We Mean Business
We Mean Business Coalition is a nonprofit coalition founded in 2015 by seven non-profits (BSR, CDP, Ceres, Climate Group, CLG, The B Team, WBCSD) that convenes a 23,000+ company network with policymakers to advance clean electrification and climate action through programs, frameworks, and policy advocacy.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What We Mean Business does
We Mean Business Coalition is a nonprofit climate-advocacy coalition founded in 2015 by seven non-profit organizations — BSR, CDP, Ceres, Climate Group, Corporate Leaders Groups, The B Team, and WBCSD — and headquartered in Washington, DC, with global operational reach. The Coalition's core function is to convene businesses with policymakers and partners to translate climate ambition into policy and corporate action, primarily through a portfolio of programs (Electric Advantage, SME Climate Hub, Beyond Alliance, Fossil to Clean) and reusable frameworks and tools (Business Action Checklists, the 4 A's of Climate Leadership, the RPE Framework, Climate Transition Action Plans, the Voluntary Carbon Market Knowledge Vault, the Just Transition Resource Platform, and Supplier Engagement Guidance).
The Coalition does not develop or sell technology products. Its "offerings" are coordinated advocacy interventions, policy asks, white papers (such as the 10 Policy Principles to Seize the Electric Advantage), and convening events at COP, London Climate Action Week, and Davos, distributed free of charge through its website and partner channels. A Signals of Change newsletter and case-study library extend the organization's thought-leadership surface.
The Coalition is funded by philanthropic grants and other funding partners (listed as "Funders" on its website), with no commercial pricing, no venture or private equity backing, and no parent company. Its network includes 23,000+ companies and 1,500+ actively advocating businesses; a 2026 joint statement alone aggregated 112 companies with combined annual revenues of approximately $1.5 trillion. Leadership comprises CEO Maria Mendiluce, Deputy Director Luke Pritchard (Nature-Based Solutions), Celine Herweijer (co-chair), Sherry Madera (non-executive director), and Ross Heinemeyer (Director of Finance & People).
We Mean Business firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- We Mean Business
- Legal name
- We Mean Business Coalition
- Website
- https://wemeanbusinesscoalition.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- We Mean Business Coalition is a nonprofit coalition founded in 2015 by seven non-profits (BSR, CDP, Ceres, Climate Group, CLG, The B Team, WBCSD) that convenes a 23,000+ company network with policymakers to advance clean electrification and climate action through programs, frameworks, and policy advocacy.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
We Mean Business industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Climate Policy Advocacy
- NAICS
- Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Business Associations (81391), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), International Affairs (9721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Offsets & Carbon Removal Procurement Strategy (portfolio design, quality screening) (EUABAKAL), International & Local Implementing NGOs (HLAJAKAD), Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC)
Keywords
Where We Mean Business is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
We Mean Business business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
We Mean Business product offering
Product offeringCore offering
We Mean Business Coalition is a non-profit coalition that brings businesses together with policymakers and partners to turn climate ambition into delivery. It convenes 23,000+ companies to advocate for clean electrification, fossil fuel phase-out, and climate policy reform through programs such as Electric Advantage, SME Climate Hub, Beyond Alliance, and Fossil to Clean. The Coalition offers free frameworks, tools, guidance, and coordinated advocacy interventions (letters, statements, policy asks) for businesses and governments.
Product overview
We Mean Business Coalition is a coalition organization (not a unified software product) that brings together companies with policymakers and partners to accelerate climate action and the energy transition. The Coalition offers a portfolio of programs, frameworks, and resources including: Electric Advantage (a multi-year program on electrification), SME Climate Hub (support for small businesses), Beyond Alliance (market-based climate action), Fossil to Clean (fossil fuel phase-out), Climate Transition Action Plans (transition planning tools), the 4 A's of Climate Leadership framework, Voluntary Carbon Market Knowledge Vault, Supplier Engagement Guidance, Just Transition Resource Platform, Policy Asks for governments, 10 Policy Principles documents, and Signals of Change newsletters. These offerings work together as a coordinated system of support, guidance, and advocacy to help businesses and governments advance clean economies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Electric Advantage: A multi-year program focused on spurring industry action, reforming regulations, and driving investment in electrification to accelerate the transition to modern, clean electrified economies.
- SME Climate Hub
- Beyond Alliance
- Fossil to Clean
- Signals of Change
Quantifiable outcome
- 91% of global business leaders see electrification as key to energy security
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use We Mean Business
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
We Mean Business technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
We Mean Business partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered founding, core, featured and supporting.
- BSR (Business for Social Responsibility)foundingOne of the seven founding non-profit partners of the We Mean Business Coalition. BSR brings expertise in sustainable business strategy and works with companies on climate action.
- CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project)foundingOne of the seven founding non-profit partners of the We Mean Business Coalition. CDP runs the global environmental disclosure system.
- CeresfoundingOne of the seven founding non-profit partners of the We Mean Business Coalition. Ceres mobilizes investor and corporate action on climate and water issues.
- Climate GroupfoundingOne of the seven founding non-profit partners of the We Mean Business Coalition. Climate Group runs initiatives like RE100, EV100, and EP100.
