EDF + Business

A thriving economy depends on a thriving environment, and vice versa. Now, more than ever, successful business leaders are the ones who raise the bar on corporate sustainability. Environmental Defense Fund is working to create a more sustainable world where companies, communities and the environment thrive. For more than 30 years, we’ve brought cutting-edge science, policy and economic expertise to leading companies to transform business as usual in their products, operations and advocacy. We’ve collaborated with 1 in 3 Fortune 100 companies to find win-win solutions for business and planet. Our work with companies like Walmart, KKR, McDonald's and AT&T creates environmental and business best practices that have been successfully replicated across industries. Being at the forefront of EDF’s private-sector partnerships, we’re now launching our own LinkedIn page to be a resource for sustainable business decision makers. Our page will go more in-depth than other EDF channels and newsletters, while also having content tailored for sustainability, procurement, finance professionals and climate career champions. By following us, you’ll discover: ? Insights from EDF experts to drive sustainability business strategies. ? Spotlights on net zero news and company success stories. ? Access to the latest sustainability reports, trends and data from EDF. ? Leading resources to tackle climate risk. Join us to create a more sustainable world. More here ? https://business.edf.org/?

With Black Friday around the corner, it’s the season of shopping – but the environmental toll of new materials is overtaxing our planet’s resources. The good news? Circular solutions can tackle this problem and are a win-win offering major business benefits and a promising alternative to our current unsustainable supply chain models. ?? To rethink traditional consumption, we need businesses to act now, and Flying Tiger Copenhagen is leading the way with #circularity and #lowemission materials solutions. Following their emission “hot spots” has led to innovations for new systems and has allowed them to prove that the retail sector can boost bottom lines ?? while implementing sustainability plans ??. Explore their success in the video below with Trine Pondal, Flying Tiger Copenhagen Director, Sustainability and Social Responsibility. ???? This progress underscores that reducing emissions can go hand-in-hand with building successful businesses that create quality jobs, increase profits and meet consumer demands. Flying Tiger Copenhagen isn’t alone. Companies across sectors are proving that climate and competitiveness are not exclusive. Explore our case studies to see how: https://lnkd.in/eJiuZGUr

I've officially wrapped up an intense 2024 conference season at EDF + Business with the sold out #sustagsummit2024, where it felt so comforting to see familiar faces still committed to climate after all of the tide shifts we've seen this year. The fact is, companies are still pushing the boulder up hill to make the business case to their leadership every year for investments in climate and nature, mitigation and adaption, in agriculture. Things that stuck with me, as I round out this year: ?? We need to reframe cost. My inspiring colleague Jay Watson shared the following: It's not "we can't afford this work right now." It is “we can't afford to NOT do this work right now." Businesses forecast finances only so far ahead as part of their strategy, and investment in addressing a longer term problem (e.g. erratic weather, soil erosion, variable yields) just isn't an easy sell. BUT - what if we thought about risk differently? Because the cost of not addressing the risks of climate change on our food, feed and fuel production will COST more later if we don't act now. It's not a particularly groundbreaking concept: businesses hedge against risk all the time, but business timelines and climate change timelines don't always align. We have to figure out a way to incorporate climate into our risk analyses in a way that is material to those holding the purse strings. ???? Farms are businesses. The reality is, if we really want to put the farmer first, we need to be all in on preparing our agriculture system for the shocks to come. It can take years for a change in cropping system/management style to really take hold, which means now is the time to equip producers with the tools (financial, advisory, peer learning, hard numbers on what this costs) and business case overall for making these transitions. Every farmer needs a plan that works for them and I hear farmers sharing that some of these market-based collaborations right now feel extractive, so we need to think carefully about what true partnership looks like with the private sector. There was some great thinking this week around what deploying trusted advisors well could look like. ?? The future isn't just ours. A farmer and panelist at the Summit said, "we are borrowing from the next generation." It made me reflect that as humans participating in a global food system, our choices are not really just our own - they have the power to reverberate and ripple across lifetimes, and we leave a legacy for those who come after us to carry and weather. To me this feels like cause for action, though hard to quantify - it's something I'll be doubling down on over the next year in my role, collaborating across industry to build resilience work into a financially resonant case for companies going forward.

The United Nations climate conference #COP29 came to a close after a rollercoaster ride in the final 48 hours of negotiations. Here’s what you need to know from EDF's Juan Pablo Hoffmaister. https://lnkd.in/eBfHSQjZ

After two weeks of collaboration at #COP29, one thing is clear: later is too late for climate action. It’s incredibly important that companies come together and progress sustainability projects that protect people and planet. The good news is that there is a concrete business case for climate action —and companies at COP knew it. Jane Eisenhardt, working on accelerating the #RacetoZero with the Net Zero Action Accelerator team, was on the ground and heard first-hand how companies have been seeing real business value gains from sustainability work and noted three areas of true progress. Read her takeaways in a new blog: https://www.edf.org/Z6ai ? ? What happens over the next five years is of profound importance if we are to head off the worst effects of a warming world.?As Jane says, “it’s the era of implementation” and businesses around the world are turning their #netzero pledges into reality.???

