Sustainability programs with impact
11/06/24
Decarbonize your business. Measure, report and act on your sustainability data in one complete platform.
BUSINESSES
BUSINESSES
The corporate world is aware of the costs of climate climate and they are aware of what needs to be done:
- slash carbon in energy-intensive industries, in operations, in transportation, and in buildings
- buy lots of renewable energy
- reduce waste, particularly in critical sectors such as food and agriculture
- expand the use of circular business models that minimize resource use
- embed climate change metrics in corporate systems and key performance indicators
- empower suppliers, customers and employees to drive change
- rethink their investments and business models
Even as Trump announced in May 2017 that he would withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement, dozens of states and Puerto Rico formed the US Climate Alliance vowing to uphold the US end of the Agreement. In April 2018, the business community, through its coalition, We Are Still In launched its We Are Taking Action campaign to encourage local, state and private sector leaders to take action to address climate change.
In February, 2021, as the United States returned to the Paris Climate Agreement under Biden, elected officials joined the business and nonprofit community to launch “America Is All In.” This coalition aims to collaborate with the federal government on the fight against climate change. Led by Mike Bloomberg, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Climate Ambition and Solutions, Washington Governor Jay Inslee, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, Common Spirit Health CEO Lloyd Dean and climate champions across the country, the coalition is working to cut U.S. emissions in half by 2030* and reach net zero emissions by 2050, while guarding against the impacts of climate disruption.
GM announced, in February 2021, that it would only produce electric vehicles after 2035, putting serious wind into the Biden administration’s sails.
6 THINGS YOU CAN DO TODAY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
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1 PREPARE, IT'S CHEAPER THAN RECOVERING
Studies show that for every US $1 spent to mitigate risks, US $4 is saved on recovery costs. Time to assess climate risks and plan.
BUSINESS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY -
2 SET SCIENCE BASED TARGETS
440 companies are taking science-based climate action and 122 companies have approved science-based targets. Make a commitment now.
SCIENCE BASED TARGETS -
3 DIVERT SUPPORT FROM FOSSIL FUEL COMPANIES
The San Francisco-based Bank of the West is withdrawing support for companies and business activities that are “detrimental to our environment and our health.” Instead, invest time and energy where it will have positive impacts.
DENVER POST -
4 CREATE SOLAR POWER PERKS
The Solar Community Initiative program works with corporations to provide discounts to employees on home solar. Expand your company benefits and perks to encourage climate conscious incentives.
THE NEW YORK TIMES -
5 SHIFT TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES
The transport sector accounts for 23% of gas emissions, and businesses own over half of all vehicles on the road. Lead the transition to electric.
WE MEAN BUSINESS COALITION -
6 PUT A PRICE ON CARBON
More than 1,200 global companies are adopting carbon pricing. Microsoft instituted their fee on carbon in 2012 and has since reduced emissions by more than 9.6 million metric tons.
The Washington Post
KEY RESOURCES
Embracing the complexity of the climate crisis and solutions
06/25/24
The Future We Choose: The Stubborn Optimist's Guide to the Climate Crisis is an inspiring manifesto from Global Optimism Co-Founders, Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac. It explains what’s to come, how to face it and…
Mission 2025 group urges governments to set more ambitious climate goals
06/24/24
Some of the world's biggest companies, finance houses, cities and regions have joined forces to urge governments to increase their climate ambition ahead of a February 2025 deadline to deliver their emission-cutting plans to the…
Net Zero Leaders
05/31/23
More than 4,000 companies, representing over a third of the global economy’s market capitalization, had by the end of 2022 set targets to reduce or completely offset their carbon emissions to slow climate change—a goal…
Integrity matters: Net zero commitments By businesses, Financial institutions, Cities and regions
12/09/22
Report from the united nations’ High-level expert group on the Net zero emissions commitments Of non-state entitiesReport from the united nations’ High-level expert group on the Net zero emissions commitments Of non-state entities
NASA, FEMA Release Comprehensive Climate Action Guide
07/09/22
NASA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have released a guide that provides resources for adapting to and mitigating impacts of climate change. The guide, Building Alliances for Climate Action, includes various perspectives, stories,…
The world’s 60 biggest banks poured over 6 years into the fossil fuel industry, driving climate chaos & causing deadly local community impacts.
