Top 10: Sustainability Associations and Organisations
Photo: Find out where organisations such as Sea Shepherd Conservation Society , Greenpeace and the Rainforest Alliance rank in our top 10 sustainability associations and organisations Credit: Getty Images
Although more and more businesses are prioritising their sustainability efforts, numerous associations and organisations across the globe have made it their sole purpose to create a better world for this generation, and those to come.
Spanning the fashion industry, tree-planting initiatives, climate change activists and many more, Sustainability Magazine has ranked the world’s top organisations and associations which are making a positive and lasting impact for all.
10. Fashion Revolution
CEO: Orsola de Castro
Headquarters: London, UK
Founded in 2014, Fashion Revolution is a global movement campaigning for a fashion industry that conserves and restores the environment, valuing people over profit. Spanning 90 countries worldwide, the organisation aims to shift the culture of fashion production and consumption, incentivising fashion brands and retailers to improve their practices and advocating for policies which hold the industry accountable for its impact.
9. Sierra Club
CEO: Michael Brune
Headquarters: California, US
The world currently faces unprecedented issues, including global warming, increasing levels of pollution, and deforestation, to name a few. Sierra Club has therefore made it their mission to provide new solutions to these issues while bringing people together to build the most powerful and influential environmental movement the world has ever seen.
8. One Tree Planted
CEO: Matt Hill
Headquarters: Vermont, United States
Since its establishment, One Tree Planted has been dedicated to making it easier for both individuals and businesses to give back to the environment, creating a healthier climate, protecting biodiversity, and helping reforestation efforts. So far, the organisation has planted over 92.2m trees in more than 80 countries across the globe since 2014. And in 2022, One Tree Planted doubled its impact, by planting more than 52.7m trees.
7. World Wide Fund for Nature
CEO: Tanya Steele
Headquarters: Gland, Switzerland
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) works to help local communities conserve the natural resources they depend upon; transform markets and policies toward sustainability; and protect and restore species and their habitats. WWF’s efforts ensure that the value of nature is reflected in decision-making from a local to a global scale while connecting cutting-edge conservation science with the collective power of more than 1.3m supporters in the US and 5m.
6. Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Headquarters: Washington, US
Established in 1977, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is an international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organisation. SSCS has the mission of ending the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans, in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species. Sea Shepherd uses innovative direct-action tactics to investigate, document and take action when necessary to expose and confront illegal activities on the high seas.
5. 350.org
CEO: Lucy Manne (Australia)
Headquarters: New York, US
As a global grassroots movement, 350.org is on a mission to solve the climate crisis. With online campaigns and mass public actions, the association leads from the bottom up by thousands of volunteer organisers in over 188 countries.
350.org works hard to organise in a new way – everywhere at once, using online tools to facilitate strategic offline action. Currently, 350.org has staff working in 23 countries around the globe. It is also on a rapid growth trajectory, having grown its budget 400% since it was incorporated in 2011.
4. Rainforest Alliance
CEO: Santiago Gowland
Headquarters: New York, US
The Rainforest Alliance is an international non-profit organisation working in more than 60 countries at the intersection of business, agriculture and forests. The business is an alliance to create a better future for people and nature by making responsible business the new normal.
By bringing diverse allies together, the Rainforest Alliance is making deep-rooted changes on some of our most pressing social and environmental issues. The aim is to amplify the voices of farmers and forest communities, improve livelihoods, protect biodiversity and help people mitigate and adapt to climate change in bold and effective ways.
3. World Health Organisation
Director General: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
With a team of more than 8,000 professionals, including world-leading public health experts, the World Health Organisation (WHO) coordinates the responses to health emergencies, promoting wellbeing, preventing disease and expanding access to health care. By connecting nations, people and partners to scientific evidence they can rely on, WHO strives to give everyone an equal chance at a safe and healthy life. The organisation is committed to integrity and excellence in health, boasting a spirit of collaboration and a steadfast commitment to science.
2. United Nations
Director General: António Guterres,
Headquarters: New York, US
Founded at the end of the Second World War, the United Nations is an international organisation made up of 193 Member States committed to maintaining international peace and security.
The UN works to tackle global challenges and deliver results for those most in need, giving life-saving support to populations hit by humanitarian crises and helping build and keep the peace in conflict-ridden areas. The UN also supports governments and citizens to advance development and fight poverty, by promoting human rights worldwide.
1. Greenpeace
Leader: Areeba Hamid
Headquarters: Amsterdam, Netherlands
As one of the world’s most influential movements, Greenpeace is passionate about defending the natural world from destruction, with a vision of a greener, healthier and more peaceful planet, one that can sustain life for generations to come.
Greenpeace is completely independent of government, corporate or political funding, enabling the organisation to push for real change. This is achieved through investigations, documentation and exposing the causes of environmental destruction.
From its founding in 1971, Greenpeace has become a fierce organisation, present in over 40 countries around the world, with a movement which is growing every day.
Source: sustainabilitymag.com
