Companies serious about meeting their climate targets know that the right government policies and regulations are critical to accelerate progress. By leading on policy engagement, companies can create the conditions to cut emissions faster, build regulatory certainty, reduce business risks and unlock long-term value.
Responsible Policy Engagement (RPE) is the alignment of corporate advocacy with companies’ climate transition plans. While leading businesses have begun integrating RPE into how they do business, there is a clear gap between the scale of corporate climate ambition and the number of companies practicing RPE. The RPE Framework equips businesses with practical guidance and examples of best practice to match their climate strategies with advocacy efforts.
Iberdrola is very determined in its climate advocacy actions and has developed a robust and clear framework to tackle the potential misalignments of the stakeholders we engage with as a key element of this ambitious approach. An intense and action-oriented focus with our stakeholders’ ecosystem is essential to move forward towards a decarbonized and competitive economy.
Gonzalo Sáenz de Miera, Global Director of Climate Change and Alliances, Iberdrola
Internally, strong alignment is key to driving sustainability. At VELUX, we ensure that every team, across all markets and functions, adheres to the same principles. Ensuring our employees understand the importance of corporate policy engagement is crucial to keeping external partners aligned with our sustainability goals.
Julie Kjestrup, Head of Policy and Thought Leadership, VELUX Group
Externally, companies can drive positive change in government by providing practical support that makes developing ambitious policies feel more approachable. When governments are unsure about how to execute frameworks, companies can offer insights, share lessons learned, and provide technical assistance. This shifts the mindset from resistance to engagement, making it easier for governments to embrace more ambitious targets.
We have been on a responsible policy engagement journey over the past few years. We started with an open letter from our CEO to trade associations, reaffirming our commitment to the Paris Agreement and inviting them to share their stance. Since then, we have analysed the climate policy positions of our largest trade groups and published our findings. We believe this should become a standard part of climate disclosure. This will help show which companies face similar challenges with trade groups, whether by location, industry, or value chain.
Hannah Hislop, Head of Sustainability – Climate, Unilever
Many companies are doing the right thing on climate—they've set ambitious targets and have a plan to deliver them. Which is why key decision makers in a business need to know if their companies are in trade associations that are aligned with their climate policies or not and working towards the same goals.
There is a strong case for companies to practice RPE and a growing expectation on them to do so. Yet this is an evolving space, and best practice is advancing as standards are solidifying. To help companies navigate it the We Mean Business Coalition, with the support of the RPE Taskforce, has compiled a library of best-in-class resources.
Each resource is presented as an index card, providing companies with details on what it offers and how this connects back to the key elements of RPE practice. Each card presents a summary, authoring organization and publication year, resource type, geographic audience, recommended use case, and which of the fourteen Global Standard indicators for investors the resource addresses.
While this is not an exhaustive list of all resources available, it is based on input from a range of companies and other organizations to identify the most relevant resources. This collection represents the first version of the framework, and more resources will be added over time.
Make a public commitment to advocate for ambitious climate policy and engage key stakeholders.
Corporate climate leaders embed advocacy into their core strategy. They are keenly aware of the business benefits of a thriving decarbonized economy, which can’t be achieved without strong public policy. They make their position clear and activate internal and external stakeholders.
PUBLICLY PROMOTE YOUR COMMITMENT TO ADVANCING HIGH-IMPACT CLIMATE POLICY
Summary: As part of COP27 in 2022, 57 companies endorsed an Action Declaration to Paris-align their climate policy engagement activities, including taking direct and indirect action.
Geography: Global
Year & org: 2022, Corporate Knights
Use to: See an example of companies making a public commitment to take action to address direct and indirect policy engagement.
Global standard cross-reference: 1, 3
Summary: This brief presents advice from two companies and one NGO on how they practice and/or observe RPE, including advice, challenges, and how RPE connects to climate justice outcomes.
Geography: Global
Year & org: 2022, Transform to Net Zero
Use to: Understand applied examples of RPE in action, draw inspiration and consider lessons learned from first movers. See p. 12 for key takeaways.
Global standard cross-reference: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 11, 14
Summary: This briefing recaps Salesforce’s journey and approach to RPE on climate change. It explores what the company has done, why, and their strategy for what comes next.
Geography: Global
Year & org: 2021, Salesforce
Use to: Understand an applied example of RPE in action from a corporate perspective. See p. 7 for a list of steps for companies to get started on their climate policy journey.