- Corporate Leaders Groups (CLG)foundingOne of the seven founding non-profit partners of the We Mean Business Coalition. CLG Europe advocates for climate policy with business leaders.
- The B TeamfoundingOne of the seven founding non-profit partners of the We Mean Business Coalition. The B Team works with business leaders on climate and sustainability.
- WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development)foundingOne of the seven founding non-profit partners of the We Mean Business Coalition. WBCSD is a CEO-led organization advancing sustainable development.
- E3GcoreE3G is a partner in commissioning the global survey of business leaders on electrification, alongside the Coalition and Global Renewables Alliance.
- Global Renewables AlliancecorePartner in the electrification initiative and co-coordinator of the joint statement with 112 companies calling for faster electrification.
- Geelen CounterflowfeaturedFeatured as a Coalition success story - developed electric industrial dryer technology that helps pet food and fish feed factories electrify heating processes, achieving 75% energy savings.
- MicrosoftfeaturedPartnering with Fortum on the Espoo Clean Heat project to use datacenter waste heat for district heating in Finland.
- Apparel Impact InstitutesupportingNon-profit collaborating with H&M Group on electrifying textile factories through the Coalition's Electric Advantage program.
- WWFsupportingNon-profit collaborating with H&M Group and Apparel Impact Institute on textile factory electrification projects in Vietnam and China.
- Smart Freight CentersupportingNGO overseeing the ecommerce post and parcel working group focused on logistics decarbonization, of which eBay is a founding member.
- Center for Green Market ActivationsupportingNGO running the trucking pilot project enabling Texas's largest deployment of zero-emission electric trucks, in which eBay participates.
- CerescoreCoalition founding partner that eBay works with through LEAD campaigns advocating for clean energy policy solutions in the US.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
We Mean Business competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- GFANZ (Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero): Coalition of financial institutions committed to accelerating the decarbonization of the economy. Comparable as a global coalition mobilizing large institutions for net-zero policy and action, often in coordination with We Mean Business.
- The Climate Pledge: Co-founded by Amazon and Global Optimism, a cross-sector commitment by companies to reach net-zero by 2040. Comparable as a corporate climate coalition with policy advocacy elements, though more corporate-led than We Mean Business.
- Race to Zero / UNFCCC Climate Champions: UN-backed global campaign rallying non-state actors (businesses, cities, investors, regions) to take rigorous, immediate action to halve emissions by 2030. Directly comparable coalition-format climate mobilization effort.
- Ceres: Founding partner of We Mean Business Coalition; a nonprofit that mobilizes investor and corporate action on climate and water. Comparable as a business climate coalition focused on policy advocacy and corporate engagement.
- United Nations Global Compact: The world's largest corporate sustainability initiative, engaging thousands of companies on climate, human rights, and anti-corruption. Directly comparable as a global business coalition convening companies around climate and policy.
- CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project): Founding partner of We Mean Business Coalition; runs the global environmental disclosure system used by thousands of companies and investors to measure and manage climate impacts. Directly comparable as a business-facing climate NGO coalition with overlapping corporate base and policy advocacy.
- Climate Group: Founding partner of We Mean Business Coalition; runs the RE100, EP100, and EV100 corporate initiatives that mobilize businesses to commit to renewable electricity, energy productivity, and electric vehicles. Highly comparable mission and corporate base.
- BSR (Business for Social Responsibility): Founding partner of We Mean Business Coalition; a sustainable business network and consultancy that works with companies on ESG strategy, including climate. Comparable as a member-driven business sustainability organization.
- WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development): Founding partner of We Mean Business Coalition; a CEO-led organization of more than 200 leading businesses advancing sustainable development. Highly comparable as a global business sustainability coalition.
- C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group: Network of 100+ major global cities committed to addressing climate change; comparable as a coalition-format mobilization effort with member-driven policy advocacy. Direct peer in convening non-state actors for climate action, even though it focuses on cities rather than businesses.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
We Mean Business social profiles
Digital presenceWe Mean Business financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
We Mean Business leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
We Mean Business funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
We Mean Business M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about We Mean Business
What does We Mean Business do?
We Mean Business Coalition is a non-profit coalition that brings businesses together with policymakers and partners to turn climate ambition into delivery. It convenes 23,000+ companies to advocate for clean electrification, fossil fuel phase-out, and climate policy reform through programs such as Electric Advantage, SME Climate Hub, Beyond Alliance, and Fossil to Clean. The Coalition offers free frameworks, tools, guidance, and coordinated advocacy interventions (letters, statements, policy asks) for businesses and governments.
Is We Mean Business a public or private company?
We Mean Business is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was We Mean Business founded?
We Mean Business was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is We Mean Business based?
We Mean Business is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
Who are We Mean Business's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are GFANZ (Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero), The Climate Pledge, Race to Zero / UNFCCC Climate Champions, Ceres, United Nations Global Compact, CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project), Climate Group, BSR (Business for Social Responsibility), WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development) and C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.
Does We Mean Business have an API?
No public API is recorded for We Mean Business.
What industry is We Mean Business in?
We Mean Business's product category is Climate Policy Advocacy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADALAA, Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support, with a secondary code of EUABAKAL, Offsets & Carbon Removal Procurement Strategy (portfolio design, quality screening). Its NAICS code is 8133 and its SIC code is 8600.