the environment impact area,
particularly air and climate.   
Developed by B Lab and the United Nations Global Compact,
the SDG Action Manager is a web-based impact management
solution to enable businesses to take action on the Sustainable
Development Goals through 2030. After completing abaseline module focused on a comprehensive set of introductory
practices, users can choose to focus on the module dedicated to
SDG 13 - Climate Action.

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Taking action:
Rising Sun
Rising Sun operates in Chile and Hawaii, providing design,
installation, financing and maintenance for solar energy systems.
Clients include homes, businesses and schools who begin to generate
their own electricity and enter a long term contract, or Power
Purchase Agreement, where the local network purchases electricity
from them. This creates savings, which Rising Sun use as anopportunity to implement initiatives to tackle local environmental
challenges hand-in-hand with the client. Lucas Besasso, Co-founderand Partner, cares deeply using Rising Sun’s model to educate people
and empower them to act:“

In Chile, many people tend to think that theclimate crisis is something that is happening inother countries. We don’t realise that it is a reality
for us and that there are opportunities - that are
not expensive, complicated or technical - to act
right now. We need to educate people.” Lucas
Besasso, Co-founder and Partner, Rising Sun

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How
HowtotoDeclare
Declarea aClimate
ClimateEmergency
Emergency“

Everyone should be trying to make an impact – not justbusinesses in the solar or sustainability space. Education andcarbon neutrality are the first clear steps.” – Lucas Besasso, Cofounder and Partner, Rising Sun

Rising Sun’s advice on influencing and educating:

1

2

3

4

See your clientsas champions forclimate action andyour brand. Rising
Sun works with
influencers wholive in accordancewith its brandidentity, such as
pro surfers, tospread its message.

Consider new ways
to engage andeducate. At the endof the year, Rising
Sun invites clientsto play a game –an escape room –and delivers a talkabout clients’ solar
systems including
data about theenvironmental
impact of theirdecision.

Use your positionof influence. Aspart of the Chilean
Association for
Solar Energy,
Rising Sun sitson the utility
distributioncommittee
and pushes forlegislation topromote distributed
generation.

Encourage
employees to takeaction individuallyand collectively.
Rising Sun’s
team recycles the
byproducts frominstallations, trying
to get as close
to zero waste as
possible. The teamgrows some of theirfood, composts
food waste andcycles to work.

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Engaging yourprofessional advisors

Commonwealth Climate and Law Initiative

Talk to your lawyers
Work with your lawyers to establish clear governance protocol on how
decisions will be made within the business - and how to make surethese decisions are legally bound and protected.

Talk to your accountants
Share your concerns related to the climate emergency with youraccountants. They can help set up systems to measure and manage
climate related externalities. They can support your finance team in
raising and allocating the funds your organisation needs for transition
and adaptation, embedding greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions withinyour organisation’s decision-making processes, and accurately
tracking and reporting performance against reduction targets. Ask
your providers to demonstrate their credentials and encouragethem to build up their own capabilities to help you respond tothe climate emergency.

“

Lawyers who understand the evidence - theclimate science and the economics of the
net zero transition - are the trusted advisers
you should turn to in the climate emergency.
Astute and informed commercial lawyers not
only mitigate risk and liability exposure in thisdisruptive business environment, but can also
help you navigate opportunities for climate
leadership within your business fencelines
and across your value chains.”- Ellie Mulholand,“

Professional accountants have an ethical responsibility to act in the
public interest. Many argue that this responsibility must now include
helping organisations to address climate change. Our profession
is eager to contribute. We have skills and expertise necessary tohelp effect meaningful change and are rapidly learning how to apply
these to the unchartered challenges that climate change presents.
Identifying material risks with financial consequences and providing
the information needed to make decisions are the domain of theaccounting profession. We can provide relevant analysis, reporting,scenario analysis and assurance to help organisations generate andpreserve value. We can therefore be influential in driving sustainablebehaviours. Acting together with organisations of all types, we canhelp to deliver environmental, social and economic sustainability.’ Clare Hierons and Jessica Fries, A4S

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How to Declare a Climate Emergency

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Business model
innovation
Despite the important work happening in your present
model – most businesses will also need to consider theneed for business model transformation.
Frameworks to help you on your journey:

Key questions to ask include:

1

What implications
will the climate
emergency have on
your business model?

2

How will you approachbusiness modeltransformation?