Global standard cross-reference: 1, 3, 11, 12, 14
ESTABLISH GOVERNANCE, DECISION-MAKING AND REVIEW PROCESSES ON CLIMATE LOBBYING
Summary: This report offers recommendations on how to establish systems that address climate change as a systemic risk and integrate this understanding into direct and indirect lobbying.
Geography: USA
Year & org: 2020, Ceres
Use to: Consider adoption of the “Assess, Govern, Act” framework. Use the “questions to consider” callout boxes to guide development of your company’s RPE procedures.
Global standard cross-reference: 3, 4, 5, 10, 12
Summary: This set of principles for Corporate Political Responsibility is developed in nonpartisan collaboration with business leaders and diverse stakeholders. Not exclusive to climate.
Geography: USA
Year & org: 2023, The Erb Institute (University of Michigan)
Use to: Consider adoption/endorsement of the principles. Join the associated taskforce for support from peers and experts to act on the principles and use as foundation for RPE procedures.
Global standard cross-reference: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Summary: Business for Nature is a global coalition of businesses and conservation groups calling for governments to adopt policies to reverse nature loss.
Geography: Global
Year & org: Active, Business for Nature
Use to: Access education, opportunities to sign-on to campaigns, and amplify pro-nature messages.
Global standard cross-reference: 11
GET MANAGEMENT, DIRECTORS AND EMPLOYEES ON BOARD, AND INFORM SUPPLIERS AND CUSTOMERS
Summary: This report offers guidance on engagement between investors and companies regarding political lobbying and donations. Not exclusive to climate issues.
Geography: Global
Year & org: 2017, International Corporate Governence Network
Use to: Establish a framework and procedures, board oversight, transparency and disclosure, and get shareholder approval regarding political activity. See p. 14.
Global standard cross-reference: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7
Summary: This report discusses the most common challenges companies face in practicing RPE and recommends solutions for overcoming these barriers.
Geography: USA
Year & org: 2021, World Resources Institute
Use to: Understand barriers and better predict likely pain points in the adoption of RPE practices and procedures. See pps. 16-18 for recommended strategies.
Global standard cross-reference: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
Summary: This update builds on Unilever’s 2023 review and outlines how Unilever reviews its climate lobbying to ensure alignment with climate goals and internal governance procedures.
Geography: Global
Year & org: 2025, Unilever
Use to:: A best-in-class example of RPE processes and reporting. See pps. 10-12 for Unilever’s policy engagement in action.
Global standard cross-reference: All
Publicly advocate for bold science-based climate policies, and call out those that obstruct the 1.5°C pathway
Businesses must clearly and confidently make the case for rapid decarbonization policies at the international, national, sub-national and sectoral levels, and not lobby against them. This helps drive the ‘ambition loop’: growing corporate action spurs governments to set stronger policies that help businesses achieve their climate goals faster.
DIRECTLY ENGAGE WITH POLICYMAKERS ACROSS GEOGRAPHIES, BACKED WITH EVIDENCE
Summary: This is a living document with policy analysis, evidence, best practice, opportunities and messaging to support companies that want to engage in EU advocacy.
Geography: European Union
Year & org: Active, CLG Europe
Use to: Review examples of prior corporate RPE activities to inform and inspire your company’s future engagement.
Global standard cross-reference: 11
Summary: This framework was developed by a coalition of NGOs with three elements of corporate climate policy leadership: Advocate, Align, and Allocate.
Geography: USA
Year & org: 2019, multiple
Use to: Review leadership standards as defined by U.S. NGOs, including the business case for climate policy and key actions for getting started.
Global standard cross-reference: N / A
Summary: This report outlines the climate policies needed after the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act to close the gap with the U.S. commitment under the Paris Agreement.
Geography: USA
Year & org: 2022, ClimateVoice
Use to: Better understand what policy solutions are effective to address the climate crisis.
Global standard cross-reference: N / A
MOBILIZE YOUR NETWORKS AND COLLABORATE WITH PEERS AND SUPPLIERS; COMMUNICATE; GUIDE INDUSTRY GROUPS
Summary: The Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP) group guides companies in voicing their support for U.S. climate policies needed to unlock economic opportunity.
Geography: USA
Year & org: Active, Ceres
Use to: Access education, support, and opportunities to advocate for climate policies at the state and federal levels.
Global standard cross-reference: 1, 11
Summary: The Corporate Leaders Groups in the UK & EU are constituted by companies who seek promote ambitious and practical policy outcomes.