06/30/22
Bank funding for fossil fuels often brings dire threats to the lives and livelihoods of local communities around the world — harming Indigenous Peoples, Black and Brown communities, and poor and working-class communities first and…
The MSCI Net-Zero Tracker
06/29/22
The MSCI Net-Zero Tracker indicates the collective progress of publicly listed companies in the MSCI ACWI Investable Market Index (IMI) in keeping global warming well below 2°C. It also highlights the largest listed companies with…
How governments and businesses can supercharge decarbonisation
03/18/22
Taking the necessary action to stay within 1.5 °C is in essence neither a technology, nor an economic challenge. It's a leadership challenge. To enhance and deliver on the pledges made at COP26, immediate steps…
Corporate Climate Responsibility Monitor 2022
02/07/22
Companies around the world are increasingly alert to the climate emergency, facing calls from a growing range of stakeholders to take responsibility for the environmental impact of their activities. Most large companies now have public…
Plastic Waste Makers Index
05/21/21
Find out which companies hold the fate of the world’s single-use plastic crisis in their hands and ask them to change.
Decarbonizing Space Heating with Air Source Heat Pumps
11/19/20
Air source heat pumps (ASHPs) are powered by electricity, using well-established technology to move heat from outdoor air to indoor air. When powered by zero-carbon electricity, ASHPs provide space heating with almost no greenhouse gas…
Modelling for Sustainable Development: New decisions for a new age
10/01/20
This book provides a detailed overview of models used in designing projects and policies that integrate sustainable development considerations and objectives.
Water: A human and business priority
08/14/20
Water is the lifeblood of humanity. With it, communities thrive. But, when the supply and demand of fresh water are misaligned, the delicate environmental, social, and financial ecosystems on which we all rely are at…
12 books on how climate change is transforming businesses and the global economy
03/20/20
The significant transformations required to meet the challenges posed by climate change are, from another perspective, fabulous opportunities. Inventors, entrepreneurs, and business strategists recognized this fact many years ago. Their activities have since been chronicled…
Major companies join new alliance to accelerate transition to electric vehicles
02/07/20
Ceres announces the launch of a new alliance to help companies accelerate the transition to electric vehicles, a key component of tackling the climate crisis.
Measuring Stakeholder Capitalism: World’s Largest Companies Support Developing Core Set of Universal ESG Disclosures
01/30/20
140 of the world’s largest companies support effort to develop a core set of common metrics and disclosures on non-financial factors to their investors and other stakeholders.
UN-convened Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance
01/30/20
We are an international group of institutional investors delivering on a bold commitment to transition our investment portfolios to net-zero GHG emissions by 2050.
Coalition seeks to engage business in climate action
07/02/19
Numerous international organizations announced plans yesterday to work in tandem for "business-nature" solutions to climate change. The Business for Nature coalition, composed of 13 organizations, promises to solidify a business-oriented approach to climate change in…
Aim for 100% renewable power
08/15/18
Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA) helps companies navigate options, contracts, Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) and more.
New Climate Advocacy Group Has CEO Pedigree
05/27/19
The CEO Climate Dialogue brings together a number of major companies as part of a coalition that aims to push the climate discussion forward. It comes as chatter around climate change is heating up.
