Climate Change

Major Companies Demand that the Federal Government take Action on Climate Change

By

May 15, 2013

Starting in early April this year, 40 large companies in the United States have started to come together to sign a " Climate Declaration ," requesting that federal lawmakers take strong action on climate change. These green-minded, for-profit companies include Unilever, the North Face, General Motors, IKEA, Nike, Eileen Fisher, Levi Strauss & Co., eBay, Adidas, and many more. All told, the 40 signatories of the Climate Declaration account for around 550,000 U.S. jobs and a combined annual revenue of $611 billion.

The Climate Declaration was initiated by the non-profit Ceres and its Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP) arm, which brings business leaders together to support sustainability initiatives. Anne Kelly, Director of BICEP, explained,"The signers of the Climate Declaration have a clear message for Washington: Act on climate change. Policymakers should see climate change policy for what it is: an economic opportunity."

The Climate Declaration asks that Congress take action by passing legislation that puts a cap on carbon emissions, supports limiting all greenhouse gas emissions, and promotes clean energy.

Many of the signatory companies have already taken action on their own to reduce their environmental impact. General Motors, the first automobile company to sign the Climate Declaration, has surpassed standards set by the Energy Star Challenge for Industry at 54 of its facilities, reducing its energy usage about 26 percent in three years. The San Jose headquarters of eBay is a LEED Gold certified building, and their data centers are either LEED certified as well or retrofitted to be more environmentally friendly. Adidas has launched a revolutionary line of apparel that is dyed without using water, saving 1.2 million liters of water so far. These companies and others are investing in more sustainable business practices on their own – but they still say nationwide measures are necessary to level the playing field and ensure that natural resources are not depleted.

For the complete list of companies that have signed the Climate Declaration, and more information, please visit www.ceres.org/bicep/climate-declaration .

Author: Laura Small

Sources: