Nestlé, JLL, Novelis Inc., and Levi Strauss & Co Join 223 Companies in Supporting EPA’s Clean Power Plan

December 2, 2014 /3BL Media/ - Marking the end of the comment period on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan, 223 companies today announced their support for EPA’s proposed carbon standard for electric power plants, including industry giants such as IKEA, Mars Inc., VF Corporation, and Nestlé. Their support was communicated in a letter sent to the EPA, the Obama Administration, and Senate and House majority and minority leaders. The letter was coordinated by the nonprofit sustainability advocacy organization, Ceres.

"As businesses concerned about the immediate and long-term implications of climate change, we strongly support the principles behind the draft Carbon Pollution Standard for existing power plants,” states the letter, signed by a broad array of manufacturers, technology firms, apparel makers and consumer brand companies. "The proposed Carbon Pollution Standard represents a critical step in moving our country towards a clean energy economy."

For the full letter and complete list of companies signing on see: https://www.ceres.org/files/bicep-files/carbon-pollution-standards-support-letter.

To view a map of locations of the 223 companies supporting the Clean Power Plan, visit: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=z69_vkwIX0Kc.kBAQaaebZx2c.

"EPA’s Clean Power Plan makes sense for this country," said Dan Probst, Chairman of Energy and Sustainability Services at JLL, a global real estate management and investment firm headquartered in Illinois. "Achieving the proposed carbon reductions from existing power plants through energy efficiency retrofits of existing buildings will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and our impact on the planet, reduce costs for both power companies and consumers, and help drive the economy by creating jobs."

"As the world’s largest food and beverage company, Nestlé places a great deal of importance on environmental responsibility," commented Tim Brown, President and Chief Executive Officer, Nestlé Waters North America. "We focus on efficiency and incorporation of renewable energy, just as the Clean Power Plan does. Supporting policies that reduce carbon pollution is aligned with our mission to create long-term value for our consumers, society and our shareholders."

"Delivering technologically advanced, low-carbon solutions is not only good business, it’s a source of competitive advantage for Novelis and our customers," added John Gardner, VP and Chief Sustainability Officer at Novelis Inc. "The principles of the EPA Clean Power Plan are an important step in providing greater energy choices and in helping the U.S. achieve the emissions reductions we need to maintain healthy economic growth." Novelis Inc. is the world’s largest manufacturer of rolled aluminum, and the global leader in aluminum recycling, with U.S. manufacturing plants in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, New York, Ohio and West Virginia.

"These companies recognize that the EPA’s power plant rule is a critical step in mitigating climate risks and accelerating low-carbon technologies that hold enormous economic promise," said Mindy Lubber, president of Ceres.

Many of the signatory companies have set their own renewable energy and energy efficiency goals – milestones that will be more achievable with enactment of the EPA carbon rule. IKEA, for example, has set a goal to use 100 percent renewable energy for its global facilities by 2020 and recently announced the purchase of a 165-megawatt Texas wind farm that will boost the home furnishing company’s total wind production capacity to nearly 1,000 gigawatts of electricity per year, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of about 90,000 American households.

JLL, which manages more than 3 billion square feet of building space globally, has helped its commercial real estate clients reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 12 million metric tons while saving them $2.5 billion in energy costs over the past seven years.

The EPA Clean Power Plan is the nation’s first comprehensive effort to reduce carbon pollution from existing electric power plants—the single largest source of global warming pollution in the U.S. EPA estimates it will reduce carbon emissions from power plants by 30 percent by 2030, from a 2005 baseline. The public comment period for the proposed standard closed on December 1, 2014. EPA is expected to announce a final rule in June 2015.

The 223 companies signing the letter are also signatories to Ceres’ Climate Declaration, a business-led call to action that urges federal and state policymakers to seize the economic opportunity of addressing climate change.

The sign-on letter was open to energy users only, not energy providers. However some of the nation’s largest electric power utilities also support the rule.

"We continue to support the EPA’s efforts to reduce emissions through sensible and practical regulation," said Tom King, US President of National Grid, which provides electricity in New York, Massachusetts and other Northeast states. "The Obama Administration and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy have done a terrific job crafting regulations that promote environmental and human health through a host of clean energy options. We look forward to working together to reduce emissions from the energy sector and create a cleaner energy future."

In total, more than 270 companies and investors have expressed their support for EPA’s Clean Power Plan. In June 2014, 49 investors, managing $800 billion in assets, sent letters of support to the Obama Administration and Senate and House majority and minority leaders.

About Ceres
Ceres is an advocate for sustainability leadership. Ceres mobilizes a powerful coalition of investors, companies and public interest groups to accelerate and expand the adoption of sustainable business practices and solutions to build a healthy global economy. Ceres directs the Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR), a network of over 100 institutional investors with collective assets totaling more than $13 trillion. Ceres also directs Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP), an advocacy coalition of nearly 30 businesses committed to working with policy makers to pass meaningful energy and climate legislation. For more information, visit www.ceres.org or follow on Twitter @CeresNews.

Additional Quotes:

"As a brand, industry and snowboarding community, there is nothing we love more than the outdoors," said Burton President Donna Carpenter. "We experience the effects of climate change on a personal level because the mountains and the weather are such an essential part of our lifestyle. That’s why we back the EPA's Clean Power Plan and the effort to reduce carbon pollution."

"As a company that makes innovative apparel and footwear for people who love the outdoors, we know how important addressing climate change is to our consumers, and therefore, our business," said Letitia Webster, director of global sustainability at VF Corporation, a North Carolina-based apparel company whose brands include The North Face, Timberland and Reef. "EPA’s clean power plan provides the long-term certainty that VF needs to continue to invest in clean energy solutions so that we can do our part to reduce the impacts of climate change."

"Akamai is committed to driving energy efficiency throughout our operations to the benefit of ourselves and our customers," said Nicole Peill-Moelter, Senior Director of Environmental Sustainability at Akamai Technologies. "Through collaborative innovation we have been able to decouple the growth of our business from our electricity consumption and carbon emissions. Our next sustainability challenge is to decarbonize the electricity we consume – a challenge we share with many of our customers. The guidelines put in place by the EPA Clean Power Plan are a good start to helping accelerate industry-wide innovation necessary to satisfy the expanding market for clean energy."

"As an employee-owned business, we’ve committed to protecting the future of our craft from the threat of climate change. That starts with reducing our own impacts by saving energy and investing in renewable sources." said Andrew Lemley, Government Affairs Representative with New Belgium Brewing. "We’re pleased to see the U.S. taking important steps with sensible policies like the EPA Clean Power Plan to help businesses like ours that are already working toward a clean energy economy."

"With power plants accounting for nearly 40 percent of US carbon emissions, it's past time to make them cleaner and safer for Americans." said Amy Davidsen, Executive Director, North America, The Climate Group. "We commend the Administration for taking this important step. Businesses and states know from experience that reducing emissions can be done in smart and economically beneficial ways, and the flexibility of the Clean Power Plan should enable them to continue to do just that."

"The companies and investors who support the EPA Clean Power Plan are successful, competitive, bottom-line oriented firms", said Lance Pierce, President, CDP North America. "They've done their own analysis of why supporting low-carbon power makes good sense for their business, the communities where they operate, and their consumers. We applaud their leadership in standing up for a pragmatic approach whose time has come."

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