Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy

Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy, commonly known as BICEP, is a U.S. coalition of businesses coordinated by Ceres. It was established in November 2008 to give consumer-facing companies a stronger collective voice in federal climate and energy policymaking. Its central purpose is to encourage the U.S. government to adopt broad, bipartisan legislation addressing greenhouse-gas emissions, energy efficiency, renewable energy, clean-technology investment, transportation, carbon pricing, climate adaptation, technology transfer, and forest preservation. BICEP emerged during a period when climate policy was increasingly being shaped by business coalitions, but when many consumer-oriented companies felt that existing forums did not fully represent their interests. The coalition’s founding members—Starbucks, Nike, Timberland, and Levi Strauss & Co.—were consumer brands rather than companies whose primary business was large-scale greenhouse-gas emissions. They argued that climate change and energy policy would affect the entire economy, including companies exposed through supply chains, consumer demand, agriculture, transportation, real estate, tourism, and changing environmental conditions. The coalition’s policy position links climate action with economic opportunity. BICEP has argued that a rapid move toward a low-carbon economy could create employment, stimulate investment, encourage innovation, and improve long-term economic resilience while reducing climate risks. Its approach is therefore not limited to emissions control. It also emphasizes the competitiveness and opportunity associated with energy efficiency, renewable power, clean technologies, climate adaptation, and the development of more sustainable markets. BICEP’s stated long-term emissions objective has been to support policies capable of reducing U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions by 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, with an interim target of at least a 25 percent reduction below 1990 levels by 2020. The coalition has recognized that more than one policy route could achieve these aims. Its principles have included aggressive energy-efficiency standards, renewable-energy policy, increased public and private investment in clean-energy technology, transportation systems compatible with a clean-energy economy, more efficient energy markets, adjustment of fuel subsidies, and appropriate carbon pricing. The coalition has also addressed the international and social dimensions of climate policy. Its platform supports domestic and international climate adaptation, assistance to developing countries seeking to reduce carbon emissions, technology transfer, and forest preservation. These positions reflect the coalition’s view that U.S. climate policy should combine domestic economic measures with cooperation beyond the United States. BICEP’s membership has expanded beyond its four founding companies to include a broad range of consumer brands, manufacturers, retailers, technology companies, health organizations, food and beverage businesses, real-estate firms, tourism and outdoor companies, professional organizations, and other enterprises. Publicly identified members have included Adobe, Annie’s Homegrown, Aspen Skiing Company, Autodesk, Aveda, Ben & Jerry’s, Burton Snowboards, CA Technologies, Clif Bar & Company, Dignity Health, eBay, Eileen Fisher, Etsy, Fetzer Vineyards, Gap Inc., General Mills, Hackensack Meridian Health, IKEA, Jones Lang LaSalle, KB Home, Kellogg, L Brands, L’Oréal, Mars, Nature’s Path Foods, Nestlé, New Belgium Brewing, The North Face, Outdoor Industry Association, San Francisco International Airport, Owens Corning, Patagonia, the Portland Trail Blazers, Salesforce, Seventh Generation, Sierra Nevada Brewing, Stonyfield Farm, Symantec, Unilever, Vail Resorts, VF Corporation, Vulcan Inc., and Worthen Industries. The referenced description characterizes BICEP as having more than 80 members, although the exact current membership may change over time. BICEP is an advocacy coalition rather than a conventional consumer-product company. It does not primarily sell products under its own name; instead, its public identity is built around coordinated business advocacy, policy statements, coalition activity, and engagement with policymakers and other business allies. Its significance lies in organizing consumer-facing corporate voices around federal climate and energy legislation.