World Business Council for Sustainable Development
05/18/19
WBCSD is a global, CEO-led organization of over 200 leading businesses working together to accelerate the transition to a sustainable world. We help make our member companies more successful and sustainable by focusing on the…
The Climate Group
05/18/19
The Climate Group works internationally with leading businesses, states and regions to deliver a world of net zero greenhouse gas emissions and greater prosperity for all. We are at the forefront of ambitious climate action.…
MORE WAYS TO TAKE ACTION
Finance Takes the Spotlight at New York Climate Meetings
09/24/26
Geopolitical tensions, wars and energy security have dominated talks among world leaders in New York this week. But the need to tackle climate change remains top of mind.
Hedge Fund Manager Seeks Alpha in Strong El Niño Trades
09/17/26
Traders are betting on markets mispricing the consequences of a super-El Niño and they’re moving to take advantage.
Lego billionaires to invest ‘heavily’ in plastic recycling tech
09/10/26
The fund managing the wealth of the Danish billionaires behind Lego A/S intends to significantly ramp up investments in plastics technologies, as Europe prepares to enforce much stricter recycling rules.
Supporters hopeful as DOE, EPA finalize Energy Star transition plan
09/04/26
The U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on August 28 finalized a plan to make DOE the lead agency on the federal government’s Energy Star program by this time next year.…
Utilities eye small modular nuclear reactors for reliability as hyperscalers drive demand
09/04/26
Advanced nuclear developers are pitching small modular reactors and microreactors as firm, low-carbon power for an increasingly strained grid. But early commercial deployments are being driven less by traditional utility procurement than by hyperscalers and…
This is not an advertisement for oat milk
09/03/26
Vast majorities of people in every country support stronger climate action. And the world’s largest oat milk company wants you to know it.
Data center developers launch new group to win public support
09/02/26
The data center industry is going on the offensive with the launch of a new nonprofit Wednesday that plans to counter the public opposition gripping the nation.
Microsoft, Are You Abandoning Your Climate Goals?|
05/21/26
If you eliminate your climate targets, why should communities believe any of your commitments? Communities from across North America are facing more pollution, higher utility bills, and an increasingly unlivable climate – all exacerbated by…
Internal Audit Gap Grows in ESG Disclosures
04/13/26
Every company running a serious internal audit program has two sets of findings: what the audit team documents internally, and what the organization communicates externally. In most operating areas, those two records are close enough…
Google, Amazon, others team to cut climate “superpollutants”
03/05/26
Corporate giants on Thursday unveiled a $100 million effort to stake projects that cut climate "superpollutants" like methane, black carbon and refrigerant gases.
Three key takeaways from Forecast 2026
02/12/26
Physical climate risk is no longer a forward-looking scenario. It is reshaping how capital is priced, deployed, and protected today. Forecast 2026 brought together leading asset owners, asset managers, corporations, and real estate investors for…
Time for some courage in the climate fight too
01/27/26
Any resistance needs to celebrate its victories, and the weekend’s retreat by the administration is a big one: should the forces of decency ever regain the upper hand in DC, we need a monument to…
Enabled emissions: How AI helps to supercharge oil and gas production
01/27/26
AI is quietly boosting fossil fuel expansion, helping some of the world’s biggest polluters to drill and extract more oil and gas. It is time to look at the emissions enabled by AI that could…
Energy Volatility Is Reshaping Supplier Contract Risk
01/26/26
Energy price swings were once something procurement teams could isolate. Volatility lived in fuel contracts, utility negotiations, and hedging strategies—visible, bounded, and owned.That containment is breaking down.
Benchmarking Water Use in a High-Stakes Business Climate
01/26/26
As global water systems strain under demand that’s set to outpace supply by over 50% by 2030, operational water efficiency is becoming non-negotiable for industries that rely on high-volume usage. This shift is especially urgent…
COP30: What businesses should look out for from the Belém Summit
11/10/25
BusinessGreen takes a look at 10 key questions for the fortnight of crunch negotiations in the Amazon
How To Spot Greenwashing
11/10/25
Whether we’re shopping online or browsing store aisles, we’ll feel better in the long run if we don’t give up on shopping based on our values. When you don’t have time to research every single…
US businesses object to EPA bid to kill carbon reporting
11/06/25
EPA officials have said ending mandatory greenhouse gas reporting for the biggest polluters would save those industries hundreds of millions of dollars.