Circular Economy Check out the Ellen MacArthur Foundation website for case studies,
reports and tools.
Regenerative Economy. Check out Capital Institute’s ‘8 Principles of a Regenerative Economy’
Donut Economics. Check out Kate Raworth’s TED Talk
B Impact Business Models : Check out the ‘Designed to Conserve’ model and other impactbased business approaches highlighted in the B Impact Assessment, the backbone of the
B Corp certification.

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How to Declare a Climate Emergency

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How does an organisation
monitor and enforce climate
breakdown related policies?
This needs to be covered in the organisational governancestructure and framework and will cover areas such as;
Executive remuneration andbonus and the flow down ofthese policies to remuneration
and bonus for staff

Other recognition schemes– such as staff awards,
sustainability awards etc

Performance andpersonal development
systems and policies

Such a system needs to be open, transparent, measurableand ‘have teeth’ to ensure it is effective within the organisation.

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How to Declare a Climate Emergency

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Part 3: Climate Advocacy
Adapted from the U.S. B Corporation Draft Climate Policy Agenda

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Individual actions won’t be enoughwithout direct and collective
climate advocacy and activism
Businesses are becoming increasingly engaged
in corporate activism, largely in response to thedemands of their workforce and customers. Within
this context, we must harness the energy ofbusiness activism to advocate for climate policies
that address the climate emergency - ensuring all
policy engagement, lobbying & trade association
membership are in line with a Paris aligned
climate commitment.

numerous “action groups” focused on creating
useful tools for climate action on topics frompolitical advocacy to sustainable packaging.

Collective activism

Activism
Many businesses are engaging in direction action.
During Climate Week 2019, corporate leaders likeSeventh Generation, Ben & Jerry’s, W.S. Badger,
Namaste Solar, Patagonia, thousands of B Corps
and other mission-driven companies around the40

world (representing large and small businesses
from a wide range of industries and geographies)risked brand equity, customer loyalty, sales andeven stock price to show up in solidarity withyouth activisits for the climate strikes. Manyclosed their retail shops and manufacturinglines, conducted social media blackouts, and eventransported employees to the strikes.

How to Declare a Climate Emergency

Taking leadership on the climate emergency isabout more than just the actions of your business.
It is also about engaging in the necessary bold
actions as a community - as a collective. Great
vehicles to do so include the Climate Collaborative
and the B Corp Climate Collective, which includes

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Policy advocacy
Recognising that voluntary action by individual
businesses is insufficient to address the scale of theclimate emergency, businesses should commit to
use the power of their brand to advocate for policychanges necessary to remove impediments and alignincentives to achieve a rapid and just transition toa net zero carbon economy. Efforts should follow
the lead of climate experts as well as communities
on the frontlines and those impacted first and mostsignificantly. Overarching policy focus should be on
keeping average global temperature rise this century
under 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels consistent
with global agreements rooted in science, whileachieving a just transition to a net zero carbon
economy. Corporate climate policy advocacy should
focus on policies that:*
Incentivise a swift transition to 100% clean andrenewable sources of energy by 2050, and end
all subsidies for the fossil fuel industry;
Institute a non-regressive price on carbon
that creates the incentives required to reducecarbon emissions in line with our overarchingpolicy priority;

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How to Declare a Climate Emergency

Invest in infrastructure and innovation that
increase drawdown of carbon in the atmosphereand accelerate decarbonization;
Incentivise a transformational shift to aregenerative food and land-use system that
supports human health, the farm economy, andrestores our land, soil, water and biodiversity;
Expand economic opportunity and ensure a fairand just transition for displaced workers andcommunities; andRemove impediments and align incentives
to drive meaningful climate action and movetoward a new economic system that requires
corporations, and the investors who own them,to operate with a first principle to preserve thenatural and social systems upon which life andthriving markets depend.

*Adapted from the “U.S. B Corporation Draft Climate
Policy Agenda”

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Advocacy in action: Patagonia
Caring for the planet is integral to Patagonia’s mission climate action is built into the very fabric of the US-based
outdoor apparel company. Examples include Patagonia’s goal
to go beyond net zero and become carbon positive, as well as
their Worn Wear hub, which enables customers to sell theirunwanted gear, cutting down on consumption and extending
the life of products.

“

Businesses are really worried about
reputational risk. They are going to have more
reputational risk if they don’t include what isgoing on in the world as part of what they think
about, what they plan for and how they act.”- Vincent Stanley, Director of Philospohy, Patagonia

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How to Declare a Climate Emergency

Patagonia’s activism and advocacy

Vincent Stanley’s advice on
engaging in activism:

Patagonia is a self-described activist company.
Vincent Stanley, Patagonia’s Director ofPhilosophy, believes thatIt’s important to shift the focus of business awayfrom just maximising profits. Engage with experts
and learn from B Corps who have long practiced
stakeholder capitalism.

