*78% of people now consider sustainability important, making sustainability certifications a smart way to highlight your commitment to clients, investors and employees.
Science Based Targets, Climate Active, B-Corp, and EcoVadis are four well-known certifications focused on specific sustainability and corporate responsibilities. They each offer benefits and levels of time and effort to achieve certification. Here’s a quick breakdown of each:
Science Based Targets (SBTi)
Purpose: The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) helps companies set greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets in line with the latest climate science to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C.
Key Features:
• Targets are independently assessed and validated by the SBTi.
• Focus on aligning corporate GHG reduction targets with climate science.
• Provides sector-specific guidance and tools for setting targets.
Audience: Companies of all sizes and sectors looking to demonstrate leadership on climate action.
Climate Active
Purpose: Climate Active is an Australian government program that certifies businesses and organizations as carbon neutral. It provides a framework for measuring, reducing, and offsetting carbon emissions.
Key Features:
• Certification process involves calculating the full carbon footprint, implementing reduction strategies, and offsetting remaining emissions through certified carbon offsets.
• Offers branding and marketing benefits by allowing certified organisations to use the Climate Active logo.
• Focuses on carbon neutrality rather than science-based target setting.
Audience: Primarily Australian businesses and organisations, but also applicable to others who wish to achieve carbon neutrality.
B-Corp
Purpose: B-Corp (Certified B Corporation) is a certification for businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
Key Features:
• Comprehensive assessment covering governance, workers, community, environment, and customers.
• The certification process includes a rigorous assessment and verification by B Lab, the nonprofit that certifies B Corps.
• Encourages businesses to balance purpose and profit by considering the impact of their decisions on workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment.
Audience: Companies of all sizes and sectors committed to social and environmental responsibility.
EcoVadis
Purpose: EcoVadis provides a holistic sustainability rating service for businesses. It assesses companies’ sustainability performance across a range of criteria, including environmental, social, and ethical factors.
Key Features:
• Uses a comprehensive framework to evaluate sustainability management across four themes: Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement.
• Provides detailed scorecards that highlight strengths and areas for improvement.
• Ratings are used by global supply chains to monitor the sustainability performance of their suppliers.
Audience: Companies of all sizes and industries looking to assess and improve their sustainability practices and demonstrate their commitment to sustainability to stakeholders and customers.
Summary
• Science-Based Targets (SBTi): Focuses on setting GHG reduction targets aligned with climate science.
• Climate Active: An Australian certification for carbon neutrality, emphasising measuring, reducing, and offsetting carbon emissions.
• B-Corp: Certification for businesses meeting high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
• EcoVadis: Provides a holistic sustainability rating covering environmental, social, and ethical performance, used mainly for assessing supply chain sustainability.
Each program serves different purposes and caters to different needs within the realm of sustainability and corporate responsibility.
Cool Planet can help decide which certification is best suited for your business. Contact us today.
