Understanding Impact Business Models: Environmental Education

What is the intent of the Impact Business Model?

How do I assess my company’s eligibility for this Impact Business Model?

What are some examples of companies that have this impact?

My company may be eligible for this IBM. How do I open this IBM in the B Impact Assessment?

My company may be eligible for this IBM. What supporting information do we need to provide? 

Concepts in the B Impact Assessment

What is the intent of the Impact Business Model?

Environmental education services provide valuable knowledge and guidance about environmental issues of concern, helping stakeholders assess their ecological footprint and develop sustainable practices. By promoting awareness, fostering responsible decision-making, and facilitating the adoption of eco-friendly solutions, these services contribute to a more environmentally conscious and proactive society. They empower individuals and organizations to make informed choices, conserve resources, and preserve our planet for future generations.

The Environmental Education Impact Business Model is found in the Environment Impact Area in the B Impact Assessment. This Impact Business Model is applied to companies that promote awareness about important environmental issues or facilitate conservation (e.g., environmental resource guides, research labs).

How do I assess my company’s eligibility for this Impact Business Model? 

To be eligible for the Environmental Education IBM, a company must earn revenues from a qualifying product or service:

• That offers or promotes access to general knowledge about environmental sustainability and resource use for individuals or organizations (e.g., books or environmental resource guides)
  or 

• That offers access to highly specialized information on environmental science topics or pursue rigorous scientific inquiry (e.g., environmental research labs)

What are some examples of companies that have this impact?

Some examples of companies earning the Environmental Education Impact Business Model include:  

• An educational company that promotes knowledge about sustainable practices, permaculture, and agriculture through online courses and books. 

• A marketing company that promotes awareness about recycling and other environmental sustainability practices through training and other campaigns.

This is an illustrative, non-exhaustive list of products or services whose impact can be captured in this IBM.

My company may be eligible for this IBM. How do I open this IBM in the B Impact Assessment (BIA)? 

If you are considering opting into the Environmental Education IBM, you will have to answer specific questions about the impact of your product/service that will determine which Impact Business Models you see in your BIA. These questions, called gating questions, ensure that you see the content that is most relevant to your company in your assessment. 

To find the gating questions for the Environmental Education IBM, navigate to the Environment Impact Area and search for the questions titled “Environmental Business Model”, “Environmental Product or Service Impact”,  “Environmental Product Benefits” “Product or Service Focus on Environmental Education”. Please refer to the screenshots and the highlighted answer options for the correct responses that will open the Impact Business Model.  Any deviation from this will prevent the Environmental Education IBM from becoming visible in your BIA.

Please select ONE option per product line in the question ‘Environmental Product Benefits’. You may select an additional option if your product line has two separate environmental attributes.

To ensure that the Environmental Education Impact Business Model shows up, answer the following gating questions as shown in the images below. Any deviation from this will prevent the Environmental Education IBM from becoming visible in your BIA. 

My company may be eligible for this IBM. What supporting information do we need to provide? 

These are some examples of evidence that your company can provide during the Verification stage to confirm the applicability of the Environmental Education IBM. These examples are not exhaustive – depending on your company’s specific business model or context, your Verification analyst may require additional or different documentation. 

• Document(s) that shows a company’s products or services are focused on an environmental education component and/or how they intend to deliver a positive environmental outcome through education, information or research.

• Research or/and case study examples that showcase the environmental education program and the learning objectives for the client or end user.

• Product or service demonstrations (e.g., videos, webinars, brochures, websites, etc) that detail the product or service provided to clients and the intended objectives.

This documentation confirms the eligibility of your company’s product/service for the Environmental Education IBM . Your company must provide a spreadsheet with revenue values associated with the beneficial products or services. Lastly, you must also provide information about whether your company measures the impact of the product/service and tracks the outcomes related to product/service to determine if it is achieving the intended positive environmental impact.

Concepts in the B Impact Assessment

Environmental education - Environmental education is a process that allows individuals or organizations to explore environmental issues, engage in problem solving, and take action to improve the environment. As a result, individuals develop a deeper understanding of environmental issues and have the skills to make informed and responsible decisions.

Products or services that focus on environmental education could include environmental
resource guides, carbon credit platforms, and environmental research labs.

Near-term outcomes - This refers to the immediate or near-future results or consequences of a particular event, decision, or action. These outcomes typically occur within a relatively short period, ranging from a few days to a few months. Near-term outcomes are often tangible and measurable, and they can influence subsequent actions or decisions. Unlike outputs, which focus on what is produced/delivered, near-term outcomes focus on the impact or changes that occur as a result of the outputs. They are the effects or consequences of utilizing or implementing the outputs.

Long-term outcomes - The results or consequences that occur over an extended period, usually spanning months, years, or even decades. Long-term outcomes often have a broader impact and may be less immediately visible or measurable than near-term outcomes. For instance, long-term outcomes in the context of environmental conservation could include the restoration of an ecosystem, the reduction of carbon emissions over several decades, or the preservation of endangered species.