“the most important thing we’ve been doing in thelast 10 years is to really be a part of the environmental
community. We used to help and support activists;
now we’re much more in the trenches with them.”
As well as contributing over $90 million toenvironmental causes since 1985 and connecting
customers with local environmental initiatives
via Patagonia Action Works, Patagonia is currently
suing the US government over plans to reduce
the size of two national parks. The Vote theEnvironment campaign encourages young people
to register and to vote in elections, and Patagonia
is leveraging its passionate customer base tochallenge climate deniers in Congress for the2020 election.

When deciding on your cause, stick to issues thatyou know and that are closely related to yourcore business or core competency. If a customer
perceives that your company is using advocacy tosell products, they won’t trust it - you don’t want
it to become a marketing campaign.
Consider engaging in ways that will have most
knock on effects, or that will help other projects
to succeed.
Listen to your employees and allow them tomake decisions.

bcorporation.uk

Part 4: For the Road Ahead

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Further reading
The B Team and Ceres - Getting Climate
Smart: A Primer for Corporate Directors in a
Changing Environment
Greenpeace - What Declaring a Climate
Emergency Looks Like
List of UK Councils Who Have Declared a
Climate Emergency
UNGC - The Ten Principles of the UN Global
Compact
Greta Thunberg - Special Address, Annual
Meeting of the World Economic Forum 2019

Bianca Nogrady, Ensia - Can Business Save
The World From Climate Change?

Otto Scharmer, TEDXTUHH - Theory U Learning From The Future As It Emerges

Pamela Mang, Ben Haggard, Regenesis Regenerative Development and Design: A
Framework for Evolving Sustainability,
Chapter 5 - Start From Potential

Data for Progress - A Green New Deal:
A Progressive Vision for Environmental
Sustainability and Economic Stability, Policy
ReportU.N. - Sustainable Development Goal 13:
Climate Action

United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) - Introduction to
Climate Action

Pope Francis - Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’of the Holy Father Francis on Care for Our
Common HomeThe Climate Collaborative - Take Action

IPCC - Special Report: Global Warming of
1.5°C

Protect Our Winters CEO Alliance - Why CEOS
Should Speak Out on Climate

We Are Still In - Major Companies Voice Their
Commitment to the Paris Agreement

Jay Coen Gilbert, Forbes - Larry Fink, Tucker
Carlson, David Brooks and The Call For A
Capitalist Reformation

We Are Still In - Commitments

Project Drawdown - Summary of Solutions by
Overall Rank

United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - The Paris
Agreement

Books
Theory U: Leading from the Future as It
Emerges by C. Otto Scharmer
Power and Love: A Theory and Practice ofSocial Change by Adam Kahane
A Finer Future: Creating an Economy inService to Life, by Hunter Lovins, Stewart
Wallis, Anders Wijkman, John Fullerton

Rod Beckstrom - The Starfish and theSpider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless
Organizations
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Further reading
Networks and communities
If you’d like to connect to communities of fellow
travellers, please reach out to:

45

B Lab

FCLT Global

Blueprint for Better BusinessMission 2020

Business Declares Network

The Climate Group - RE100

The B Team

Science Based Targets initiative

Climate Action 100+

UNGC

Ceres

We Mean Business Coalition

Ellen MacArthur Foundation

World Business Council for
Sustainable Development (WBCSD)

How to Declare a Climate Emergency

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Resources
Tools for the road ahead

Where to go for some help?
Here are some organisations and resources that canhelp you get started:
Incentivise staff to take slow travel options.
Climate Perks
Set up pensions with environmentally
responsible providers. EQ Investors

46

Switch to renewable energy. Big Clean Switch

B Impact Assessment

Identify your supply chain risk
hotspots. Maplecroft

B Impact Assessment Knowledge Base

Act on the Climate Emergency. Kin & Co
Search for environmental consultants in the B
Corp Community. B Lab UK

B Corp Climate Collective - Engaging
Employees on Climate Change
B Corp Climate Collective Climate Action Guide

Move money to a bank that refuses to serve thefossil fuel industry. Triodos

B Corp Climate Collective B Corp Climate Strike Mobilization Toolkit

Learn how to effectively communicate aroundsustainability. Futerra

B Lab - How Businesses Are Addressing
Climate Change

Engage your employees and encourage
behaviour change. Do Nation

Ceres - The Ceres Roadmap for Sustainability
Carbon Trust - Carbon Footprinting Guide

