Part of a Climate Innovation Network series profiling the firms making real climate progress.

Global markets underestimate the importance of nature to stable business operations and decarbonization efforts. In 2020, the World Economic Forum estimated that $44 trillion in economic value generation is at risk through the dependence of business on nature and related services. As both threats to nature and nature-related risks to organizations mount, businesses must find ways to bring these issues into strategic decision-making.

Who:
House of Hackney, a small firm offering luxury interiors, headquartered in London and New York.

What particular challenges do they face?
Trying to ensure all voices are represented in business decisions and to shift their business model from just sustaining life to being restorative.

What did they do?
Appointed a new director to represent Nature and the Voice of Future Generations; after working with Lawyers for Nature for nine months to change its corporate structure.

How did they do it?
House of Hackney worked with Lawyers for Nature, a cutting-edge collective that work with those seeking to defend the natural world and the legal representation of non-persons. Together, they afforded Mother Nature and Future Generations legal personhood on the board of directors. This means that a non-partisan person, independent of House of Hackney, has a voice to ensure that in every decision made across all departments, the organization fully considers the future of a liveable, thriving planet for all life on earth.

Where you can find out more:
The University of Sydney is undergoing a multi-year research study on what has changed at Faith In Nature – a toiletries firm that also employed Lawyers for Nature to undergo a similar process – since it adapted its board. For more on House of Hackney’s specific case, visit the organization’s website here: Taking their Seat at the Table.