Geography: United Kingdom, European Union
Year & org: Active, University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)
Use to: Access education, support, and opportunities to advocate for climate policies in support of a climate neutral economy.
Global standard cross-reference: 1, 11
Summary: Powered by InfluenceMap, this platform highlights responsible, science-aligned climate policy and advocacy opportunities for companies with a LobbyMap score of C+ or higher.
Geography: Global
Year & org: Active, InfluenceMap
Use to: Join a community of companies, industry groups, and civil society organizations collaborating strategically to advance the Paris Agreement’s goals nationally and globally.
Global standard cross-reference: 1, 2, 3, 11
USE CORPORATE ACTIVITIES AND INVESTMENTS TO LEVERAGE AND INFLUENCE
Summary: This tool and conversation guide helps corporate actors weigh tensions and refine options to make difficult judgement calls for political engagement, using the Erb principles.
Geography: Global
Year & org: 2024, The Erb Institute (University of Michigan)
Use to: Navigate important decisions around climate advocacy engagement using a balanced, non-prescriptive lens and guide for internal conversations.
Global standard cross-reference: N/A
Summary: RE100 is a global corporate renewable energy initiative bringing together hundreds of businesses committed to 100% renewable electricity.
Geography: Global
Year & org: Active, Climate Group & CDP
Use to: Gain access to peer-learning, policy support and local market insight to reach your company’s renewable energy activities.
Global standard cross-reference: 11
Summary: CEBA activates energy buyers and partners to advance low-cost, reliable, carbon emissions-free global electricity systems.
Geography: Global
Year & org: Active, Clean Energy Buyers Association
Use to: Access market insights, peer learning, supply chain tools, and policy engagement opportunities that seek to scale clean energy development.
Global standard cross-reference: 3, 11
Align the climate policy advocacy of your trade associations, alliances and coalitions with the goal of net zero by 2050.
Corporate lobbying against strong climate policy is common and extremely powerful when carried out by business groups and associations. It risks diluting companies’ individual advocacy efforts, and discrediting the voice of business more generally in the climate debate. Trade associations (and other alliances and coalitions) are often misaligned with individual members’ own climate ambition — and silence implies support.
MAP YOUR COMPANY’S LINKS TO TRADE ASSOCIATIONS AND ASSESS ALIGNMENT WITH THE 1.5°C PATHWAY
Summary: This guide provides a nine-step process for companies to follow in order move towards aligning their business association memberships with positive climate policy engagement.
Geography: Global
Year & org: 2024, Multiple
Use to: Understand the importance of the policy advocacy conducted by your business associations and see detailed action steps for moving toward alignment, including case studies.
Global standard cross-reference: All
Summary: This is a scorecard and analysis offering an assessment of trade association reviews by companies based on clarity, accuracy, and scope of disclosures.
Geography: Global
Year & org: Active, InfluenceMap
Use to: Review guidance on best practice for conducting an industry association review and use the rankings to gain insight on the strengths and weaknesses of those already published.
Global standard cross-reference: 1, 3, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12
Summary: This is a robust database scoring 250 industry associations across the globe, based on their Paris-aligned climate policy engagement. Scores range between A+ to F.
Geography: Global
Year & org: Active, InfluenceMap
Use to: Review the database to see how individual industry associations are influencing climate policy, particularly those of which you are a member.
Global standard cross-reference: 3, 6, 8, 9, 10
PUBLICLY ACKNOWLEDGE MISALIGNMENT AND TAKE ACTION TO RESOLVE IT
Summary: This reporting template supports companies in their RPE disclosure by guiding them through the process of drafting a corporate climate policy engagement report.
Geography: Global
Year & org: 2025, We Mean Business Coalition
Use to: Leverage to draft or refine your company’s climate policy engagement report, ensuring they reflect clear policy asks and alignment with science-based targets.
Global standard cross-reference: All
Summary: These reviews share the rationale, method, and findings from three companies assessing whether their industry associations align with ambitious climate policy.
Geography: Global
Year & org: Active, Iberdrola, Nestle, Unilever
Use to: Reference as strong examples of how companies are approaching misalignment on climate policy with their trade groups and for use as inspiration in conducting your own reviews.
Global standard cross-reference: 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
Summary: This report goes through each of the 14 indicators of the Global Standard, providing guidance and examples of best practice from corporations.
Geography: Global
Year & org: 2022, Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility
Use to: Review the report to gain a better understanding of expectations from investors, as well as accessing specific examples of best practice for the Global Standard indicators.