Understand and apply environmental bestpractice. B Lab

Climate Neutral - Climate Neutral Certification

Learn about scope 3 emissions. Carbon Trust

The Nature Conservancy - Calculate Your
Carbon Footprint

How to Declare a Climate Emergency

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Resources
Sample board meeting agenda

Sample board resolutions

Part 1: External Stimulus

Business of the meeting

Climate Scientist - 10 minutes
Youth Activist - 10 minutes
Reflections + Q&A – 20 minutes

Sample board meeting agendaPart 2: Discussion (ask visitors to leave)
Select a facilitator (default to the Chair)
Discuss and decide if the business wants to
declare a climate emergency
Discuss implications to both the businessmodel and the operations Decide if this will
be a private or public declaration

It was explained that the Company, including board
members and employees, had expressed concern at
the current position in respect of climate heating
and there was a desire for the Company to recognise
what has become known as the climate emergency,
to map out how it will respond to it in its business
operations, and to commit to delivering that response
External expert speakers had been invited to attend
the meeting and a facilitator appointed to leada discussion among the directors regarding theCompany’s response to the climate emergency.
The Chair reported the purpose of the meeting
was to consider the Climate Emergency and theCompany’s response to it.
A draft declaration of climate emergency wasproduced to the meeting.

BenefitAfter due and careful consideration the Board was[unanimously] of the opinion that in resolving
to declare a climate emergency and to act in themanner agreed at the meeting, the Directors wereacting in good faith to promote the success of theCompany [and through its business and operations
to have a material positive impact on society and theenvironment, taken as a whole].

Resolution
After careful consideration, including of such mattersreferred to in section 172 (1) of the Companies Act
as the meeting considered appropriate, and of thematters presented and documents produced tothe meeting, IT WAS RESOLVED to approve the
Declaration of a climate emergency in the terms[circulated with the Notice of Meeting / attached tothese Minutes]

Appoint a Transition team to manage theprocess of developing and activating theclimate emergency declaration47

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Thanks!
With thanks to:Saïd Business School, University of Oxford MBA
Team: Briana Baptiste, Laura Ketteringham, Mahi
Khakhar, Spencer Patel, Kittithat Promthaveepong
and Ron Sircar
Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment,
University of Oxford - Top Ten Climate Facts:
Philipp Trotter and Elena Perard Manzano.

Our interviewees:
Richard Barker, Professor of Accounting, SaïdBusiness School, University of Oxford, Robert G.
Eccles, Visiting Professor of Management Practice,Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, Janet
Smart, Reader in Operations Management, SaïdBusiness School, University of Oxford, Gary Thomas,
Sustainability Lead at Ecotricity, Simon Pickering,48

How to Declare a Climate Emergency

Principal Ecologist at Ecotricity; Amy Clarke, CoFounder and Chief Impact Officer at Tribe Impact
Capital, Vincent Stanley, Director of Philosophy,
Patagonia, Lucas Besasso, Co-Founder andPartner, Rising Sun, Vicky Murray, Sustainability
Manager, Pukka Herbs, Keyvan Macedo, Head of
Sustainability, Natura David Hunter, Climate Lead,

Tolhurst, William Richardson, Hermione Taylor andLouise Ziane.

Bates Wells

The B Team team

Our incredible design partners
LEAP (who have declared a climate
emergency)

Emily Hickson, Charlotte Blommestijn and
Emily Bonta

Our original partners on the
B Lab UK Playbook:

Kim Coupounas, B Lab US/CAN (co-chair);Charmian Love, B Lab UK (co-chair); Mindy Leow,
B Lab Australia/New Zealand; James Perry, B Lab
Europe; Dan Osusky, B Corp Standards Trust; Alicia
Darvall, B Lab Global; Manuel Conejeros, Sistema B
International; Jay Coen Gilbert, B Lab Global

Katherine Abbot, Thomas Bourne, Brad Frankel,
Matt Hocking, David Hunter, Emma Littlewood,
Charmian Love, Andy Middleton, James Perry, Ben

The B Lab UK team
Chris Turner, Kate Sandle, James Ghaffari, Hannah
Reiss, Catherine Draper

B Corp Global Climate Task Forcebcorporation.uk

Contact us
B Lab UK
X + Why
20-30 Whitechapel Rd
London E1 1EW
hello@bcorporation.uk

Designed by leap.eco a certified B Corporation.

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