Corporate America: Stop hiding behind the Chamber of Commerce and Business Roundtable

Today and Friday, I am speaking at two events as part of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26). As it happens, both are on the topic of corporate climate promises.

It’s an important topic because far too many business leaders are saying all the right things on climate while hiding behind business groups that are sabotaging meaningful climate legislation.

The Build Back Better framework could offer significant progress on climate, but the CEOs of America’s richest companies belong to two groups laser-focused on actively undermining it. The Business Roundtable (which represents CEOs from more than 200 major corporations) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (the world’s largest business association) have been working to stall and weaken this historic legislation and have spent millions to pressure moderate lawmakers to vote against the planet.

These CEOs are happy to tell the public about their ambitions to become “carbon neutral,” their goal to be a “regenerative” company and that they are focused on “equitable climate action.” But behind closed doors these companies are sharing a very different story. They are using the power of their brand and their company resources to advocate for their bottom line.

This hypocrisy is bad for business. It’s bad for everyone.

None of us are beyond reproach. A problem we face is that the more successful our business becomes, the more our carbon footprint grows. That’s why Patagonia is working to reduce and eliminate—not just offset—our emissions, and to grow the climate movement. (Learn more about where our emissions come from and what we are doing about it here.)?

The scale and complexity of the climate and ecological crisis that humans have created are such that we need government doing what government is intended to do: solve some of our biggest problems, starting with our energy transition. The U.S. must cancel subsidies to the fossil fuel industry, which account for more than $20 billion each year.

The business sector also needs to clean up its mess and use its resources to find solutions. And companies need to pay their fair share. Patagonia is willing to pay a higher corporate tax rate to fund the climate investments included in the Build Back Better framework.

Patagonia can afford a tax increase. The companies that make up the Chamber of Commerce and Business Roundtable can, too.

We need employees and shareholders to keep speaking out so that the business community moves past hollow statements and marketing campaigns about the environment. It’s no longer ok for them to hide behind groups that do their dirty work.

Pro tip: The price of climate change is only going to increase. It will cost less if we pay now.