by Megen DiSanto | February 18, 2025
GreenBiz25 brought together over 3,000 sustainability leaders, climate champions, and advocates across various industries to knowledge share, strategize, and evolve their skills all in the spirit of continuing the critical climate work. From the keynotes, the breakout panels, and the networking discussions, ClimeCo actively listened and participated in all that GreenBiz had to offer. We are pleased to share our top five takeaways with you below:
1. Companies must optimize for impact.
Joel Makower, Chairman of Trellis (formerly GreenBiz), passionately sounded the proverbial climate bell that companies must optimize for impact by:
- Reflecting, taking a clear look at where you are in your sustainability journey, and challenging your teams – not just sustainability teams – to ask bigger questions and push for bigger outcomes that should be tangible for everyday consumers.
- Be your own leader in decarbonization. During GreenBiz 25, SBTi announced an update on the delayed SBTi Corporate Net Zero Standard 2.0, stating that “the first consultation will begin no earlier than March 2025”. The takeaway: companies cannot wait for outside entities to be the leader in decarbonization, the leadership must come from within your organization.
- Companies must make sustainability attainable and understandable. For example, ClimeCo’s Digital Carbon Solutions makes it seamless for companies to address their emissions and remove guilt from the consumer/client purchase path.
2. Impact now: ‘Insetting’ is a powerful solution to help any company decarbonize sooner, smarter, and cost-effectively.
Despite the many headwinds that this industry is facing, the sense of urgency around ‘we can’t afford to wait’ is a narrative that must keep us motivated to take bold action. One of the newer decarbonization innovation strategies, insetting, was not only prevalent in the GreenBiz 25 programming but was the topic of discussion outside the session walls. ClimeCo’s Chief Growth Officer, Emily Damon, and VP of Sustainability, Policy, & Advisory, David Prieto, led an engaging session where they explained how insetting is an innovative sustainability strategy where companies make direct investments in environmental projects within their supply chains, helping to reduce their Scope 3 emissions and progress towards net-zero. The excitement around insetting as a proven viable decarbonization tactic was palpable as the opportunity to sustainably optimize any company’s value chain is attainable across all industries.
3. Focus, focus, focus.
Across the sessions and on the keynote mainstage by CEO of New Profit, Tulaine Montgomery, in discussion with Whole Foods’ VP of Sustainability, Caitlin Leibert, the reminder to ‘focus’ became the call to action for next steps. Part of the focus means stepping back from the external landscape and ‘noise’ to address what is right in front of a company, such as its sustainability commitments – those approaching end of year goals or 2030, for example. At ClimeCo, we are aligned with this message of ‘focus’ by creating, implementing, and executing sustainability strategies for our clients so they can reach their decarbonization goals.
4. Storytelling is an essential lever for impact and is more important than ever.
Sharing our knowledge through creative storytelling whether it be case studies, webinars, social media, and beyond, is essential at ClimeCo in support of advancing the low-carbon future. From the fear of claims substantiation to greenhushing, the art of storytelling has experienced a critical eye, which is why, now more than ever, companies must tell their sustainability and social impact stories. President and CEO of Hip Hop Caucus, Rev. Lennox Yearwood, shouted this from the rooftops in his mainstage discussion with Founder and CEO of Molly Wood Media, Molly Wood, sharing that human storytelling has the potential to fix the climate action divide. We are more alike than different in wanting to make a positive impact on our planet, so let’s tell the stories to inspire that future.
5. A company’s decarbonization toolbox holds a variety of different tools.
From carbon credits to renewable energy and product certification, we are proud to partner with our clients to create custom decarbonization solutions as we know there is no one-size-fits all solution. One tool discussed considerably was carbon credits and how companies use them as part of their sustainability solution, aiding in their greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets. Within the sessions, there was a sense of urgency around the evolving dynamics between the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) and compliance markets, particularly at the state level in the U.S. Both areas of expertise we have in-house at ClimeCo, serving as an extension of our clients’ teams, advising on timely VCM updates as well as local and federal policy.
About ClimeCo
ClimeCo is an award-winning leader in decarbonization, empowering global organizations with customized sustainability pathways. Our team of respected scientists and industry experts collaborates with companies, governments, and capital markets to develop tailored ESG and decarbonization solutions. Recognized for creating high-quality, impactful projects, ClimeCo is committed to helping clients achieve their goals, maximize environmental assets, and enhance their brand. Partner with ClimeCo to drive meaningful environmental change and take your climate initiatives to new heights.
Contact us at +1 484.415.0501, info@climeco.com, or through our website climeco.com.
