BICEP (Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy) is an American coalition of businesses committed to working with Congress and other policy makers to pass energy and climate legislation. Nike, Starbucks, Levi Strauss, and Timberland founded the advocacy coalition in 2008. BICEP’s overall goal is to encourage the creation of government policies that will reduce US greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, with an interim goal of at least 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. BICEP is coordinated by the sustainable business leadership organization Ceres, and founded on the belief that “the energy and climate challenges facing the United States present vast opportunities, along with urgent risks, for U.S. businesses”. In addition, BICEP believes that a transition to a low-carbon economy will create new jobs and stimulate economic growth while stabilizing the climate.
The BICEP recognizes the multiple paths to accomplishing this goal and therefore stands behind the following principles in the development of U.S. energy and climate policy:
- Promote Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
- Increase Investment in a Clean Energy Economy
- Support Climate Change Adaptation, Technology Transfer and Forest Preservation
Currently, 24 companies are members of BICEP ranging from outdoor recreation areas to food manufactures.
According to Hannah Jones, VP Sustainable Business & Innovation at Nike, BICEP is important because, “For the type of scale the world needs to see, we need not only the business leaders to do what they do best – investing in innovation and shaping market forces – we need government to play a crucial role in creating policies, legislation and regulation that will enable the scaling of transformative change.”
A major advocacy effort of BICEP working with Ceres is the “Climate Declaration” campaign which calls on U.S. policymakers to capture the American economic opportunity of addressing climate change. As of June 2013 there were over 600 signatories and BICEP continues to encourage Businesses and individuals to sign the Declaration. By signing the Climate Declaration, these business leaders assert that “Tackling climate change is one of America’s greatest economic opportunities of the 21st century … We cannot risk our kids’ futures on the false hope that the vast majority of scientists are wrong … There must be a coordinated effort to combat climate change—with America taking the lead here at home.” This campaign supports the BICEP assertion that “Only the market certainty provided by clear policies will spur development of an efficient clean energy economy at the necessary scale”.
Public Policy Advocacy
Advocate for public policy that advances sustainability.