630 Companies and Investors Tell Washington: Continue Accelerating the Low-Carbon Economy

“Low-Carbon USA” businesses encourage Trump administration and Congress to support and advance low-carbon policies and investment in the U.S.

More than 530 companies and 100 investors – from iconic Fortune 500 firms to small family-owned businesses – are calling on the Trump administration and the new Congress to support policies to accelerate a low-carbon future that will help curb climate change.

“We want the U.S. economy to be energy efficient and powered by low-carbon energy,” the businesses wrote in a statement of support announced today, in advance of the presidential inauguration.  “Cost-effective and innovative solutions can help us achieve these objectives.  Failure to build a low-carbon economy puts American prosperity at risk. But the right action now will create jobs and boost U.S. competitiveness.”

The company signatories, which include DuPont, Gap Inc., General Mills, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Hilton, HP Inc., IKEA, Johnson & Johnson, The Kellogg Company, Levi Strauss & Co., L’Oreal USA, NIKE, Mars Incorporated, Pacific Gas and Electric, Schneider Electric, Sealed Air, Starbucks, VF Corporation, Unilever, among others.  These signatories collectively take in nearly $1.15 trillion in annual revenue, are headquartered across 44 states, and employ about 1.8 million people.
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The investor signatories, which collectively manage more than $2 trillion in assets, include leading institutional investors such as the New York State Common Retirement Fund, the California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS), Westpath Benefits and Investments, and Trillium Asset Management.

"With tens of billions of dollars of U.S. renewable energy investment in the works this year alone, and far more globally, the question for American political leadership is whether they want to harness this momentum and potential for economic growth," said Jonas Kron, senior vice president at Trillium Asset Management.  “It is critically important to realize this is an opportunity that state policymakers can take advantage of, too, not just national leaders.”

The full statement of support, the list of signatories and an interactive map showing how widespread the business support is across the U.S. can be found at www.lowcarbonusa.org.
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Specifically, the signatories are calling on elected U.S. leaders to strongly support:

• Continuation of low-carbon policies in order to allow the U.S. to meet or exceed its promised national commitments.
• Investment in the low-carbon economy at home and abroad in order to give financial decision-makers clarity and boost investor confidence.
• Continued U.S. participation in the Paris Climate Agreement in order to provide the long-term direction needed to limit global warming.

Read more at 630 Companies and Investors Tell Washington:  Continue Accelerating the Low-Carbon Economy