We were just about to send out this newsletter when breaking news stopped the press. Senator Manchin and Senator Schumer just announced they have reached agreement on a budget reconciliation bill called the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which includes what could be historic investments in climate change! One week ago, it was believed that the bill was dead. A one-page summary indicates that the bill includes a record $369 billion for energy and climate. While details have not yet been released, and the bill still has to make its way through the Senate and House, we are cautiously ecstatic. If this bill passes, it will be the largest investment in climate in our nation's history.

While we are not yet familiar with the details, as the 725-page bill was just released last night, the bill includes investments to help our nation achieve emissions reductions of 40% by 2030. We expect it to help your businesses with investments in clean energy and transportation. There are red flags as well, including a call for permitting reform legislation to be passed before the end of the fiscal year. This could very well make permitting fossil fuel infrastructure easier at a time when the scientists have made it clear that we must immediately cease fossil fuel extraction. We know that there will be some disagreeable aspects as this bill is the result of months of arduous negotiations. We will be watching closely to determine if they are too egregious. 

This giant step, and hopefully soon victory, is the result of the hard work of many, including hundreds of you in the Climate Collaborative network. Sometimes when we sign a letter to our elected officials as you did weeks ago with Businesses for Climate Action, or when you post on social and have a dialogue with your stakeholders as many of you did last year with Call4ClimateNow, we don't feel that we are having an impact. But I promise you it DOES matter. Every action contributes to the whole. When businesses speak out, we are changing the norm of silence on climate. We don't know exactly what changed Senator Manchin's mind and caused him to include climate in the bill, but we know there was enormous pressure from many fronts, including the business community, for him to act. More than 40% of Americans live in counties that were hit by climate disasters in 2021 and more than 80% of Americans experienced a heat wave. We have all be hearing the news in recent weeks of record-breaking heat around the world. This bill comes none too soon. 

In the coming weeks, we will be keeping you informed on how YOU can help get the bill over the finish line. But for now, embrace this hopeful moment. We really CAN solve the climate crisis, and we will do it together. 

Thank you for all of your work that led us to today. I am grateful for our community. 

In collaboration,
Courtney

In a disappointing decision released today in U.S. EPA vs West Virginia, the U.S. Supreme Court has severely hampered the Biden-Harris administration from regulating carbon pollution through executive branch action and protecting Americans from the economic and health impacts of climate change. In the words of Mindy Lubber, CEO and President of Ceres, "The decision endangers our country's ability to confront the climate crisis at the pace and scale science says is necessary. It also underscores the urgent need for Congress to pass an economic package with ambitious federal clean energy investments in the coming weeks."

To that end, our deepest thanks to all of you who signed the recent business sign-on letter to Congress, developed by the Collaborative in coordination with 35 other organizations, advocating for bold climate action. The response from our community was astounding; we have never had such a high turnout for advocacy before. If you would like to be involved in future advocacy campaigns, please email us and we will get you signed up for our Policy Commitment. We expect far reaching climate legislation to be announced in the coming weeks. The Supreme Court just made it clear how important it is that we work to get this bill over the finish line. Stay tuned for ways you can help.

In collaboration,
Courtney

Change is hard enough in the best of times, never mind when times are tough. After two years of a global pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and inflationary pressure wreaking havoc on supply chains, we are hearing that many of your businesses are stressed. You may feel discouraged as though you aren’t making progress on your climate efforts.

Here at the Climate Collaborative, it is our mission and passion to help you succeed and become the climate champion to which you aspire by providing opportunities for your business to contribute to climate solutions- and right now we have one such opportunity.

The coming weeks are our last best chance for what could be a very, very long time to get historic climate legislation in the U.S. over the finish line. This legislation is vital if we are to cut emissions in half this decade.

The business community is stepping up in unprecedented ways to flood our lawmakers with calls for action. Will you join me by signing your U.S. company on to this letter calling on our lawmakers to pass ambitious climate legislation to put our country and our world on a path to solving the climate crisis?

Please join the more than 400 businesses that have already signed on and sign your company onto the statement today! It will take less than two minutes and you will feel great.

Lastly, we'd like to extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of renown environmental activist, futurist, and author, Hazel Henderson who passed recently. Hazel inspired a generation of activists, including us here at the Climate Collaborative. Ralph Nader shared his remembrance of the remarkable Hazel on Marketplace. She enthusiastically participated in many of the Climate Collaborative's policy initiatives and we were honored to know her.

In collaboration,
Courtney

A few weeks ago, we wrote to our policy engaged companies on the status of the climate provisions of the Build Back Better Act. A budget reconciliation bill is still alive, and Congress and the White House are moving forward with talks, but we're now nearing a "do or die" moment for the legislative opportunity formerly known as BBBA. We now need our whole business community to step-up to help get the bill over the finish line. 

We have been working with a coalition of groups including ClimateVoices, Ceres, Drawdown Labs, Rewiring America, Evergreen Action, and others to rally the business community to pressure their lawmakers and Senator Schumer to move the bill forward. You are invited to a thirty-minute call on Monday, May 9th at 2 pm ET/ 11 am PT to get briefed on the status of this critical climate legislation and what you can do. 