Global standard cross-reference: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
COLLABORATE TO PRESSURE TRADE ASSOCIATIONS FOR POSITIVE CLIMATE ADVOCACY
Summary: The Playbook guides companies on ensuring trade associations support strong climate policy, including how to assess alignment, engage constructively, and take action.
Geography: Global
Year & org: 2025, Volans and WBCSD
Use to: Follow a five-step process to improve how your company engages trade associations on climate policy, with tools and examples to support internal alignment and external engagement.
Global standard cross-reference: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Summary: This toolkit offers guidance on why trade group misalignment on climate policy must be addressed and offers several templates and steps to get started on doing so.
Geography: Global
Year & org: 2020, The B Team
Use to: Kickstart the process of engaging trade groups via the toolkit’s template emails, suggested audit design, and policy issue areas.
Global standard cross-reference: 6, 8, 9, 10, 11
Summary: This article provides an overview of how trade associations impact climate policy, the risk this poses for corporate members, and outlines strategies to mitigate misalignment.
Geography: USA
Year & org: 2021, World Resources Institute
Use to: Begin developing a strategy for addressing trade association misalignment on climate policy.
Global standard cross-reference: 8, 9, 10, 11
Allocate advocacy spending to advance climate policies, not obstruct them.
Corporate spending can greatly influence policy makers, and your political giving and funding of third-party organizations sends a strong message about the climate policy you want to see.
ASSESS ALL SPENDING THAT’S RELEVANT TO CLIMATE POLICY
Summary: This model code provides standards to guide companies on responsible engagement in democratic processes, and risk management for political spending. Not exclusive to climate.
Geography: USA
Year & org: 2020, CPA-Zicklin (Wharton School, PENN)
Use to: Use as a starting place to guide development of standards and procedures for tracking and reporting all instances of political spending.
Global standard cross-reference: 4, 6, 12, 13
Summary: This report offers guidance for engagement between investors and companies regarding political lobbying and donations. Not exclusive to climate issues.
Geography: Global
Year & org: 2017, International Corporate Governance Network
Use to: Review guidance on establishing a policy framework and procedures, board oversight, transparency and disclosure, and shareholder engagement on political activity; see p. 14.
Global standard cross-reference: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7
CONTRIBUTE TO ORGANIZATIONS THAT ADVANCE CLIMATE POLICY AND STOP CONTRIBUTING TO THIRD PARTIES THAT UNDERMINE IT
Summary: This is an advocacy collaborative between Danone North America, Mars, Unilever, and Nestlé focused on advancing sustainable food and agricultural policies.
Geography: USA
Year & org: Active, Sustainable Food Policy Alliance
Use to: Review a case study where companies left a trade group over issues of sustainability and developed a new group to direct advocacy spending towards furthering sustainability.
Global standard cross-reference: 11
ENSURE THAT NET EFFECT OF ANY COMPANY CONTRIBUTIONS IS TO ADVANCE CLIMATE POLICY, NOT OBSTRUCT IT
Summary: This report presents ten principles and guidance for responsible corporate political engagement. Not exclusive to climate issues.
Geography: United Kingdom
Year & org: 2015, Transparency International UK
Use to: See checklists starting on p. 47 for granular guidance on practicing RPE, including political donations and indirect political expenditure.
Global standard cross-reference: All
Climate leaders are fully transparent about their direct and indirect advocacy and lobbying.
Companies must disclose how their memberships, financial contributions and direct engagement on climate policy support their own climate ambition and action, while reporting misalignments and plans to address them. Investors expect corporate lobbying to be aligned with the three disclosure asks of the Global Standard on Responsible Corporate Climate Lobbying.
PUBLISH AN ANNUAL REVIEW FOR INVESTORS OF THE 1.5°C ALIGNMENT OF YOUR COMPANY’S LOBBYING
Summary: This reporting template supports companies in their RPE disclosure by guiding them through the process of drafting a corporate climate policy engagement report.
Geography: Global
Year & org: 2025, We Mean Business Coalition
Use to: Leverage to draft or refine your company’s climate policy engagement report, ensuring they reflect clear policy asks and alignment with science-based targets.
Global standard cross-reference: All
Summary: This report presents ten principles and guidance for responsible corporate political engagement. Not exclusive to climate issues.
Geography: United Kingdom
Year & org: 2015, Transparency International UK
Use to: See checklists starting on p. 47 for granular guidance on practicing RPE, including political donations and indirect political expenditure.
