Climate Change Data

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

• Workers
• Sustainable & Regenerative Sourcing
• Sustainable Operations
• Social Investment
• Health Impact
• Human Elevation

Environmental Achievements

• 140,007 tons CO2 inset or averted since investment
• 3,447 tons of material diverted from landfill since investment
• 2,134,689 Kwh renewable energy since investment
• Traditional Medicinals achieved 82% waste diverted from landfills in 2018
• MPOWERD achieved 100% product recycling through Zero Waste Program in 2018
• Urban Remedy diverted 5,470,000 lbs of waste since investment
• Mixt diverted 99% of waste in 2018

Social Achievements

• 994 jobs created since investment
• 258 LMI jobs created since investment
• 100% of workers earn a living wage
• 43 women-owned business franchises started since investment
• $5,553,946 social impact dollars invested & charitable donations since investment
• 9,413,174 organic & healthy meals served since investment
• 1,881,401 lives impacted in underserved communities since investment
• Traditional Medicinals supported 600 individuals in farming communities in Paraguay, resulting in a 3% increase in annual household income after one harvest.
• Urban Remedy launched a pilot program with Peres Elementary School, exploring the feasibility of providing healthy lunches to 550 students.
• MPOWERD partnered with the Papua New Guinea Tribal Foundation, benefiting hundreds of women and their families.
• Mixt served over 1.8 million healthy meals and provided over 100,000 free shift meals to employees in 2018.

Governance Achievements

• Builders Fund scored near the top of all assessed impact fund managers in the 2018 GIIRS Impact Fund Manager Assessment.
• 4 B Corp certified companies in portfolio in 2018
• The Bar Method is in the process of becoming a Certified B Corporation

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

• Varying data collection methodologies and portfolio company data collection infrastructure among portfolio companies.
• Lack of a universally agreed-upon definition of impact.

Mitigation Strategies

• Development of a standard reporting process for Builders Fund.
• Use of third-party verifications (B Lab and GIIRS), internal processes, and the UN SDGs framework for impact measurement.
• Focus on driving overall growth and improvement of portfolio companies instead of focusing on individual benchmarks.

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement

• Organic sourcing
• Fair Trade Certified™ herbs
• Fair Wild herbs
• Sustainable sourcing practices

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: B Corp, GIIRS, UN SDGs

Certifications: B Corp

Sustainable Products & Innovation

• Luci solar lanterns (MPOWERD)
• Organic and Fair Trade Certified™ herbal teas (Traditional Medicinals)
• Plant-based meals, juices, and snacks (Urban Remedy)
• Chef-driven salads, plates, and grain bowls (Mixt)

Awards & Recognition

• Best for the World: Overall Award
• Best for the World: Customers Award
• Best for the World: Changemakers Award

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

• Sustainable Food & Agriculture
• Resource Efficiency
• Health & Wellness
• Human Elevation

Environmental Achievements

• 280,450 tons CO2 inset or averted in 2019; 420,457 tons since investment
• 2,481 tons of material diverted from landfill in 2019; 5,928 tons since investment
• Traditional Medicinals offset scope 1 and 2 emissions and scope 3 emissions from material waste and business travel by purchasing carbon credits

Social Achievements

• 266 jobs created in 2019; 1,260 jobs created since investment
• 225 LMI jobs created since investment
• 13 million lbs of organic, fair trade, and ethical herbs & produce purchased in 2019; 31,551,951 lbs since investment
• $1.9 million social impact dollars invested & charitable donations in 2019; $5,671,128 since investment
• 6.3 million organic & healthy meals served in 2019; 15,762,140 since investment
• Mixt provided over 3,200 free meals to people in need and 1,500 free meals to hospital workers
• Traditional Medicinals partnered with ACDA to host a medical caravan serving over 500 individuals
• MPOWERD expanded NGO partnerships to new countries and distributed 10,000 Luci lights through a partnership with Save the Children

Governance Achievements

• The Builders Fund became a Certified B Corporation in 2015 and achieved a 123 overall B Impact Score in 2019
• All portfolio companies are B Corp certified
• The Builders Fund outperformed other impact funds in community and environment categories in the 2019 GIIRS assessment

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

• COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on portfolio companies and communities
• Racial injustice and police brutality
• Maintaining mission and values during growth stage

Mitigation Strategies

• Commitment to anti-racist action and diversity, equity, and inclusion best practices
• Support for portfolio companies during the pandemic (e.g., financial support, strategic guidance)
• Strengthening and sustaining social missions through B Corp certification and maintenance
• Working with portfolio companies to clearly articulate their purpose, vision, and values and to fully align their brand and culture

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement

• Organic sourcing
• Fair Trade
• Ethical sourcing

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: B Corp, GIIRS, IMP+ACT Classification System, UN SDGs

Certifications: B Corp

Awards & Recognition

• B Corp Best for the World Honoree
• B Corp Best Changemakers Award

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

• Sustainable Systems
• Human Elevation

Environmental Achievements

• 3.1 million metric tons of greenhouse gas avoided (cumulative)
• Over 500 GWh of renewable energy produced
• 701 tons of material diverted from landfill (in 2023; 11,608 cumulative)
• 65 million pounds of organic and fair trade materials purchased
• PosiGen saved customers over $75 million on utility bills

Social Achievements

• 1,600 jobs created – 600 in LMI communities
• 8 million lives impacted in emerging economies
• Over 40 million organic and healthy meals served
• Acelero supported an average of 3.03 point 3-month literacy gains with its students
• Urban Remedy scaled 10x while delivering 35 million organic and healthy meals and snacks

Governance Achievements

• 83% of portfolio is B Corp Certified
• Builders Fund B Impact Score 130.4
• Fund was honored as one of the “Best for the World” B Corps in the Governance and Customers categories

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

• ESG backlash from conservative politicians
• Greenwashing in the impact investment market

Mitigation Strategies

• Increasing focus on the business case for ESG and its connection to shareholder value
• Rigorous internal and third-party standards to ensure investments lift up people and contribute to sustainable systems

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement

• Organic and Fair Trade sourcing
• Partnerships with values-aligned suppliers

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: IRIS+, UN SDGs, ESG Data Convergence Initiative (EDCI), B Corp

Certifications: B Corp

UN Sustainable Development Goals

• 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17

Mapped Builders impact metrics with SDG targets and indicators

Awards & Recognition

• ImpactAssets 50
• Real Leaders of Impact Investing
• Impact-Focused Private Equity Fund Manager of the Year (Wealth & Finance)