For those of you already engaged, thank you. These are trying times. Your voice as a business leader and job creator is critical.

If you haven't engaged in policy advocacy, please consider making a commitment now. You will be joining more than three hundred of your fellow businesses that have already made a commitment to engage in climate policy. Not sure where to begin? No problem. Here at the Collaborative, we work hard to provide you with opportunities to take action including sign-on letters to lawmakers, sample social media posts, advocacy trainings, meetings with members of Congress, and more. Once you make a commitment to policy, you will be on the list to hear about these opportunities so you can decide if and when you want to participate.

In collaboration,

Spring has sprung, and with it, there has been a flourish of activity on the heels of a very successful Climate Day. It is hard to imagine it was only three weeks ago that many of us were together in Anaheim. The Climate Collaborative team left Climate Day so invigorated and with renewed clarity about our key areas of focus. 

Reverend Yearwood, our keynote speaker, talked about the importance of making sure that we, those of us committed to climate action, are not just always playing in the same lane. I took this call to action as a reminder that we need to continue to expand our reach, seek out new and diverse perspectives, step outside of our comfort zone, and develop solutions in partnership with impacted communities. By all accounts the food industry is going through rapid change, the staggering presence of countless new plant-based food options and the incredible infusion of venture capital is an early indication of the changes to come. The question for me is, "how do we ensure that these new product offerings are developed with the climate in mind?" Our food waste webinar this week provided compelling examples of how products can be designed from the beginning to integrate upcycling, food recovery, and cross-brand collaborations that have a positive impact on both the climate and their financial bottom line.

As we plan the months ahead, we anticipate renewed efforts to encourage meaningful climate legislation in DC, new tools to help brands communicate with their customers about their climate efforts, and education that leans into some of the less visible sources of climate impacts like deforestation, transportation, and refrigerants. 

For companies looking for an Earth Month activation, we've included a few partner opportunities below. They range from toolkits to public campaigns. I encourage you to check them out. As always, we have also included other resources and tools to support your climate work. Please be in touch. I would love to hear your thoughts on how we can continue to help you advance your climate commitments. 

In collaboration,

We are now less than two weeks out from Climate Day 2022 on March 8th at Expo West, and we cannot wait! The agenda reflects all of the speakers and topics that we have been so eager to bring in-person to you. You will see some consistent themes throughout the day: the critical role that distributors and retailers play in mobilizing the supply chain, the importance of centering justice and equity in our climate work, strategies for achieving net zero goals, why companies need to engage in policy action, and how to connect with consumers about climate.

• See the full agenda on the Expo West website
• Visit the Climate Collaborative website for an event overview

To make Climate Day as actionable and impactful as possible, our vision for the event was to weave together speakers and messages that will touch hearts and minds. Speakers include:

• Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr, Hip Hop Caucus
• Tamara Toles O'Laughlin, Environmental Grantmakers Association
• Ed Maibach, George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication
• Lauren Yarmuth, The Cultural Conditions Project
• Chief Dana Tizya-Tramm, Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation
• Clover Hogan, Force of Nature

...and so many more!

We are at such a critical moment, and we want to speak to what is alive in so many of our hearts, bring voice to what is at stake and what is needed in our world, connect with this amazing community, and then take all of this energy and move it into meaningful action. The time is now for all of us to step even further into this work. 

I so look forward to seeing many of you in Anaheim! 

We are getting so excited to see many of you in-person at Climate Day on March 8th! Every year this event brings together thought leaders and leading edge companies to inspire and activate climate action, and this year will be no exception. Keep an eye on your inbox, because we will be releasing more information about the program in coming weeks. But here are a few teasers...

As I write this on the winter solstice and we mark the beginning of the return of light, I am reminded of Valarie Kaur’s powerful words in Revolutionary Love, “What if this is not the darkness of the tomb – but the darkness of the womb? What if this is our greatest transition?”

We are indeed in a transition, whether Senator Manchin accepts it or not. Solar energy is exploding in the U.S. generating more than 23 times as much energy as it did just 10 years ago, driven in large part by plummeting prices. The International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that solar electricity is now the cheapest power on Earth. The market is responding. In 2020 and 2021, renewables accounted for 90% of new power capacity expansion globally. Meanwhile, in 2020, U.S. coal production decreased 24.2% year over year. It is predicted that by 2035 every new car sold in the U.S. could be electric. We are living the transition!

We can feel the momentum build in our network. More businesses than ever are stepping up and speaking out in support of bold climate action and implementing innovative new practices in their businesses.

Change is not easy, especially on the scale that is required if we are to avoid catastrophic climate change. Those who have benefited from the existing system will fight to the end. That’s why I am so proud of our community for stepping up over and over in 2021, most recently with hundreds of you signing on to the Ceres business letter to U.S. Senators urging them to support bold climate action at the scale of the crisis.

