Influence Map releases its A-List of climate policy engagement
We Mean Business coalition
Which companies are best at influencing national climate policy?
In this critical year for climate action, when companies around the world have a unique opportunity to push for ambitious climate policy, a new piece of research highlights certain leading companies stepping up to the challenge.
InfluenceMap, an independent nonprofit organization that analyses corporate influence on climate policy and legislation worldwide, has released a new ‘A-List of Climate Policy Engagement’. This ranks 20 companies that are most actively calling on governments to introduce ambitious climate-related policies.
Making the list
A number of power utilities, including Enel, SSE, National Grid and Iberdrola make the ranking. Collectively, the power companies on the ‘A list’ run a large proportion of Europe’s renewable energy plants, and are backing policies that support the low-carbon energy transition. They make the list alongside IKEA and Unilever, which were highlighted by InfluenceMap last year as being leaders in climate policy engagement.
Technology giants Google, Amazon and Apple – all of which have made 100% renewable electricity commitments via RE100, brought to you by The Climate Group – also ranked highly. As do chemicals firms AkzoNobel and Royal DSM along with Siemens and ABB.
InfluenceMap points to the role of the progressive CEOs heading up some of the companies it has included in this initial ranking, especially Tim Cook at Apple and Paul Polman at Unilever, both of whom have long been vocal advocates for strong political direction on climate.
Rigorous assessment
The ranking is based on 30,000 pieces of evidence drawn from consistent assessment of 300 global companies and 75 trade associations.
The evidence is largely based on public disclosures from the companies themselves or from the trade associations of which they are members. But it also takes into account any input each business has made into regulatory consultations, any comments that have been made on policy in financial accounts, as well as “objective news reporting from legitimate media”.
Companies were also scored positively if they have signed up to the We Mean Business coalition’s ‘Commitment to Responsible Corporate Engagement in Climate Policy’.
To arrive at the Top 20 ranking, InfluenceMap produces two scores per company: a ‘Total Score’, which states how supportive (or obstructive) a company is towards state, regional or national climate policy aligned with the Paris Agreement; and an ‘Engagement Intensity’ score, which articulates the intensity of this activity, whether positive or negative.
Ones to watch
In its analysis, InfluenceMap also highlights the companies that could well break into the A-List in the future. For example, Edison and EDF are “highly supportive” of climate policy but sit in an industry that currently has lots of advocates. Similarly, FMCG companies like Johnson & Johnson, Walmart and PepsiCo, while positive about strong climate policy, are not as active as their industry peers like Coca-Cola and Nestlé.
Energy intensive businesses such as cement company LafargeHolcim and mining giant BHP Billiton are identified as leaders in their industry and largely supportive advocates, but since their activities are not aligned with the Paris Agreement, they are deemed not ambitious enough to be included yet.
The A-List is set to be updated twice a year, with the next iteration coming in September 2018.