BICEP was founded in November 2008 as a project coordinated by Ceres. Its creation reflected concerns among several consumer-facing companies that existing business climate organizations did not adequately represent firms whose principal activities were not concentrated in heavy industrial emissions. The founding companies—Starbucks, Nike, Timberland, and Levi Strauss & Co.—sought a coalition through which consumer brands could communicate their exposure to climate risks and their support for federal energy and climate legislation. The coalition was established against the background of growing U.S. debate over comprehensive climate legislation, energy security, renewable energy, and the economic implications of greenhouse-gas regulation. BICEP’s founders viewed climate change as both a material business risk and an opportunity for economic transformation. In its policy framing, climate impacts could disrupt supply chains, resources, markets, and communities, while investment in efficiency, renewable power, clean technologies, and adaptation could generate jobs and improve competitiveness. BICEP’s stated objective has been to work with business allies and members of Congress to build a broad, bipartisan policy consensus. Its long-term benchmark called for reducing U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions by 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050, accompanied by an interim goal of at least a 25 percent reduction by 2020. Rather than prescribing one exclusive mechanism, BICEP has supported a portfolio of measures. These include aggressive energy-efficiency policies, renewable-energy deployment, clean-technology investment, transportation reform, more efficient energy markets, changes to fuel subsidies, and carbon pricing. The coalition’s platform also extends beyond domestic mitigation. It supports climate adaptation in the United States and abroad, technology transfer, assistance for developing countries seeking to reduce emissions, and forest preservation. This broader agenda treats climate policy as an issue involving economic development, international cooperation, land use, infrastructure, and resilience as well as emissions. Over time, BICEP expanded its membership beyond the original four companies. The coalition’s publicly identified participants have represented food and beverage, apparel, retail, technology, health care, construction, real estate, hospitality, outdoor recreation, transportation-related infrastructure, and other sectors. This diversity has been central to its rationale: climate and energy policy affects businesses across the economy, including companies that are not among the largest direct greenhouse-gas emitters. BICEP’s role is primarily convening and advocacy. It does not operate as a conventional manufacturer, retailer, or stand-alone product company. Instead, it coordinates business perspectives, articulates policy principles, and encourages companies to communicate with policymakers and participate in a broader climate-policy conversation. Ceres provides the organizational setting and coordination associated with the coalition. The available reference material describes BICEP as having more than 80 members, while membership composition and size may evolve. The coalition’s history is therefore best understood as the development of a specialized business-policy platform: one designed to make the climate and energy positions of consumer-facing companies more visible in U.S. legislative debates and to connect climate action with economic opportunity, innovation, and long-term business resilience.

• 2008

  BICEP founded

  [1]Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policyen.wikipedia.org

  Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy was established in November 2008 as a Ceres-coordinated coalition of businesses advocating meaningful U.S. energy and climate legislation.

• 2008

  Four founding companies identified

  [1]Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policyen.wikipedia.org

  Starbucks, Nike, Timberland, and Levi Strauss & Co. were identified as the coalition’s founding members.

A business-led climate and energy policy coalition representing consumer-facing companies and advocating bipartisan U.S. legislation for emissions reduction, clean-energy investment, and economic transition.

• Climate and energy advocacy · 2008

  BICEP policy advocacy

  BICEP’s principal offering is coordinated advocacy rather than a physical product. The coalition brings together businesses to communicate with U.S. policymakers, support broad and bipartisan climate and energy legislation, and promote emissions-reduction policies that address the economic and operational effects of climate change.

• Policy platform · 2008

  BICEP climate and energy policy principles

  The coalition’s policy platform emphasizes energy efficiency, renewable energy, clean-energy investment, clean transportation, efficient energy markets, carbon pricing, adaptation, technology transfer, and forest preservation. It presents these measures as complementary routes toward deep U.S. greenhouse-gas reductions and a low-carbon economy.

• 2008

  Creation of a consumer-facing business climate coalitionStrategy

  Background

  The founding companies believed that consumer-facing businesses needed a dedicated coalition because existing business climate groups tended to emphasize larger greenhouse-gas emitters and did not fully reflect the concerns of consumer companies.

  Action taken

  BICEP was formed under Ceres coordination to advocate meaningful, bipartisan U.S. energy and climate legislation and to provide a collective business voice.

  Aftermath

  The coalition broadened its membership across multiple sectors and continued to frame climate policy as both a business risk and an opportunity for economic growth and innovation.

  Source

1. 1Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2BICEP page at Ceresceres.org