While we will have dark moments like the momentary setback with the Build Back Better bill, we must also remember that change can happen very fast. Thanks to you and your commitment to addressing the challenge of climate change, I am hopeful that in the year ahead we will take big steps, make huge progress, and bring the transition to life.

Wishing you all a blessed solstice and happy and healthy holidays with your loved ones.

With gratitude,

Courtney Pineau

Climate Collaborative Executive Director

We are so excited to bring you the 2021 Tracking Progress Report. This report assesses how companies are progressing on the climate action commitments they have made through the Climate Collaborative. Our hope is that the information shared will help inform the work of the Collaborative and our broader community as we work together to find and activate solutions to the climate crisis.

This year’s report reflects the growing urgency that companies are feeling about the need to take bold climate action. The number of companies involved in the Climate Collaborative year jumped from 463 companies in 2020 to 728! 63% of companies reported that they are actively progressing with their commitments and the remaining 37% of companies are either in active planning stages or have not yet determined how they will implement their commitments. We are seeing the most progress in packaging and renewable energy, and deeper engagement in policy. This is the first year we have asked about net-zero commitments, and we were amazed to see that 25% of respondents have already set a net-zero commitment, and 40% are exploring it.

In the qualitative responses to the survey, it was heartening to hear that the resources the Climate Collaborative provides are helping participants connect to the tools they need and better navigate the challenges they are encountering as they develop innovative climate solutions within their organizations. Respondents asked for even more tools and resources, including webinars and case studies, along with greater opportunities for pre-competitive networking to learn and collaborate with peers. We look forward to developing programs that meet these needs in the coming year!

As we close out 2021, it is clear that the urgency to act has only grown. This is the decisive decade. This year we saw a 20% increased involvement in climate policy action by companies that have made a policy commitment through the Climate Collaborative. If your business has not made a commitment to engage in climate policy, we encourage you to take that step right now. I invite you to:

• Up your policy game today! Please consider making a policy commitment within the Climate Collaborative
• Join hundreds of your fellow businesses by signing on to the letter to lawmakers urging them to support bold action on climate. With historic climate legislation being considered in Washington, the voice of every business matters.

Lastly, during this holiday season, please consider including the Climate Collaborative in your end-of-year giving plans. The Climate Collaborative’s deep commitment to removing all barriers to climate action, including paywalls and membership fees, is critically important because we need everyone mobilizing to help shift our current climate trajectory. However, to do this we need your support. With just two full-time staff, we work hard to ensure your donation drives real action with measurable impacts.

Many thanks for your continued support of the Climate Collaborative!

With gratitude,

Courtney Pineau

Climate Collaborative Executive Director

As I write this, 20,000 leaders and concerned citizens from around the world are gathering in Glasgow, Scotland for COP26, the UN climate change conference. For 12 days their task is to accelerate a shared global climate agenda, and their work has never been more important. The scientific community has issued a Code Red for Humanity, and now it is up to our global leaders to speak up and act.

It was during COP21, the now historic event that gave rise to the Paris Climate Accord, that the idea for the Climate Collaborative was born. Our founders felt that there was an opportunity for the natural products industry to be part of the international community in tackling the climate crisis. They saw that the natural products sector (now a $180 billion industry) had the potential to be on the leading edge of driving business and consumer action. Their vision was to engage this industry in meaningful climate action through collaboration, education, and by making critical tools and resources freely available to all. Since that time, more than 700 companies have made commitments to reduce their climate impacts, and while our reach has expanded beyond the natural products industry, our commitment to identifying and activating pathways for our network of businesses to accelerate climate action has not waivered.

The work ahead is focused on deepening our efforts while also collectively engaging in critical policy efforts that ensure our work reaches the scale necessary to shift our current catastrophic climate trajectory. For those of you participating in our Call4ClimateNow campaign, you know that over the past weeks the U.S. Congress has been debating the most important climate legislation ever, which could put us on track to reduce emissions in half by 2030. This decision could be made any minute. And for many of us, it has been heartbreaking to watch the fossil fuel special interests of one senator wreak havoc on this absolutely critical legislation. The American people want action and the Climate Collaborative will continue to do our part to remove barriers to climate action to accelerate a powerful climate agenda.

The bottom line is that we all must up our climate game. We must fight harder for our leaders to lead. (If you haven’t already made a commitment to climate policy, you can do so here.) We must take more steps within our businesses and in our supply chains. No matter where we are in the process, we can all do more, and we must.

In this historic moment on the eve of the COP, we are reaching out to our network of small and medium sized businesses (SMEs), those with fewer than five hundred employees, to ask YOU to consider joining the growing movement to commit to net zero emissions by 2050. You can find more information about how to do this below. While most of us can’t be in Glasgow, that doesn’t mean that we can’t take part in the efforts there. You will also find links below to a wide variety of sessions so that you can participate in the COP virtually.

At the Climate Collaborative, our job is to help you bring your commitments to climate to life. We are in active dialogue with our community over the next several months to understand your barriers to action and how we can help. I would love to hear your thoughts! Email me at [email protected] and let me know the challenges you are facing and how we might help.

With gratitude,

Courtney Pineau

Climate Collaborative Executive Director