Initiatives are sustainability actions that groups can work on and complete in Green Business Benchmark. Completing initiatives helps groups make measurable progress, earn points, and move toward higher certification tiers within a certification year.
This article explains how initiatives work, how points are awarded, how certification tiers are calculated, and why available initiatives may vary by organization.
What this feature does
Initiatives give groups a structured way to complete sustainability actions.
Each initiative is organized by category and Global Framework Alignment (only available for Premium and Enterprise plans). As groups complete initiatives, they earn points toward certification.
This helps organizations move from assessment and planning into practical action, while keeping progress visible and structured.
Key use cases
Initiatives can help your organization:
Identify sustainability actions aligned to relevant global frameworks (GRI, SDGs, SASB, ISO 14001, GHG Protocol, and EPR).
Track progress at the group level
Earn points toward certification
Understand which actions have been started, postponed, or completed
Maintain a record of certification progress over time
Support industry-specific sustainability priorities through industry packs
How initiatives work
Each group can work through available initiatives and update the status as progress is made.
What statuses can an initiative have?
An initiative can have one of four statuses for your group:
Status | Meaning |
Available | Your group has not started the initiative yet. |
In Progress | Your group is actively working on the initiative. |
Postponed | Your group has set the initiative aside temporarily but can return to it. |
Completed | Your group has finished the initiative. |
Initiatives View on Starter and Standard Plans
Initiatives View on Premium and Enterprise Plans
Can we move between In Progress and Postponed?
Yes. You can move between In Progress and Postponed as many times as needed.
This gives your group flexibility to pause an action when timing, resources, or ownership need to be revisited.
How are points awarded for completing an initiative?
Points are recorded at the time the initiative is marked Completed. The point value is based on the initiative’s current point value at the time of completion.
How certification works
Each group earns a certification tier based on the total points accumulated from completed initiatives within a certification year.
Certification helps groups understand their progress and provides a clear structure for continued improvement.
Certification tiers
Groups can earn the following certification tiers:
Tier | Requirements |
Committed | Starting state. Prerequisites have not yet been met. |
Bronze | Prerequisites met plus 0–249 points. |
Silver | Prerequisites met plus 250–499 points. |
Gold | Prerequisites met plus 500–749 points. |
Platinum | Prerequisites met plus 750 or more points. |
What are prerequisites?
Prerequisites are a set of conditions a group must meet before it can earn any tier above Committed.
Once prerequisites are met, points determine the group’s certification tier.
Is my group’s certification history tracked?
Yes. Every certification tier change is recorded, including:
What triggered the change
The group’s total points at the time
This gives your organization a clearer record of progress over time.
Initiative updates
Initiatives may be updated over time to reflect changes in requirements, compliance criteria, point values, or framework alignment.
What happens if an initiative I’ve completed gets updated?
It depends on the type of change.
For significant updates, such as changes to requirements, compliance criteria, or points, your group’s admin will receive an email notification.
Depending on the change type, your group may also be prompted to reassess the completed initiative.
What happens to our points if an initiative’s point value changes?
If an admin changes an initiative’s point value and triggers a recalculation, your group’s awarded points for that initiative are updated automatically.
This recalculation only happens when explicitly triggered. It is never automatic.
Industry packs
Some initiatives are organized into industry packs. These make it easier for organizations to see actions that are relevant to their industry.
Why can I see different initiatives than another organization?
Your organization may see different initiatives because some initiatives are only visible to organizations assigned to a matching industry.
There are two general types of initiative visibility:
Initiative type | Who can see it |
Base category initiatives | Visible to all groups, regardless of industry. |
Industry pack initiatives | Visible only to groups whose organization is assigned to a matching industry. |
How is my organization’s industry set?
An organization owner or admin sets the organization’s industry during onboarding or in Organization Settings.
This determines which industry pack initiatives your groups can see.
Important notes and limitations
Initiatives require a Premium or Enterprise plan to include Global Framework Alignment.
Starter and Standard plans do not include access to Global Framework Alignment for initiatives.
Completed initiatives are normally final, unless a significant update requires reassessment.
Points are recorded at completion using the initiative’s current point value.
Point recalculations only happen when explicitly triggered by Green Business Benchmark° admins.
Industry pack visibility depends on the organization’s assigned industry.