Wonderful to see our Net Zero Action Accelerator's CTAP tool featured in Trellis Group's new article on why transition plans are key for business net zero success! The business case for climate action is clear:????financial returns, ?? supply chain resilience, ?? risk mitigation and more. By developing a climate transition action plan (CTAP), sustainability teams can craft strategies detailing how companies can achieve these benefits and advance their set sustainability goals. Our CTAP tool can help you jumpstart or refine your company’s plan. Check it out: https://lnkd.in/gy8b7bSh ? Plus, time is of the essence to learn about this helpful tool. Next year, Europe will require disclosure of CTAPs from large European companies and some large non-EU companies who do significant business in Europe.?

I’m back in New York after #COP29, thinking through the best glidepaths to push forward on what we know works when driving concrete progress - both in the US and abroad ?? ? Some highlights of my week in Baku at COP29:? ? ?? Finance Day brought companies to the forefront of the conversation - companies want to hear where countries are putting their time, money, and policies so companies know where to invest. Talks around establishing the New Collective Quantified Goal (#NCQG), ideally reaching $1 trillion per year, is looking precarious, so the financial gap to address climate remains large (tl;dr = more work to do on mobilizing quantum of capital towards climate action). ? ?? Related to the NCQG: #qualityclimatefinance is equally important to the amount of finance. This means ensuring the effectiveness of the finance by structuring it to be concessional, accessible, and impactful.?I wrote about this in my blog post and, in off-the-press news, we're seeing quality show up in the text of the negotiations - ideally when negotiations end, we see a strong emphasis on quality....stay tuned: https://lnkd.in/eudTWjnv ? ?? 10 billion transactions are made per day globally. I participated in the High-Level Climate Champions Roundtable, where the discussion centered on how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can make great strides in climate action when supported by larger companies. With SMEs making up 90% of businesses around the world, companies of all sizes can—and must—work together to advance climate action. ? ?? Pledges are turning to action in certain arenas, including #methaneabatement, which keeps me optimistic about actual strides being made toward net zero emissions. Methane is 80x more potent than CO2, so if National Oil Companies and other actors continue to commit to abating methane, it's a very solid step towards global emission reductions. ? The results of the election might have left those of us in the climate community feeling deflated. However, the world is a big place with lots of committed countries, companies, communities, and individuals working to push us all to that point where 'doing the right thing for the planet' becomes the norm - economically, politically, and personally. ? #COP29 #ClimateChange #ClimateFinance

Good Climate News: A breakthrough in the carbon market could unlock funds for critical ecosystem protections if buyers act now. ?? REDD+ methodologies were approved under The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM)’s Core Carbon Principles — a major step for forests and good news for companies looking to invest in forest carbon credits in their path to net zero. ICVCM’s move reassures businesses that their climate investments are grounded in integrity. What’s next for business? As Core Carbon Principle-backed credits become available soon, companies can seize this opportunity to scale investment into nature-based solutions. Our net zero expert, Jordan Faires, outlines what this decision means for buyers in a new explainer: https://lnkd.in/eMpWWPgT There’s no way around it: we must scale up financing for tropical forests to solve climate change. This decision will help unlock climate finance and drive progress in reducing #GHG emissions. It’s proof that investing in nature can be both impactful and align with business decarbonization goals. #VCM #CarbonMarkets #REDD+ #SustainableFinance?

Facing a talent gap that’s slowing your sustainability progress? The Climate Corps fellowship program can bolster sustainability teams’ capacity across all sectors with hand-selected, talented and trained graduate students! Over the past 17 years, more than 650 companies – including 40% of the Fortune 100 – have partnered with EDF to host a Climate Corps fellow. From Google to PepsiCo to Bank of America, top organizations are already leveraging this high-impact solution. Now it’s your turn! Hear from Citizens Host Supervisor and former Climate Corps fellow herself, Nidhi Nair, on how hosting a fellow accelerated her team's sustainability efforts.???? ?? If your company could use a boost of energy and innovation, apply to host a Climate Corps fellow in 2025! ?? Find out all the details before the deadline in *one month* on December 19th in the link: https://lnkd.in/gDusyUg9

Why are we engaging with the food and agricultural sector at #COP29? We follow the greenhouse gas emissions. Global food systems account for one-third of all global climate emissions. ?? ?? Creating a vital Earth for all means we *must* engage with food companies because they have the opportunity to make a huge climate impact.?It’s Food, Agriculture and Water Day in Baku, and all eyes are on how we can reduce food system emissions while feeding a growing global population. From innovation ways of working together like the Dairy Methane Action Alliance – an EDF-led Alliance of major food and dairy companies representing over $230 billion in annual global revenue that aims to drive down emissions – to supporting farmers in implementing climate-smart agriculture, these are all necessary pathways to drive resilience and reduce emissions. Our team is bringing science and expertise to leading companies, and at COP we’re calling on business to adopt proven solutions like these and more. We’re excited to see our pioneering work in the ?? dairy sector ?? with Danone highlighted in the UN’s High-Level Climate Champions #RacetoZero case study. Discover how EDF is driving methane reductions with ambitious climate targets in dairy: https://lnkd.in/euRfeQdZ By leveraging win-win solutions for business and the planet, we can build sustainable, resilient food systems and ensure food security for every community. ??