Joe Biden’s Green Agenda and You

Let’s just take a minute to thank the Lord and all the little cherubs in heaven that Joe Biden will be president of the United States starting 20th January 2021.

He stands for cooperation, truth, kindness. He believes in science. He’s not orange.  

The next 4 years look very different to the 4 we’ve just had (by “had”, I mean endured). 

Specific to my focus on ethically founded organisations and sustainability practices, what might a Biden presidency mean for the green business agenda?

Well first up he actually has a green agenda. The Biden-Harris campaign ran on a clear policy of a green energy transition and climate justice for all.

This will mean a lot more noise on the subject. Biden promises to rejoin the Paris Climate Accord on day one of his presidency. Media fanfare creates a golden opportunity in terms of public awareness and engagement. In many cases you’re preaching to the converted as there is a (growing) groundswell of people who endeavour to be values based consumers. However, I expect there to be a wave of fresh interest in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from consumers looking to familiarise themselves with the SDG agreement; conspicuously aligning your business to these goals presents potential new customers with an entry point to what you’re doing and why you do it. Global policy dovetails with local action. There will be increased expectation from an ever more engaged public that businesses act for the public/global good.

For now, a policy that clearly aligns to the SDGs is a competitive edge but in short order it will become normal business practice. 

For those of you in the US the President-Elect promises a $2trillion investment package across clean energy, infrastructure, and community development. It’s rather non-specific as I write and whilst $2trillion sounds like an enormous amount, it will be spread pretty thin. But it does signal a federal level investment into regenerative efforts. And more federal money within a given sector means more opportunity, contracts and private investment - the rising tide lifts all boats as they say. In an interview with The Guardian, Biden’s campaign policy director, Stef Feldman said “We really do see these as interlinked...the climate plan is a jobs plan. Our jobs plan is, in part, a climate plan.”

For those of us outside the US it will mean that a key partner is suddenly back in the game.  As Vox put it earlier this year “A second Trump term would mean severe and irreversible changes in the climate. No joke: It would be disastrous on the scale of millennia.” We can now focus on maintaining positive forward momentum rather than continuous damage control. It means that our efforts will contribute to a cumulative good rather than mitigation. 

So what, concretely, can businesses do right now? If you’re in in the sustainability and renewable tech space, start researching how the Biden plan could benefit you with federal funding, regulatory help, possible tax breaks and investor exposure. You’re on the right side of history so put in the homework.

Any of us working in positive impact should find this to be a really hopeful moment - as Biden said in his acceptance speech “Let this grim era of demonisation in America begin to end”. I love that line and what follows it - about working together in partnership and unity. It’s a bit cheesy perhaps but this is what we are all working towards and to have that mandated by the most powerful man in the world is magical.

And to those of you coming to this space perhaps for the first time and wondering what it all means - radical change doesn’t happen overnight but this focus on company ethics and sustainable business practice is not going away. Now is the time to get serious. Companies that do not have impactful sustainability commitments or are not aligning their strategy with SDGs are likely to experience increasing stakeholder scrutiny and a degree of surprise that environmental commitment does not form part of their overall agenda. In the fullness of time this could translate to loss of access to capital and new markets, driven by activist investors’ decisions to allocate capital to sustainable business and consumers’ desire to spend their money in a values-informed way.

Below is a starter framework to get your business tuned in to what responsible organisational impact needs to look like.

Step 1. Understand the SDGs.

Know what you’re working with - learn about each of the goals and work on how they are directly and indirectly linked to your own business practices and production. There are dozens of online resources on this, but start with the foundations at the UN’s SDG home page. 

Step 2. Link the relevant goals to your business activities.

Specificity is key. If you’re Unilever, your supply chain activities will touch on every single one of the 17 SDGs. If, as I suspect, you are not Unilever, your network and impact are likely to be significantly less, so pick your battles. Adopting all 17 SDGs immediately will be lengthy and expensive, and could actually prevent your organisation from focusing on areas where you could make real change. That’s not to say that some goals are more important than others - it's that you are best served in focusing on things that you already tangibly impact and therefore where you can make the greatest gains.

Step 3. Set your targets.

As well as identifying your key SDG priorities, link these to actual business targets and KPIs to monitor progress. Give yourself definite parameters to work with.  If you don’t know what you’re working towards then you’re effectively driving without a destination - what’s the point? Whilst the SDGs are global targets, you can work in alignment with international policy and set targets realistic to your own sphere of activity.  

It may be that you already have existing targets and actions which you can lean on while developing a more tailored SDG strategy. Look at your materiality, supply chain and people.  

As you work on plan, avoid short-termism. The SDGs stated goal of transformational change is 2030 so that should encourage you to set goals as part of your annual, 3 year and 5 year plans - quarterly shareholder meetings are not where you should be focusing your attention.

Step 4. Integrate and Empower.

In order to make your SDG strategy viable and effective, you need to make it part of your  existing business strategy - accounting for your business model, procurement processes and supply chain. The expectation here is not that you completely restructure your company, but draw on existing commitments and projects to contribute positively toward SDGs. Your staff engagement here is critical - knowledge that they are positively contributing to global progress is hugely motivating.

Every member of your staff will care about at least one thing covered by the Goals, whether it’s climate change, food waste or recycling so leverage that interest. They also have expertise in their specific area that will help inform planning decisions and increase your positive impact across every aspect of the business*.

Step 5. Report and Communicate.

Many companies I speak to, particularly in the sustainability field, feel that organisations  should publish their targets, both to create accountability and to engage key stakeholders with their challenges. A public declaration of intent really helps to hold people responsible for turning green ambition into green action.

Use tools which are practical, efficient, and create clear reports - impact reporting needn’t be complicated, especially when you are just starting out. It could be a simple spreadsheet of recyclables, a list of newly identified sustainability partners or a summary of changes you’ve made to your supply chain. As with anything, the sky’s the limit when it comes to impact measurement so start by reporting on the basics and build a foundation from there. 

Should you communicate your negative contributions to the SDGs, or at least be more transparent about the challenges they present to your business?

This is a decision very “personal” to your organisation as it takes courage to disclose facts that might not shower you in glory. I would argue that honesty around your SDG-related challenges and opportunities can actually strengthen consumer trust - you’re obviously not greenwashing - helping to forge new partnerships and ultimately help you progress. It’s a learning journey for everyone so the more candid you are, the more inclusive that journey becomes.

Step 6. Collaboration is key…

The 17th Goal is dedicated solely to partnerships and collective action, so if nothing else, start there. Community can be anyone from your team and employees, to your suppliers, clients, customers and shareholders. The key is inclusivity and you’d be amazed how creative people can be when tasked with something they know to be contributing to a greater good.. SDG #17 is something we can all begin working on with immediate effect - the rest will follow.

I hope this is a useful introduction to the enormous issues surrounding the US election results, Sustainable Development Goals and your own business contribution towards global policy. There is so much more to be said so as ever I welcome your feedback, comments, criticisms and contributions.

*I’ve written on this extensively for ESGmark - a community of people and organisations who care about the planet and society. The ESGmark accreditation process rewards responsible and sustainable business.

Company strategies for embedding a positive impact mentality across the business cover both leadership best practice and company culture.