Global standard cross-reference: All
ACKNOWLEDGE AND REPORT ON ACTIONS AND PLANS TO ADDRESS MISALIGNMENTS
Summary: In June 2022, a new criterion was added to the UN Race to Zero – the 5th 'P' (‘Persuade’) to acknowledge policy engagement.
Geography: Global
Year & org: 2023, Race to Zero
Use to: Align external policy and engagement, including membership in associations.
Global standard cross-reference: N / A
Summary: This report goes through each of the 14 indicators of the Global Standard on Responsible Climate Lobbying, providing guidance and examples of best practice from corporations.
Geography: Global
Year & org: 2022, Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility
Use to: Gain a better understanding of expectations from investors, as well as accessing specific examples of best practice for each of the 14 Global Standard indicators.
Global standard cross-reference: All
PUBLICLY DISCLOSE:
Summary: This standard is designed to be used by organizations to report their impacts on the economy, the environment, and society. Not exclusive to climate issues.
Geography: Global
Year & org: 2016, Global Sustainability Standards Board
Use to: Report on the issues and positions where your company exerts political influence, including monetary and in-kind spending, in accordance with GRI Standards.
Global standard cross-reference: 13
Summary: A collection of techniques and considerations for companies reporting under the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), including early trends in best practice.
Geography: Global
Year & org: 2025, We Mean Business Coalition
Use to:: Leverage to assess and disclose your company’s climate-related advocacy and investments, including positions taken, alignment with sustainability goals, and financial allocations.
Global standard cross-reference: 12, 13, 14
Imagine if corporate advocacy matched the ambition of companies’ climate commitments. If the public affairs, legal and marketing resource that companies directed towards creating a pro-climate policy environment was proportional to the transformative change required by their science-based climate targets. Think of the platform of corporate support that this would provide policymakers in the setting of policies to halve emissions by 2030 and reach net zero by mid-century.
Business will be central to the delivery of national climate targets for emissions reductions. Effective collaboration and transparent information-sharing between companies and policymakers will help create the policies, regulations and finance mechanisms necessary to decarbonize energy, transport, heavy industry and other sectors.
And, as the ambition loop between business
and policymakers accelerates action, these well-designed policies will enable companies
to deliver on their own climate targets as they develop the technologies and services needed for the net zero economies of the future.
This vision underpinned a year-long, collaborative process led by the We Mean Business Coalition and our partners to create a Responsible Policy Engagement (RPE) Framework to help companies match their climate advocacy to their climate ambition. This will raise standards, improve alignment and ultimately increase the number of companies advocating responsibly to policymakers.
Ceres created and mainstreamed the concept of RPE by companies through its work in the U.S. This framework builds on their important work, taking it to the next operational level and to a global audience of companies.
The term Responsible Policy Engagement (RPE) builds on the important work Ceres started with their 2020 Blueprint for Responsible Policy Engagement on Climate Change. Used here, RPE is defined as: external corporate policy engagement that recognizes the threat of climate inaction and supports policy interventions and investments that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at a pace in line with net zero by 2050. This external engagement is enabled by internal processes that align corporate functions with climate targets.
Achieving this alignment is critical to enable action at the pace and scale that the climate crisis demands, but the private sector has a long way to go in closing the gap between corporate climate ambition and advocacy.
There is a gap between the scale of corporate climate ambition and the number of companies practicing RPE. In November 2022 Ceres published analysis of climate-related lobbying showing that although half of S&P 100 companies in the U.S. have science-based targets, only 19% publicly supported the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate investment in U.S. history. This gap is replicated in many other countries.
It can be explained by two issues:
This gap needs to close so that more companies are advocating for ambitious climate policy. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has said that to keep within the 1.5°C temperature limit we must reduce global emissions in half by 2030. This will require rapid decarbonization of the global energy system and the wider economy. To achieve this, companies taking action and governments setting ambitious policies must create an ‘ambition loop’, in which each enables the other to go faster.
More vocal advocacy from companies is needed to accelerate this transition.
Given the critical role corporate advocacy plays in driving climate policy, the lack of alignment between companies’ climate goals and their political activity has come under increasing scrutiny over the past few years. Multiple stakeholders are holding companies to account, demanding more responsible practices, and monitoring and rating corporate performance on climate advocacy. Taken together, these external pressures create powerful incentives for companies to adopt RPE practices.
Investors recognize the risks to business posed by unchecked climate events, conflicting resource deployment and reputational blowback. In both public and private communications, they are leading the charge in demanding increased accountability from companies on their political activity.
