The South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce, American Sustainable Business Council and 23 other business organizations that filed a Friend of the Court brief in support of the Clean Power Plan made the case for small businesses defending the EPA effort to reduce carbon pollution. It’s all about protecting our local economies (ex. minimizing future sea level rise) and creating new economic opportunities centered on renewables and energy efficiency.
So what’s in the Clean Power Plan for big businesses?
Below is an opinion editorial by Barry Parkin who is the chief sustainability and health and well-being officer for Mars Inc., which produces M&M’s and other products in 78 countries.
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The Virginia-Pilot
October 1, 2016
Barry Parkin: Clean energy is good business
THIS WEEK, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia heard arguments in a lawsuit brought by 27 states against the EPA’s Clean Power Plan. What may seem at first glance to be a political tussle between state lawmakers and federal regulators is actually a high-stakes socio-economic face-off with serious implications for the entire planet.
The Clean Power Plan represents America’s first comprehensive effort to tackle the global threat of climate change. If implemented, it would not only require the United States to take meaningful steps toward reducing its carbon footprint, it would accelerate investments in renewable energy and help stabilize long-term energy prices. Indeed, it would build a more sustainable and healthy economy for Virginia, the nation, and the world.
Here at Virginia-headquartered Mars, Inc. – which today operates in 78 countries, employs 80,000 associates, and produces such iconic brands as M&M’s chocolate candies, Orbit gum, Uncle Ben’s rice and Pedigree dog food – we have long known we are running out of time to scale back our carbon footprint, regardless of how much our business grows. Through our Sustainable in a Generation program, we’ve pledged to eliminate all fossil fuel energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from our operations by 2040.
Why? First, as a global company, we believe our role is to be a good steward of the environment and an advocate for the communities we touch as a business. But make no mistake – we are a business, and as such, our support of renewable energy is predicated on economic realities.
Our wide-ranging supply chains are threatened by the changing climate. Hotter temperatures, disrupted rainfall trends and drier conditions affect the farmers we rely on for cocoa, coffee, rice, tea and other key crops that make up our products.
As a pointed example, if warming trends continue, hotter and drier weather could sharply reduce the land available for growing cocoa beans in places like West Africa – significantly affecting the availability and price of chocolate.
Our commitment to clean energy is also grounded in our belief in mutuality – that there are shared and enduring benefits for all of us when we combat climate change together.
The business logic for us is straightforward: A shift to renewable energy cuts costs, hedges our investment risks, and helps ensure a reliable supply chain to secure our business. Equally, climate change is a major global challenge. Left unchecked, it could radically reshape the world, not to mention create serious uncertainties for businesses like ours seeking to grow and thrive. Strong action from the business community and from governments is critical to addressing this threat.
As evidenced by the EPA’s new plan, smart policies that promote the expansion of clean energy help our bottom line. The rapid expansion of installed renewable energy capacity in recent years has reduced costs dramatically and, in many states, wind and solar projects are proving to be cost-competitive with traditional fossil fuel energy sources.
Among those states is Texas, where last year we opened a new 200-megawatt wind farm that generates the equivalent of 100 percent of the electricity we need to power our entire North American operations. We strongly believe that by creating a national market solution that harmonizes emissions-management policies, the Clean Power Plan will spur the development of more renewable energy resources.
We’re hardly alone in committing to environmentally responsible energy consumption and a reduction of the carbon footprint of our operations.
Many of the largest U.S. businesses have established public sustainability and energy goals to increase their use of renewable energy. When the EPA announced its Clean Power Plan 14 months ago, we joined 365 companies and investors in sending letters to more than two dozen governors voicing our support for the plan because of its long-term economic and environmental benefits.
The challenges our society and the economy face today from climate change are clear. We need the Virginia legislature to work with Gov. Terry McAuliffe to take a strong, public stand and advance a state implementation of EPA’s Clean Power Plan. It will go a long way toward facilitating and safeguarding a sustainable future for all Virginians.
Barry Parkin is the chief sustainability and health and well-being officer for Mars Inc.