American Carbon Alliance Urges EPA to Maintain Proven Greenhouse Gas Reporting System
11/05/25
The American Carbon Alliance (ACA) called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to maintain the integrity of the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP), warning that rolling back the existing framework would undermine U.S. competitiveness, jeopardize…
The case for ditching 5 underlying sustainability assumptions
11/05/25
In conversations all year, I keep hearing the argument that we’re in the middle of a “healthy correction” from the alleged ideologically driven excesses of 2018 to 2021. In response, the prevailing advice is to…
Google Is Backing the First Commercial Carbon Capture Power Plant in the U.S.
10/23/25
That means it’s also buying natural gas — but by storing the emissions, the company says, it can still meet its climate goals .Google is buying gas.
The problem with Salesforce’s new climate math
10/20/25
AI’s energy use and carbon emissions are a red-hot topic in the climate space these days. The collision between AI and climate goals will be one of the defining corporate challenges of the next decade.…
Why JPMorgan dropped its ‘time-bound’ 2030 emissions reduction goal
10/17/25
JPMorgan Chase, the largest U.S. bank, has backed away from its pledge to cut the carbon footprint of its corporate offices, bank branches and data centers 40 percent by 2030.
2025 Benchmark Report: Corporate Sustainability & Energy Innovation
10/14/25
This 45-page benchmark report distills proprietary insights from hundreds of anonymized submissions to the 2025 Environment+Energy Leader Awards — showing what companies are implementing today and the signals shaping where investment is headed next.
Study: Oil companies are not ‘part of the solution’
10/10/25
“I fundamentally believe we have a core role to play in the energy transition: the capabilities that we have, the scale that we bring, the insights, and everything else,” Ben Van Beurden, then the CEO…
Renewable energy claims: State AGs scrutinize Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft
10/09/25
The anti-ESG crusade by Republican state attorneys general is spilling over into the tech industry, with Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft in the crosshairs. At issue: the way the four companies make claims about emissions…
Orsted Jumps After US Judge Rules Wind Farm Work Can Resume
09/23/25
Orsted A/S shares surged after a US judge ruled construction can resume on a nearly completed wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island, quashing an effort by the Trump administration to halt the project.
Revolution Wind wins preliminary injunction to resume work. What we know.
09/22/25
Construction of Revolution Wind will be allowed to resume, for now, after a federal judge granted a request from the developers of the $5-billion-plus offshore wind farm to lift a stop-work order issued by the…
Orsted Venture Wins Court Ruling to Restart Wind Farm Work
09/22/25
Orsted A/S will resume work on its nearly-completed wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island after a US judge ruled construction can continue during a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s stop-work order, a major…
Trump Just Suffered His First Loss on Offshore Wind
09/22/25
A Federal court has lifted the Trump administration's order to halt construction on the Revolution Wind farm off the coast of New England.
Tell Coca-Cola to Drop Disposables & Switch to Refillable Bottles
09/19/25
Coca-Cola has been ranked the world’s biggest plastic polluter for the past six years in a row, according to Break Free From Plastic Pollution's annual Brand Audits. Worse yet, in early December 2024, Coca-Cola quietly…
Exclusive: Climate Tech Leaders Form New Coalition to Map Out the Future of Decarbonization
09/18/25
The federal government has become an increasingly unreliable partner to climate tech innovators.
Chasing Net Zero: A case-by-case look at corporate progress on 2030 climate goals
07/18/25
Ten years ago this December, the world made a decision that continues to shape corporate action on climate: The 196 countries that adopted the Paris Agreement decreed that global temperature increases should be limited to…
Bezos Earth Fund appoints former Amazon SVP as its new leader
07/17/25
A former Amazon senior vice president who oversaw the company’s Alexa teams is taking the helm at the Bezos Earth Fund, a $10 billion climate philanthropy established by his old boss.
