Your company’s new downtown headquarters has a green roof, water reclamation and solar power. It’s got LEED Gold certification. But it may be missing a critical element, according to the Environmental Defense Fund, in a recently published essay.
The EDF’s point is that many companies are eager to be listed as having the most sustainable practices, but many of these lists do not take into consideration a company’s stated position on issues such as climate change.
Lists “that exclude climate policy advocacy give stakeholders an incomplete picture of companies’ sustainability ambitions and performance, according to the new analysis. In order to improve the accuracy and utility of the rankings, the report calls for increased disclosure of corporate lobbying activities related to climate change.”
“Sustainability rankings need to keep pace with what leadership looks like today,” said Victoria Mills, managing director of EDF+Business and co-author of the report. “The urgency and magnitude of the climate challenge demand a bigger response from business than reducing their own greenhouse gas emissions. Companies must also support policies that drive down emissions across the entire economy.”