NZ2030 Declaration – ClarkeHopkinsClarke and WOWOWA Lead the Way

Acknowledging that it is the responsibility of business to take action against climate change, ClarkeHopkinsClarke and WOWOWA have joined the business world’s largest group-action. Along with more than 500 other B Corporations, the two practices committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2030 at COP25 in Madrid with the NZ2030 Declaration.

ClarkeHopkinsClarke and WOWOWA are paving the way of Australian architectural practices, and business more broadly, to join the global initiative of NZ2030 Declaration, committed at the UN Climate Conference in Madrid in December 2019. The public pledge to collectively push for climate action twenty years ahead of the Paris Agreement requirements was taken by global businesses and brands of the likes of Danone, The Body Shop and Patagonia alongside some 500 more. With continued reminders of the impact of climate change on our own Australian soil (in the form of the ongoing bushfires, flooding and dust storms of very recent times), the NZ2030 Declaration represents a much-needed conversation and a series of real and pragmatic steps that can be taken to enact change.

Certification as a B Corporation means meeting an audited high standard of social and environmental performance as a business, offering transparency and legal accountability. It is a commitment of a business to consciously and positively impact its staff, customers, suppliers, community and the environment, while also being accountable to an outside certification body. Spread over three thousand businesses, seventy countries and numerous industries, B Corp Certification is a move to taking on the major social and environmental challenges of our time. Within this framework, the NZ2030 is a commitment of B Corporations to achieve accelerated climate targets well before those outlined in the Paris Agreement, and achieve net zero emissions by 2030.

The B Corp model is a roadmap for industry change and allows all businesses the tools and access to knowledge to make significant, and hopefully amplified, changes. ClarkeHopkinsClarke has been certified carbon neutral since 2018, and the studio recently engaged Pangolin Associates to audit their practices (showing them in the 35% of a benchmark similar-sized professional practice). Their NZ2030 commitment also sits alongside committing to reducing their remaining carbon footprint by 50% through purchasing 100% green power, increased teleconferencing, implementing a green travel plan and relocating premises to a certified One Planet location (where power, water and air quality are also measured and audited). WOWOWA joined B Corp as a reflection of their team’s values on climate action, cultural diversity, gender equality and pay parity. The process of B Corp Certification was not a significant financial investment, WOWOWA found, and they were given tools to analyse, measure and communicate their impact.

ClarkeHopkinsClarke and WOWOWA warmly welcome more businesses within the design industry (and of course across all industries) to join forces and commit to the Declaration. As both an outward and future focus on business, the Declaration is an acknowledgment of the coming ten years, the predicted speed at which climate change will hasten, and the importance of taking individual action now. The resulting social and economic ramifications of not doing so will soon be shown in the rebuilding of fire-affected areas (as just one example). Through continued dialogue, accountability amongst peers and conversations with clients about the shared responsibility to physically build a responsible future, the Declaration prompts measures that are action-based, measurable and adaptable.

ClarkeHopkinsClarke and WOWOWA have led the charge on the ethical and accountability blueprint for businesses and committed to the NZ2030 Declaration. Who will join them?