Sustainability and Government after the Election: What to Expect and How to

Influence Public Policy

David Levine American Sustainable Business Council

@ASBCouncil

Raising our Business Voice

Raising Our Business VoiceRepresent over 250,000 businesses from small Main Street shops to large corporations

ASBC Organizational Members

Working at the State and Local Level

Strategies for Building a Sustainable Economy

• Policy

• Innovation

• Investments

• Procurement

• Regulations

• Metrics and Criteria

• Advocacy

• Educating the Public

• Consumer Demand

What Now in Washington ?

New Metrics Poll Question

What is one priority opportunity that your company/ organization can make to publicly advance the sustainability

agenda?  

Infrastructure

Clean Power Plan

Climate Change & Energy

CORPORATE PURCHASING

Keystone XL Pipeline

Companies for Safer Chemicals

Large retailers shift to safer chemicals

Safer Chemicals & Products

Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act

Theme 1: Market Growth

Sector Safer Chemistry Market

Conv. Market

Time Period

Building Materials

+2000%1 +176%2 2009-2030

Chemistry +3200%3 +133%3 2011-2020

Personal Care

+10.12% CAGR (US)4

+4.43% CAGR (global)5

2012-2016

Cleaning Products

+20% CAGR6

+1.5% CAGR7

2007-2011

Growth Rates of Safer Chemistry vs Conventional Market

Sales “Highly Advantaged” by Sustainable Chemistry16

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 20130%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

1.7% 1.7%3.4% 4.3% 4.8%

7.1%

10.0%

“We have seen 6-10% annual growth in the natural products sector, compared to near-zero growth for conventional products.”

–Martin Wolf, Director, Sustainability & Authenticity, Seventh Generation

Key Findings

High Road Business• Incentivizing

High Road Workplaces

• Family Medical Leave

• Paid Sick Leave

• Minimum Wage

• Healthy & Safe Workplaces

• Workforce Re-Entry

• Employee Ownership

Sustainable ProcurementNumber of Sustainable Purchasing Guidelines by Product Category

Sample of U.S. Government Agencies

Industrial Economics, Incorporated

A movement to shift marketshare to companies,businesses, schools and organizations that respectall people and the planet.  

New Metrics Poll Question

Are there any key policy opportunities that you see possible at the national,

state, or local level?  

New Metrics Poll Question

Would you sign on to the Respect for All campaign? (multiple choice: Y/N) 

• Tell your story • Testify at hearings and briefings•Help develop policy

recommendations•Advocate for policies at federal,

state and local levels•Change how the media reports

on ‘What Business Thinks’•Make the business and

economic case •Meet with legislators

David Levine dlevine@asbcouncil.org((202) 595-9302 x101

Collaborating to make a difference