ICC Champions Green Economy Business Priorities in South Africa

Published on October 31, 2012

During the Environment & Energy Commission meeting the panelists discussed solutions for a green economy

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) experts underscored the crucial role played by business in tackling the challenges of climate change, at the 15th annual meeting of the International Business Forum (IBF) in Pretoria earlier this month.

Around 260 participants, mainly from the private sector and government, took part in the conference organized on behalf of the German government by the German Agency for International Cooperation, in collaboration with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce.

The event offered the opportunity for large companies to connect with SMEs and discuss business models for a changing climate.

“Companies build a green future every day by delivering and deploying their innovations, products and services,” said Andrea Bacher, Policy Manager of the ICC Commission on Environment and Energy, in her opening remarks. “However, more effort is required to scale up and implement green solutions in today’s globalized world.”

The guiding framework for the discussion was the ICC Green Economy Roadmap, a widely acclaimed set of business recommendations outlining how economic growth, environmental sustainability and social progress have to work together in a mutually reinforcing fashion.

Click here to read more on ICC’s website.

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BIAC Participates in Second International Green Manufacturing Summit in India

Published on September 14, 2012

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), with the support of the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD (BIAC) and OECD, organized its “2nd Green Manufacturing Summit” in New Delhi.

Bringing together close to 250 high-level representatives of Indian and international business, the Indian government, the OECD as well as other key experts, the Summit provided an excellent platform for a constructive discussion on green manufacturing and complemented Indian efforts of promoting the country as a green manufacturing location.

Speakers included Indian Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Praful Patel, CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee, Indian and international business experts from a range of different sectors, as well as BIAC and OECD representatives.

The Summit allowed for interactive discussions in several areas, highlighting how growth in manufacturing will be key to ensure inclusive growth and employment creation in India in the coming decades. Discussants also stressed the importance that such growth is sustainable, and that a right balance needs to be found between economic, environmental and social considerations.

In addition, the conference provided an excellent opportunity to exchange views on industry’s best practices, business opportunities, market developments, and new technologies for greener products; ways of greening infrastructure through efficient use of construction material, energy, water and other resources; the chemicals industry’s approach to minimize negative impacts; as well as enabling conditions for green manufacturing processes and concepts that the manufacturing industry has adopted.

Staff Contact: Norine Kennedy

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USCIB Welcomes Rio+20 Outcomes That Can Help Deliver Green Growth and Innovation for Sustainability

Published on June 22, 2012

Rio de Janeiro, June 22, 2012 – Responding to the results of the Rio+20 Summit, the United States Council for International Business (USCIB) expressed optimism that agreements reached at the summit would pave the way for American companies to contribute to greener growth.

“While the summit has not achieved all that we wished, Rio+20 has delivered a package of pledges that, taken together, could broaden the engagement of not just governments, but also business, in sustainable development and take it to a new level,” said Norine Kennedy, USCIB’s vice president for energy and environment.

Over 120 heads of state met in Rio this week to lay out international priorities for new actions and institutions in a broad range of areas, including scaling up technological innovation, improving access to sustainable energy, and advancing sustainable consumption and production – all of these deliverables were identified by USCIB as critical to a successful and practical outcome.

The Rio+20 agreement renews the commitment of the international community to sustainable development, and reaffirms the importance of promoting an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable future by engaging not just governments, but also other stakeholders and the business community. Specifically, it provides for:

the launch of an international effort to frame Sustainable Development Goals, involving important partners, including business
the creation of a new international high level forum for sustainable development to raise the level of involvement of governments and other stakeholders, including business.

A large number of USCIB member companies attended the landmark event – more than at any previous UN environmental gathering. They offered their expertise to negotiators and other important decision-makers gathered here, and participated in the Day of Business organized by the International Chamber of Commerce and its Business Action for Sustainable Development initiative.

USCIB, which launched the Green Economy Dialogue (GED) project last year to foster consensus among business, government and other stakeholders around green growth policies, held GED briefings in Rio, in cooperation with the Japanese and U.S. governments. The briefings developed recommendations for globalizing green growth approaches, and explored options for public- and private-sector action and partnership. Speakers from a wide range of companies and government representatives discussed green economy issues as substantive input to Rio+20. They reflected the necessity of engaging all business sectors in greener growth and more sustainable practices.

USCIB Executive Vice President Ronnie Goldberg highlighted the urgent need to enact policy frameworks that will spur job creation. “While we see the promise of job creation in new industries and sectors related directly to sustainability, reaching the full potential of greener growth will require sensible government policies to make all jobs greener,” Goldberg said at the U.S. Center Green Economies Dialogue event on June 18.

