Companies can no longer afford to treat sustainability goals as purely internal matters when their ability to achieve those goals depends on the external operating environment, including the policy and regulatory landscape. Achieving decarbonization, circularity, nature-positive outcomes and other sustainability targets requires an enabling policy landscape that drives market transformation, reduces financial risk and accelerates solutions at scale.
Failing to engage on government policy is not neutrality; it is a missed opportunity and, in many cases, a strategic risk.
Mobilising Trade Associations as a Force for Good: A Playbook for Companies provides guidance for companies seeking to optimise their policy footprint. This playbook is the result of a year-long process of co-creation, engagement and consultation with forward-thinking companies (primarily via WBCSD’s Positive Policy Engagement Advisory Group), trade associations and other experts in the positive policy engagement space.
The playbook is intended as a guide for companies, providing insights into:
- How climate policy can drive strategic business advantage – Step 1
- How to create and articulate climate policy priorities for your company – Step 2
- How to approach your (next) trade association assessment (whether internal or public) – Step 3
- How to engage misaligned or inactive associations – Step 4
- How to develop a framework to decide on whether to remain a member of existing or join new trade associations – Step 5
What’s next?
Over the coming months, we will be working with interested companies to mobilise their trade associations to make progress on key aspects of climate policy that are crucial to the long-term success of businesses in every sector. This will be a chance to put the guidance set out in this playbook into practice.
If you’d like to know more, get in touch.
