What does putting Nature on the board mean?
Adding Nature to our board of directors means that we have legally enshrined nature in the rules of a company, along with a role on the board and a vote.
In UK Law, you can’t have ‘Nature’ on the board of directors, however you can have a representative for nature. The role of this representative is act in the best interest of nature (what would nature do?). This means that as a company when making strategic decisions, we are always considering what impact our approach would have on the natural world. The aim of this is to make better informed decisions around the topics that impact nature, our employees, members and stakeholders.
We want ensure that every action we take has been considered from all angles to ensure that our we are making the best step forward for both the company and the world.
We hope that through putting Nature on board, we can inspire other businesses and individuals to also prioritise nature and subsequently use collective action to make business a force for good.
Who is representing Nature?
Nature will be represented on our Board of Directors by the wonderful Graham Hansen who is a sustainable lawyer.
This means that Graham (Nature) will play a key part in all of the strategic decisions we make as a company. Like any other Board Member, Graham will get a vote, however his vote must represent the interests of nature rather than his own interests. While this vote is not a casting vote, it does show all other directors how Nature would vote. Therefore, no director can be wilfully blind to the impact of their own vote, should they choose to vote a different way. With this model in place, as a team we cannot be wilfully deaf to Nature’s voice.
Graham Hansen
Graham Hansen is the Director of Lawbox Design, a Law firm and BBN Member, which places sustainability at the heart of its work.
As a passionate sustainability enthusiast and experienced environmental lawyer, Graham was the perfect fit to represent Nature on the Board of BBN.
Join us?
We want other businesses to join us in legally giving nature a place at the table!
You can make the change to the way your company makes internal decisions whilst sending a message to your stakeholders that you are acting in the best interest of the planet. Together we can create a movement of purpose-driven companies which holds nature at its core and change the way that business is conducted.
Feel free to get in contact if you have any questions about how or what it means to add nature to the board.
Will you give Nature a voice?
Check out the video below to see how Faith in Nature came up with the idea and added nature to their board!