Connect the Dots
03/18/25
Welcome back to Connect the Dots, a newsletter from ClimateVoice focused on exploring the connection between companies, political influence, and U.S. climate policy. So far we’ve examined why policy is so important, the ways that…
Amazon Is Going All-Electric — And It’s Happening Sooner Than Expected
03/15/25
Amazon is accelerating its transition to an all-electric delivery fleet, moving ahead of its original timeline as part of its broader strategy to cut emissions and modernize last-mile logistics. The company had initially committed to…
80 Percent of Global CO2 Emissions Come From Just 57 Companies, Report Shows
04/09/24
A new analysis released last week by the international nonprofit InfluenceMap reveals an overwhelmingly unequal share of fossil fuel pollution worldwide. From 2016 to 2022, 80 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions were produced by…
Where do all those Amazon EV delivery vans recharge?
02/13/24
Tucked away in the woods off I-495 at a warehouse in Bellingham, dozens of gray Amazon delivery vans spend the night side by side, plugged in to recharge.
Greasy—and good for the planet
02/13/24
Cheeseburgers are my favorite food. But I wish they weren’t, given the impact they have on the environment. I’ve tried many of the best meat and dairy replacements out there, and while I’ve had some…
Microsoft, Qcells strike massive supply deal for US-made solar panels
01/08/24
South Korea's Qcells on Monday said it will supply Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab with 12 gigawatts of American-made solar panels through 2032 in what the companies called one of the largest ever deals of…
Reimagine, reuse, recycle: How to reach sustainable packaging targets in retail
12/14/23
The next decade will be pivotal for achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. And with consumers and regulators likely to shift to more sustainable offerings and impose stricter environmental mandates, respectively, companies are feeling the pressure…
China Leaves Everyone Behind in Race for Renewables Income
09/04/23
The biggest US companies are badly trailing their Chinese counterparts when it comes to generating income from solar, wind, nuclear and other types of renewable energy.
The path to net zero: 5 moves for CEOs
08/09/23
Net zero has become an organizing principle for business. How can CEOs lay out credibly how they will deliver their transition to net zero while simultaneously building and reinforcing resilience against the certain volatility of…
What real climate policy looks like
08/07/23
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) turns one year old next week — and unless you’ve just woken from a Rip Van Winkle-style slumber, you know it’s the United States' most momentous climate legislation in a…
A new framework for how firms can manage climate risks
04/20/23
As the climate crisis worsens, it will bring substantial risk to businesses’ assets and operations. Many firms have yet to implement a comprehensive framework and take company-specific, preventative measures to protect themselves. With threats ranging…
United States Supermarket Scorecard 2022
04/06/23
EIA scored the biggest U.S. supermarket chains on their actions to reduce emissions of climate super pollutant hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Each company is scored on actions in three categories of technology adoption, refrigerant management, and policy…
Why seniors are blocking entrances to the four largest U.S. banks
03/21/23
Climate activists on Tuesday will protest four banks — Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Citibank and Wells Fargo — that help finance the fossil fuel industry....
Destination: Net Zero – Six Steps Companies Can Take To Address Climate Goals
02/02/23
Increasingly, companies around the world are under pressure to respond to global climate change, but many are struggling to meet ambitious climate goals because there is no clear framework to help them set and track…
What To Know About Home Depot’s New Energy Deal
01/06/23
With the effects of climate change becoming more apparent, it's only natural that a renewed focus on green energy has shifted to the forefront. Many individuals have taken it upon themselves to live sustainably, whether…
Everything you need to run a world-class climate program
12/05/22
Watershed’s carbon data engine analyzes emissions for every line item of your business. We measure Scope 1, 2, and 3 of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, and have developed state-of-the-art methodologies for remote work, cloud computing,…