Encouraging corporate sustainability reporting was among the specific business recommendations set out in the text. “U.S. companies will continue to explore approaches to communicate sustainability and will participate to share models of good practice in this area,” said Clifford Henry, associate director of corporate sustainable development with The Procter & Gamble Company and chair of USCIB’s Corporate Responsibility Committee.

USCIB’s Kennedy, who served as a member of the U.S. government delegation in Rio, said USCIB had represented the views of U.S. companies throughout the negotiating process. “We underscored the importance of open trade and investment, and the need to protect intellectual property rights and proprietary information,” she said. “We appreciate the U.S. delegation’s strong efforts to promote technological innovation in the Rio+20 outcomes. We are pleased that governments rejected harmful provisions that called for weakening of IPRs, a reassessment of existing IPR and patent rules, or preferential access to transfer of technology.”

About USCIB:
USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world. With a unique global network encompassing the International Chamber of Commerce, the International Organization of Employers and the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More at www.uscib.org.

Contact:
Jonathan Huneke, USCIB
+1 917.420.0039 (mobile), jhuneke@uscib.org

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ICC Pledges to Take Outcome of Rio+20 Forward

Published on June 20, 2012

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) welcomed the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20, as a stepping stone to achieve sustainable development while helping to eradicate poverty.

ICC also applauded the confirmation of the decisive role of multilateral approaches across all policy areas by governments and intergovernmental bodies to achieve a green economy. Only by striving towards a holistic and global policy framework can we enable governments, business, and all parts of civil society to scale-up and deliver solutions for sustainability.

Rio+20 has recognized that business plays a vital role in implementing sustainable development and the outcome document of the conference paves the way for increased engagement by all stakeholders, including the private sector, toward achieving green and more inclusive economies. ICC, however, also recognized the many interlinked sustainability and policy challenges remaining to scale-up and accelerate implementation for sustained, inclusive and equitable global growth.

“Rio+20 set out to provide a vision for implementing sustainable development and the outcome document helps chart a path,” said Jean-Guy Carrier, ICC Secretary General. “All of us – business, governments, civil society – now have a great challenge but also a historic opportunity and responsibility to take that vision forward by scaling up efforts to adapt to the 21st century, mainstreaming sustainability into all areas of our lives.”

Click here to read more on ICC’s website.

Staff Contact: Norine Kennedy

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Green Economies Dialogue Sessions Held in Japan and Brazil

Published on April 18, 2012

At the Tokyo dialogue (L-R): Hiroyuki Tezuka (JFE Steel Co.), Prof. James Sweeney (Stanford University), Hanni Rosenbaum (BIAC), Amb. Kenji Hiramatsu (Japanese foreign ministry), Norine Kennedy (USCIB), Brian Flannery (ExxonMobil [ret]).

The Green Economies Dialogue, an innovative effort launched by USCIB to spur discussion and consensus around green growth policies in the run-up to this June’s UN Rio+20 conference, rolled into two more national capitals in April.

Working closely with BIAC, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD, and its network, as it has in previous dialogue sessions, USCIB organized high-level discussions among business and other stakeholders in Tokyo on April 4, hosted by Keidanren, and in Brasilia on April 16, hosted by the Brazilian industry federation CNI.

The objective of the Green Economy Dialogue (www.green-dialogue.org) is to foster a productive approach to greener growth, with due recognition for both opportunities and challenges. In particular, it is intended to increase dialogue before, during and after the Rio+20 conference, by engaging the private sector and informing international policy discussions. In addition, the project involves commissioning a number of peer-reviewed, academic papers on various aspects of green growth and the green economy, to be published in the journal Energy Economics just prior to Rio+20.

At the Brasilia dialogue, Brian Flannery listens as Shelley Carneiro (CNI) makes a point.

The Tokyo Dialogue, which took place at Keidanren’s headquarters, brought together over 80 participants from international business and government, as well as key academic experts, in a constructive discussion on opportunities and challenges in realizing a green economy. The conference highlighted a series of business initiatives that make a pro-active contribution to sustainable development, including on the role of innovation and technology in building a sustainable society on a global scale.

A prominent part of the discussion was the improvement of energy efficiency as well as the development and global deployment of innovative technologies to promote a low-carbon society. The meeting also highlighted promising approaches to foster more efficient use of resources, the role of sustainable consumption and production, the importance of involving consumers as well as public-private partnerships, highlighting both challenges and opportunities for the business community.

The Brasilia day-long dialogue session, hosted by CNI, engaged over 70 participants from Brazil along with international participation from government, industry, academia and the UN. Sessions focused on green growth issues of importance to Brazil and developing countries, including: perspectives on the upcoming Rio +20 Conference, green growth in emerging, developing countries, sustainable use of tropical forests, and implications of a low-carbon economy for food, fuels and forests.