This is exemplified by the Global Standard on Responsible Climate Lobbying created by leading investors in the Climate Action 100+ coalition which “helps companies and investors to assess and ensure that all lobbying efforts are directed towards the attainment of the Paris Goals”. Additionally, there has been a sharp increase in the number of shareholder resolutions targeting corporate lobbying activities and climate transition action plans.
Civil society groups have taken note of the misalignment between the climate commitments of certain companies and how they engage policymakers, resulting in campaigns calling out greenwashing. The greater awareness raised by these campaigns has led to increasing scrutiny, from civil society, governments and intra-government bodies.
Lawmakers are already moving on regulation to target misleading environmental claims in product advertising in the UK and the EU, increasing scrutiny and penalties for companies. In 2022, the UN established a High-Level Expert Group (HLEG) on the Net-Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities, resulting in ten recommendations to increase the credibility and accountability of commitments by companies and other non-state actors. The recommendations include steps to align lobbying and advocacy, and accelerate the road to regulation.
There are also entities keeping watch, tracking and reporting on the political activity of companies. InfluenceMap produces an extensive library of analysis and benchmarking reports of the climate lobbying of the largest 500 companies and their major trade groups. Other ratings and disclosure bodies, such as CDP, are increasingly considering climate lobbying in their evaluation of companies.
This ecosystem of voluntary commitments is becoming increasingly formalised, and their architecture and rigour has been enhanced by the UN High Level Expert Group and by the proposed framework under the UNFCCC Recognition and Accountability Framework.
The OECD has updated The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and their Implementation Procedures which has enhanced expectations of corporate lobbying in relation to sustainability and climate commitments. There are also updates underway to the public policy standards from the Global Sustainability Standards Board.
The Global Standard on Responsible Climate Lobbying, mentioned above, is fast becoming the measuring stick investors use to evaluate risk in corporate policy engagement.
Meanwhile, the updated ‘Persuade’ criteria for the Race to Zero (RTZ), which applies to SBTi committed companies, requires members to “align external policy and engagement, including membership in associations, to the goal of halving emissions by 2030 and reaching global net zero by 2050”.
In addition to the external factors driving companies to match their political influence with ambitious climate policy goals, there is a strong business case for practicing RPE.
Robust policy is essential for mitigating climate- related risks to businesses and the economy. Strong policies at a national level raise global ambition, and spur action on other countries.
Swift action is critical to address the climate crisis at the lowest possible cost. The longer governments delay, the more drastic and expensive the inevitable policy response will be.
A company’s success in meeting its climate goals may depend on government policies that, for example, increase access to low-carbon energy or reduce emissions economy-wide.
Investors are increasingly asking companies to align their lobbying with the goals of the Paris Agreement. Climate leadership is becoming a key factor in attracting and retaining employees. And consumers expect businesses to be part of the solution to climate change, not working against it.
Prolonged uncertainty and ever-changing policies on climate are bad for business. By contrast, clear and predictable policies enable long-term planning and investment.
Comprehensive climate policy ensures that all businesses play by the same rules, so companies that lead in reducing emissions aren’t undercut by laggards.
Public policy responses to climate change are playing out across the globe and becoming more ambitious. Companies that engage early will have an opportunity to shape these responses.
Supporting pro-climate policy shows a company is serious about environmental stewardship. And more people want to buy from companies that share their values and are making a positive impact.
Expectations on companies to cut emissions and practice responsible advocacy are rising, from the internal drive to deliver on science-based targets or external pressure from investors and other stakeholders. As more companies engage with the tools, best practice and guidance in this framework, we expect to see more companies advocating consistently.
But RPE isn’t only about how companies advocate, it is also about accountability for that advocacy – the fourth pillar of The 4 A’s of Climate Leadership.
Climate advocacy reporting and trade group assessments are now required of companies under the Global Standard. The CDP Questionnaire has recently been expanded to cover more questions on corporate climate advocacy and the internal processes of companies. All companies who have joined the Race to Zero through SBTi or the SME Climate Hub will need to show how they are meeting the criteria for its 5th P, ‘Persuade’.
To better integrate and track the links between corporate climate ambition and advocacy, We Mean Business Coalition has worked with SBTi and InfluenceMap to create a tracker. It shows how leading companies are meeting the Race to Zero advocacy criteria as evidenced through their scores in InfluenceMap’s analysis.
We would expect that a company’s scoring in this analysis would improve as they engage with the framework tools and follows the practices of RPE.
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