What do people do when they are not being heard?

When people do not feel they are being heard, they take legal action.

• There are currently approximately 2,666 climate cases in front of courts, globally. 1745 of those are in the US.
• Of the above, 140 are greenwashing cases where claimants have been winning at a 70% rate. Net, if you get sued for greenwashing, there is a 70% chance you will lose.
• In June 2024, a Hawaiian court approved a settlement of a climate lawsuit brought against the state by a group of young plaintiffs who sued, and won, on the argument that their constitutional right to a healthy environment had been violated. Hawaii has agreed to create and implement a road map to achieve net zero emissions (remember, this includes vendors) on ground transport, inter-island sea transport, and air transport, by 2045.  
• In late 2023, a Montana court also found in favor of a different group of young plaintiffs who sued that state on a similar constitutional rights claim.
• Litigations are pending in Alaska, Florida, Utah and Virginia….and federally, against the EPA, on similar claims.
• Expect Massachusetts and Pennsylvania to come next.
• Then, we have governments taking action against companies. Puerto Rico has launched an action against fossil fuel companies for deceiving the public over the impact of fossil fuels.  There are over three dozen similar government-sponsored suits in play.

People are angry and they want to see action.  They are expecting it from their governments and from the business community.

This is why we are seeing such a huge gap in growth and profit between certified sustainable companies and their non-certified peers.  Simply stated, consumers are using their purchasing behavior to tell you want they expect from you.

If you want consumers to see you on the right side of this, read this on what you want in a sustainability program, watch this master class, and contact us.