USCIB and the partners and sponsors of the Green Economies Dialogue project are planning outreach and further discussions during the Rio+20 events in June. The Dialogue project will also publish its peer-reviewed academic “Green perspectives” papers in the journal Energy Economics contemporaneous with Rio+20.

For further information, please contact Kira Yevtukhova (kyevtukhova@uscib.org).

Staff Contact: Norine Kennedy

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Hague Meeting Maps Out Private Sector’s Role Ahead of Rio+20

Published on April 11, 2012

Business and industry has the expertise and tools to accelerate progress toward a green economy

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) provided business input for the UN’s upcoming Rio+20 Conference at a two-day consultation in The Hague, the Netherlands, with the aim of further mapping out the private sector’s role in the transition to a green economy.

Some 300 business people, government and non-governmental organization representatives, attended this Business and Industry Consultation with Government and Civil Society, organized by the government of the Netherlands, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and the Business Action for Sustainable Development (BASD).

Through ICC, USCIB members and other business participants have been shaping recommendations ahead of the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 20-22.

In a parallel effort, USCIB members and other stakeholders are actively involved in the Green Economies Dialogue initiative, which was launched last year to provide a forum for discussion of green growth topics among multiple stakeholders in the lead-up to Rio+20. Dialogue sessions have been held in Washington, Paris and Beijing, and two additional sessions were scheduled to take place this month in Tokyo and Brasilia. USCIB members are invited to contact Kira Yevtukhova (kyevtukhova@uscib.org) for additional information.

At the Hague meeting, ICC outlined the requirements to accelerate progress toward a green economy and presented its 10 Conditions for a Transition toward a Green Economy and its voluntary code for companies, the ICC Business Charter for Sustainable Development. The ICC Business Charter, is already being used by thousands of large and small companies around the world as the basis for sound environmental management.

Click here to read more on ICC’s website.

Staff Contact: Norine Kennedy

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USCIB China Mission Focuses on Green Growth

Published on April 3, 2012

Jianmei Feng of General Electric, co-chair of USCIB’s China Committee, addresses the Green Economies Dialogue session; USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson is at right.

USCIB members and staff were in China last month in a visit that focused on green growth topics and engaged with USCIB members in-country.

A highlight of the visit, which was led by USCIB President and CEO Peter M. Robinson and USCIB China Committee Co-Chair Tad Ferris (Holland and Knight), was a session of USCIB’s Green Economies Dialogue initiative that included Chinese business and government representatives.

Also involved in the mission were Jianmei Feng, the China-based co-chair of the China Committee, Justine Badimon, USCIB’s manager of China and APEC affairs, and Anna Zhang, USCIB’s director of Carnet claims administration.

USCIB launched the Green Economies Dialogue initiative last year to provide a forum for discussion of green growth topics among multiple stakeholders in the lead-up to the UN’s Rio+20 conference and beyond. In addition to Beijing, dialogue sessions have been held in Washington and Paris, and two additional sessions are planned for April in Tokyo and Brasilia.

At the headquarters of the China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC), ICC’s China affiliate. L-R: USCIB China Committee Co-Chair Tad Ferris (Holland and Knight), Nicole Wang (CCOIC), CCOIC Deputy Secretary General Lin Shunjie, USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson, Justine Badimon (USCIB).

The Beijing Dialogue, jointly organized with USCIB’s China Committee and with strong input from the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD, assessed conditions to promote a greener economy in China, key opportunities for industry to enhance China’s efforts, and issues related to competitiveness in global markets. The meeting also served as a platform to discuss areas for improvement and cooperation within the private sector, and private/public partnerships.

The event was highlighted by a keynote address from Zhou Hongchun, one of the Chinese government’s leading advisors and experts on green industry development policy, including structural adjustment, “circular economy” promotion, and industrial energy efficiency. The event also featured a panel of industry experts and representatives, including Joerg Wuttke (BASF), chair of BIAC’s China Committee.

USCIB representatives also took advantage of the visit to meet with representatives of the China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC), our Chinese sister organization in the International Chamber of Commerce and the ATA Carnet system, which enables duty-free, tax-free temporary exports to some 80 countries and customs territories around the world.

For more information about the upcoming Green Economies Dialogue sessions, please contact Kira Yevtukhova (kyevtukhova@uscib.org).

Staff contact: Justine Badimon and Norine Kennedy

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Green Economies Dialogue website

Private Sector Role in Sustainable Development Grows Stronger Ahead of Rio Summit

Published on March 30, 2012

Representatives of governments, business and other stakeholders gathered in New York to discuss sustainable development.

Only a few months prior to the UN’s Rio+20 conference in June, some 100 representatives of governments, business and other stakeholders gathered in New York for a high-level dialogue on the business case for sustainable development.

The meeting was hosted by a business coalition of the International Chamber of Commerce, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the United Nations Global Compact, in partnership with the governments of Barbados, Benin, the Netherlands and Vietnam.

