The CC's Erin Callahan sat down with Numi Tea co-founders Ahmed Rahim and Reem Hassani, winners of the 2020 National Co+op Grocers Climate Collaborative Influencer Award, to talk through the last year in climate action and what's ahead for the industry--including how we bring last year's racial justice movement into our climate work. They also shared some secrets of their decades' long experience driving collaborative action across the natural products industry.

You can watch the full video or catch up on specific topics we covered at the timestamps below: 

• At 2:00: Learn how Numi Tea stayed afloat on climate in 2020, and how they have pivoted and reprioritized internally in the wake of the pandemic.
• At 7:00: 2020 broke down barriers between addressing climate and racial justice. How did Numi start to move forward and internalize those lessons?

“I hope that climate discussions [in 2021] aren’t just about the environment, but are about how people live and how they are included on this planet.” – Ahmed Rahim

• At 14:25: How do we take lessons from Ahmed, Reem, OSC and other collaborations to unlock broader collaboration within the industry on climate?
• At 17:30: What's the best advice for companies getting started on climate action?

Start small, Reem says, asking “What little steps can take now?" But don't be afraid to be bold! “We need to push each other and think big," Ahmed says. “For young entrepreneurs budding businesses, go big, do the tests on your GHG emissions, audit your products, take first steps toward understanding your impact and what you can do to take strategies toward that action, but DREAM BIG. The world needs it more than ever." 

• At 23:00: What keeps Ahmed and Reem hopeful?
  • Beyond having a government backing science and climate action as a top priority, Reem identified a big shift in consumer behavior as well:

“Consumers are wanting [to see climate action] more. They are looking at packaging, they are reading up on companies, and looking for companies that have a sense of purpose.” – Reem Hassani