Zooss Consulting is proud to call itself a for-purpose business. We’re becoming a certified B-Corporation to ensure that we consider People and Planet in every aspect of our operations.
To celebrate B Corp Month – March 2026 – we’re shining a light on how B Corps are successfully operating as profitable companies whilst simultaneously taking ambitious climate action.
We want to help bust the myth that achieving sustainability-related measures of success, particularly those related to nature, has to come at the cost of achieving traditional measures of business success (e.g. profit margin, share price, revenue).
In this article, Sophie Schlachter, Sustainability Advisor, summarises a recently released white paper by B Lab, The Nature of Business – Climate & Environmental Practices of B Corps, identifying three key areas where for-profit B Corps are leading the charge in climate-positive practices, and showcasing examples of large companies leading the way.
Sophie notes that “Climate and environmental practices are not the enemies of standard measures of shareholder value. Businesses need to explore the ways that climate-positive products, service models and operating procedures bring integrity and resilience to a company, and set it up for long-term success.”
B Corps in Action: Circularity, environmental stewardship and climate action
Circularity
- What? Circularity is the practice of designing out waste and pollution, circulating materials through the economy for as long as possible, and regenerating the natural systems that support human health and the economy.
- How? B Corps are implementing circularity principles by:
– Materially redesigning their packaging
– Providing information to consumers on product maintenance and reassembly
– Increasing product stewardship through take-back schemes to ensure residual product value is maximised at end-of-life. - Who? Eileen Fisher is a US B Corp with an annual revenue of $250m+ and over 1,000 employees. They design and manufacture women’s apparel, and offer comprehensive take-back, repair, re-sale, and recycling programs. Since 2009 they have recirculated over 3 million pieces of clothing, whilst continuing to grow as a profitable company.
Environmental stewardship
- What? Environmental stewardship posits that businesses should account for the impacts they have on the natural environment, rather than setting them aside as ‘externalities’ – something outside the market, and outside their chain of responsibility. Good stewardship means using natural resources responsibly, and protecting the environment that your business impacts both directly and indirectly.
- How? The most common practices adopted by B Corps to improve environmental stewardship are:
– Implementing Environmental Management Systems across their site
– Monitoring hazardous waste and reducing pollution
– Using recycled or reused materials in products or operations - Who? Yerba Madre holds an 85% market share of yerba mate beverage category and is available 45,000+ stores across US and Canada. In their for-purpose model, they support a network of yerba mate growers to adopt a regenerative approach to agriculture. This approach actively contributes to reforestation, improves biodiversity in the local area, and reduces the need for chemical pesticides.
Climate action
- What? Climate action refers to the steps taken to reduce direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions generated by a company’s activities. Climate action is critical to reducing global warming, and ensuring that both current and future generations are supported by a healthy planetary system.
- How? B Corps lead the way in climate action, compared to ordinary business. Actions include:
– Using mostly renewable energy
– Implementing technology to increase energy efficiency
– Adopting policies or practices that allow freight or shipping to be transported via lowest impact methods. - Who? Chiesi Group, an Italian company with 7,500 employees and over €3.4 billion in annual revenue, has a net-zero by 2035 target. As part of their decarbonisation strategy, they have invested over €350 million in the development of a low-carbon inhaler, the use of which by their patients was accounting for a large portion of their Scope 3 emissions. The company has also invested heavily in supply chain collaboration, working to define and promote best practice in emissions reduction across their value chain.
Combining profit with positive environmental outcomes
B Lab’s white paper shows that B Corps are leading the way in combining profit with positive environmental outcomes.
Importantly, it also highlights that companies that are achieving purpose-led profit are employing a suite of initiatives to effect change, rather than just single, isolated efforts – requiring coordinated effort across the business.
Sustainable business planning
At Zooss, we believe that planning shapes outcomes – and we specialise in bringing clarity to business planning and reporting using data analytics.
In our Sustainable Business Planning approach, environmental and social sustainability data is incorporated with traditional financial and supply chain planning models, enabling companies to take coordinated action that delivers positive outcomes for people and planet, while maintaining their financial sustainability.
Find out more
- Sustainable Business Planning – Our Solutions
- Getting started in Sustainable Business Planning: Key concepts for planning teams
- Anaplan Partner delivering better planning for businesses in Australia & New Zealand
- Ready to start planning sustainably? Contact us.
About the author – Sophie Schlachter, Sustainability Advisor
Sophie holds a Master of Sustainability from the University of Sydney and has worked across regenerative agriculture and waste management sectors, including for OzHarvest and the Taronga Zoo Conservation Society. Sophie is experienced in business and sustainability analytics, and is passionate about enabling sustainable business that balances profit with positive environmental and social outcomes.
Better Planning. Better Planet.