Business Introduction

The Pew Center’s Markets and Business Strategy Program conducts research and analysis on a range of issues at the intersection of climate change and business. Through its Business Environmental Leadership Council (BELC), the Pew Center has been engaging business leaders for 10 years on practical policy solutions to the climate change challenge.

The Program’s research seeks to help companies, policymakers and investors understand how to successfully manage risks and capture new business opportunities as changes in public policy and customer preferences dramatically transform markets worldwide. It also aims to help policymakers understand how best to shape policies and programs in a way that unleashes the innovation and investment of the private sector to help address climate change.

To inform its research and advance action on climate change, the Program collaborates extensively with the business community, primarily through the BELC. With 42 member-companies, the BELC is now the largest U.S.-based association of corporations focused on advancing business and policy solutions to climate change. Several BELC companies, along with the Pew Center, were founding members of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership , a coalition of now 27 major corporations and 6 leading nongovernmental organizations calling on Congress to pass mandatory climate change legislation as soon as possible.

The program’s October 2006 report “Getting Ahead of the Curve: Corporate Strategies That Address Climate Change” is illustrative of its approach to the climate issue. The report lays out a step-by-step process for companies to reshape their core business strategies in order to succeed in a future marketplace where greenhouse gases are regulated, carbon-efficiency is rewarded, and low-carbon products are in demand. The research shows a growing consensus among corporate leaders that taking action on climate change is a sensible business decision. Much of the program’s subsequent corporate strategies research has built on the key themes that emerged from this report, including the need for companies to: integrate climate strategies fully into a company’s core business activities; shift focus from bottom-line risk management to top line opportunities; and engage in the policy process to ensure a seat at the table as important regulatory decisions are made.