BSR | Co-creation for Climate Justice—Centering Communities in Corporate Climate Action 4. Communicate Transparently Stakeholders—from investors to consumers to Climate Justice Co- workers—are calling on companies to provide creation Principles: increased transparency on climate action. To foster and maintain trust, ensure communication 1. Listen first and listen to learn and feedback between the company and affected 2. Move at the speed of trust communities are open, honest, and timely and 3. Cultivate an inclusive environment objectives are transparently shared. 4. Communicate transparently 5. Ensure Mutual Benefit 5. Ensure mutual benefit Affected communities have the most to lose from 6. Contend with systemic, historic, climate change but are often excluded from an and contemporary injustices equitable share of the benefits from climate 7. Welcome discomfort solutions. While companies will have a vested 8. Include last-mile communities interest in building community resilience for 9. Engage for the long term business continuity, climate justice interventions 10. Continuously evaluate and adapt must also deliver and prioritize benefits to communities. Benefits should come from what the communities themselves are asking for, not what the business may imagine communities need or want. These benefits may include investing in community climate adaptation infrastructure and community-led solutions; ensuring access to clean water, electricity, and healthcare; and safeguarding livelihoods. 6. Contend with Systemic, Historic, and Contemporary Injustices Recognize, take responsibility for, and remedy past and current community harms for which businesses have caused or contributed to and use leverage to address harms the company is linked to. Before acting on climate justice, understand how existing structures, societal norms, and frameworks exclude the needs of disproportionately affected communities and consider how leadership, resources, and decision-making be 4 redirected to those most affected and historically excluded. 4 The Climate Justice Playbook for Business by the B Corp Climate Collective, B Lab, The Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, and the Climate Action Champion’s Team includes a model on “Making the Mindset Shift,” which presents the shift necessary to move from extractive and exploitative mindsets to equitable and regenerative mindsets. See the model on page 60. 10