Multiple roles of business for climate action

Businesses play a critical role in the fight against climate change. While some businesses—both high-profile and less well-known—are making significant strides, most companies are not sufficiently decarbonizing their operations or contributing toward the broader social and economic changes needed to meet climate goals. In response to scrutiny over “greenwashing”, many businesses are becoming cautious about communicating sustainability efforts, a phenomenon known as “greenhushing”. This article aims to mainstream business climate action by introducing a new framework that outlines the roles businesses can adopt in addressing climate change. Based on an interdisciplinary literature review and empirical research from the UK, we identify five roles for businesses. While much focus has been on businesses as energy consumers and enablers of low-carbon products, we highlight three additional roles: influencer, citizen, and investor. This framework serves as a heuristic tool for researchers, policymakers, and business leaders seeking to promote climate action.