Responsible business

Cost Savings & Efficiency

• On-site renewable energy and electrification reduce operating costs over time
• Energy efficiency lowers long-term exposure to volatile input prices
• Carbon pricing, taxes, and compliance costs are rising - reducing emissions reduces future liability

Regulation and finance

• Climate policy, reporting requirements, and transition expectations are tightening globally
• Early action avoids rushed, reactive, and costly adjustments
• Access to finance, insurance, and incentives increasingly depends on credible transition planning and transparency

Markets and competitiveness

• Buyers, partners, and customers increasingly factor responsibility into purchasing decisions
• Investors and lenders assess climate and nature-related risk as part of standard due diligence
• Organisations that act early are better positioned within evolving supply chains and markets

Resilience and risk management

• Climate disruption, resource constraints, and geopolitical instability affect operations and supply chains
• Reducing reliance on fossil fuels limits exposure to price volatility and supply shocks
• Addressing transition risk helps protect against stranded assets and sudden regulatory change

Reputation and talent

• Stakeholders expect ethical, responsible business practices
• Employees increasingly want to work for organisations with clear values and credible action
• Responsibility strengthens trust across customers, suppliers, partners, and communities

Responsible business is not a statement of intent

It is a practical response to current conditions.

Done well, it:

• reduces cost and risk
• improves resilience
• strengthens competitiveness
• supports long-term value creation

And it contributes to the wider systems - environmental, social, and economic - on which all businesses ultimately depend.

The framework behind our thinking

Clean Market’s definition of responsible business aligns with widely used global frameworks that focus on managing impacts, dependencies, risks, and opportunities across the economy:

• Capitals Coalition - Natural, Social & Human, Produced, and Financial Capital
• TCFD / TNFD - Climate- and nature-related risk and opportunity management
• Corporate emissions measurement (Scopes 1, 2, and 3)

Rather than prescribing a single pathway, Clean Market supports organisations at different stages of maturity - provided they can evidence credible action or intent supported by data.

Responsible business is about progress, not perfection.

Recognised evidence of responsible business activity

Clean Market surfaces and promotes widely used standards, certifications, targets, and disclosure frameworks already relied upon by the market.

Examples include:

• Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)
• CDP
• TCFD / TNFD
• ISO 14001, ISO 14064, ISO 14068, ISO 50001
• B Corp
• Planet Mark
• Carbon Trust
• EcoVadis
• SME Climate Hub
• Race to Zero

This is not an exhaustive list.
If a credible standard or initiative is widely recognised and evidence-based, it can be referenced by listed organisations within their Clean Market profile.