Introducing Climate Action Workforce: our refreshed business subscription product

FAQs

• When will these changes go live?

  We wanted to inform our community ahead of time that these changes will be happening in the next week. Our Ecologi subscription businesses will be emailed when the changes are live – and you will be able to see the new Climate Action Workforce naming reflected in your Ecologi profiles as well as your business dashboard.

• Will all the business assets and dynamic badges change, too?

  Yes, we will be refreshing all existing assets with the new Climate Action Workforce naming, including the dynamic badges that are code-integrated into businesses’ websites, social media assets and business toolkit. We will be sharing any instructions about these assets changes in our live announcement email.

• Is this name change happening because of regulatory changes?

  The global regulatory environment concerning environmental claims has been evolving rapidly in recent years. As public concern over climate change intensifies, governments and regulatory bodies have strengthened their scrutiny of green claims made by businesses. 

  In May 2023, The European Parliament voted to support new rules to improve product durability by combating greenwashing and misleading claims on consumer labels, such as ‘CO2 neutral’ or ‘carbon neutral’; while in the UK, the Advertising Standards Authority began stricter enforcement on adverts claiming carbon neutrality through offsetting. 

  The term ‘Climate Positive’ has been subject to various interpretations, leading to potential legal and reputational risks for companies. To stay ahead of the curve and maintain transparency, we felt it was essential to reevaluate our service name.

  By adopting the term ‘Climate Action Workforce,’ we align ourselves with regulatory guidelines and emphasise our commitment to measurable, verifiable actions that contribute positively to the environment. We firmly believe that only by adhering to stringent standards can we foster genuine change and gain the trust of our stakeholders.

• Did you use customer feedback to inform this change?

  Customer feedback is central to everything we do at Ecologi. Over time, we received valuable insights expressing the desire for more transparency and accountability in our climate-related initiatives. While the term ‘Climate Positive’ was well-intentioned, it lacked clarity and did not effectively convey the actual impact of our actions.

  By engaging with our customers and taking their feedback to heart, we recognized the need for a more direct and action-oriented approach. ‘Climate Action Workforce’ better communicates our commitment to tangible efforts that support the environment, and it resonates strongly with our customers who are equally passionate about addressing climate challenges.

• Why are Climate Friendly Workforce and Climate Positive Workforce being bundled together under one name through this change?

  We introduced the Climate Friendly Workforce plan in March 2022 when we restructured our prices and plans in response to increases in the cost of the carbon market. We wanted to retain the lowest possible cost for the most affordable tier of our business subscriptions – but also reflect a lower level of impact through its naming. We now find ourselves in a different regulatory and market environment complemented by data that the Climate Action Workforce is a better overall proposition – clearer, more tangible and action oriented – for all subscription tiers; with the word “action” helping foster a lot more collaboration in your workplace compared to the previous “positive” and “friendly” categorisations.

• How do we quantify your climate action?

  At Ecologi, we’re acutely aware that the way people often think about carbon offsetting is wrong; we even wrote a blog about it! We know that funding high-quality carbon credits provides vital funding to impactful projects which prevent and avoid emissions. However, simply using carbon credits to offset business-as-usual emissions (often referred to as becoming ‘carbon neutral’) without taking steps to reduce those emissions directly will not solve climate change.

  It’s not enough for businesses to just offset their emissions, we need to take climate action alongside prioritising reducing our emissions. Across Ecologi, we’ve made a conscious effort to consistently communicate best practices, and creating the Climate Action Workforce has been a part of this.

  Whilst it’s important to move away from the traditional idea of offsetting, we know it’s important to guide businesses on how to take climate action whilst implementing reduction plans and moving towards a net-zero future. Using our calculator on the ‘Climate Action Workforce’ page, you can input your number of employees to indicate the size of your business and select one of our three plans depending on your desired level of climate action. 

  For those committed to tackling climate change we offer our Ultimate plan; you’ll fund 1.5 tonnes of CO2 avoidance per month for each employee, which is double the average monthly carbon footprint of someone in the UK. Alongside your carbon avoidance credits, we will also fund the planting of 20 trees every month.

  For those still developing their reduction strategy we have our Essential plan. With this plan, you’ll fund 0.75 tonnes of CO2 avoidance per month for each employee which is equal to the average monthly carbon footprint of someone in the UK. Alongside this, you’ll also be funding the planting of 10 trees each month.

  Finally, we have our Starter plan, which is aimed at those beginning their climate journey. With this plan, you’ll fund 0.38 tonnes of CO2 avoidance per month for each employee, which is half the average monthly carbon footprint of someone in the UK. To supplement this, you’ll also fund planting 5 trees each month.

  We’ve designed our plans to compliment your existing climate strategies, provide added value to your business and facilitate your goals in a sustainable way.