USCIB was represented by Norine Kennedy, vice president for environment and energy.

The dialogue took place during the third Intersessional Meeting of UN Conference on Sustainable Development. It provided a platform to discuss issues of vital importance to the private sector in advance of Rio+20 and explore the role of business in fostering inclusive green growth. Companies around the world have placed sustainability at the top of their agendas, realizing the growing significance and urgency of global environmental, social and economic challenges. Using science and technology to stimulate innovation and investment for green growth, the private sector is contributing substantially to sustainable development.

“As Rio+20 focuses on greening growth and advancing implementation, bringing business to the table is indispensable,” said USCIB’s Kennedy. “We regard a recognized role for business as a necessary element of a successful outcome of the UN conference.”

USCIB members are actively involved in the Green Economies Dialogue initiative, which was launched last year to provide a forum for discussion of green growth topics among multiple stakeholders in the lead-up to Rio+20. Dialogue sessions have been held in Washington, Paris and Beijing, and two additional sessions are planned for April in Tokyo and Brasilia. USCIB members are invited to contact Kira Yevtukhova (kyevtukhova@uscib.org) for additional information.

Read more about the New York meeting on ICC’s website.

Staff contact: Norine Kennedy

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Green Economies Dialogue website

Green Economies Dialogue to Hold Sessions in China Japan and Brazil

Published on March 2, 2012

Last year USCIB, through the United States Council Foundation, joined with a range of partners to launch the Green Economies Dialogue project, an initiative aimed at fostering international consensus on the essential elements of successful green growth strategies.

The initiative encompasses a series of workshops (“dialogues”) to engage the private sector and inform international policy discussions leading up to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in June. An additional component of the Green Economies Dialogue project is the commissioning of more than a dozen peer-reviewed research papers to be published in the journal Environmental Economics prior to Rio+20.

Following successful Green Economies Dialogue sessions in Washington, D.C. and Paris last fall, USCIB and its partner organizations – including BIAC, the Japanese employers group Keidanren, Brazil’s CNI business federation, and a dozen sponsors – are gearing up for three additional Dialogues in China, Japan, and Brazil this month and next.

Additional information on each Green Economies Dialogue sessions:

Beijing Dialogue (March 21): Organized jointly with USCIB’s China Committee, the Beijing Dialogue will assess conditions to promote a greener economy in China, key opportunities for members of industry in this area to enhance China’s efforts, and issues related to competitiveness in global markets. The meeting will also serve as a platform to discuss areas for improvement and cooperation within the private sector, and private/public partnerships. For more information, please contact Justine Badimon, USCIB’s manager for China, APEC and EU affairs (jbadimon@uscib.org).

Tokyo Dialogue (April 4): Jointly hosted by BIAC and Keidanren, the Tokyo Dialogue will build on topics discussed at previous Green Economies Dialogue sessions in Washington, Paris and Beijing, including low-carbon development and resource efficiency, with a focus on Japanese and regional priorities and experiences. For more information regarding this meeting, please contact Norine Kennedy, vice president for energy and environmental affairs (nkennedy@uscib.org).

Brasilia Dialogue (April 16-17): Hosted by CNI, the Brasilia Dialogue will draw upon all previous Green Economies Dialogue sessions, with a focus on green growth in emerging and developing countries, sustainable use of tropical forests, and low-carbon development in Brazil and the region. The meeting will be a day-long event on April 16, with possible for additional meetingsonApril 17. For more information regarding this meeting, please contact Norine Kennedy (nkennedy@uscib.org).

For more information on the Green Economy Dialogue Project, please visit the project website at www.green-dialogue.org.

Staff Contact: Norine Kennedy

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Global Business Calls for Accelerated Joint Action for Green Growth

Published on March 1, 2012

Executives from the International Chamber of Commerce, part of USCIB’s global network, have put forward principles for a transition toward a green economy at several ministerial roundtables and multi-stakeholder dialogues in Nairobi to provide input to the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012.

Environment ministers and senior policymakers from more than 80 countries assembled for the 2012 United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Special Session of the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum and Global Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum, which took place February 17-22.

Held in conjunction with UNEP’s 40th anniversary celebration, the meetings set out to prepare input on a range of issues, including a green and inclusive green economy, options to strengthen international sustainable development governance, sustainable consumption and production, and several industry-specific topics such as chemicals and waste.

“Business is an important contributor to sustainable development such as through science and technology that lead to innovations and investments for green growth,” Martina Bianchini, chair of the ICC Task Force on Green Economy and vice president, EU government affairs and public policy with The Dow Chemical Company, told a ministerial roundtable and forum.

“It will be crucial to ‘green’ all sectors in all countries and to advance resource efficiency and life cycle approaches,” Ms Bianchini said at the event, which was attended by UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.