Net Zero by 2025
Because fine awards are not fine when they harm the planet or people.
Taking Climate Action
There's a reason why Rivanna Natural Designs is the leading provider of eco awards and planet-friendly plaques. We take our climate impacts seriously, and we are taking decisive steps to minimize them.
Measuring What Matters
We respect natural systems and accept responsibility for the effects of our actions on the environment. We strive to continually improve our understanding of environmental issues and minimize our footprint. We believe that fine awards are not fine if they harm the planet or people.
As a manufacturer, we are keenly aware that our materials and processes have environmental impacts. Our task is to minimize adverse impacts and, whenever possible, use restorative (as opposed to depletive) materials and methods of production. We have a unique advantage: since we design the majority of our products, we ensure that our awards and plaques are built according to our own environmental standard.
Like many responsible businesses, we're in the process of upping our game when it comes to measuring our climate impacts. As a member of the B Corp Climate Collective, we are in the process of completing our greenhouse gas emissions inventory according to global standards to determine which climate actions to undertake next in our quest to get to Net Zero by 2025.
Advancing Climate Justice
Climate change is a global emergency that disproportionately affects the most vulnerable, at home and abroad. At Rivanna, we have a long-standing history of connecting our climate action to our concern for human rights. In 2002, when wood product certification was still in its infancy, we chose to be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) because the FSC standard was the only standard that evaluated the impacts of forestry on indigenous communities. Over the past twenty years, as a business that creates jobs for recently arrived refugees, we’ve seen myriad examples of how climate change and climate disasters routinely hurt those least equipped to deal with them. Our Net Zero goal is deeply rooted in our desire to create a better world for all people.
When it comes to advancing and advocating for Climate Justice, we recognize that our Net Zero goal is a necessary but insufficient step. We have taken other steps, including the establishment of an in-kind grant program to support schools and NGOs on the front lines of Climate Justice. We understand that we have a long way to go. We’re using the Climate Justice Playbook for Business as our guide. We encourage other businesses to do the same.