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In 2006 the Alcoa Foundation formed a strategic relationship with WRI to support the development of innovative solutions that address climate change and encourage sustainable economic development, focusing primarily on projects in China as well as urban transport systems in Brazil.
In China, our partnership helped fund WRI’s joint research at Tsinghua University, where researchers in the Low Carbon Energy Laboratory worked on technology transfer issues and carbon capture and storage methods. Alcoa Foundation also supported the Institute’s work with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development to implement emissions accounting tools for the most energy-intensive industries in that region and contributed to WRI’s New Ventures Program, which helps small and medium enterprises access capital and grow their businesses.
“We are proud of our partnership and the outcomes we have helped produce together to improve the world around us.”
In Brazil, Alcoa Foundation’s support helped EMBARQ - WRI’s Center for Sustainable Transport – to create a Master Transit Plan in Porto Alegre and work closely with officials in Recife, Rio and Brasilia to find sustainable solutions to those cities’ transportation challenges.
Paula Davis, President of Alcoa Foundation, says: “Alcoa and WRI have a strong relationship because we share a dedication to environmental sustainability and community resilience. Over the last 10 years, we have collaborated on significant initiatives in Alcoa communities – from improving the quality of life for Brazilian commuters to implementing a systems change in the way Chinese companies account for their greenhouse gas emissions. We are proud of our partnership and the outcomes we have helped produce together to improve the world around us.”
Officials in rapidly growing cities in developing countries have realized that the key to solving the twin problems of congestion and air pollution is improving transportation systems. WRI’s Center for Sustainable Transport – EMBARQ – works with cities around the world to reduce congestion with modern transportation systems and promote mass transit that is safe, clean, convenient and affordable.
Caterpillar makes sustainable progress possible and believes investment in new technologies that enhance mobility is critical to protecting the environment. Caterpillar clean diesel engines produce virtually zero particulate matter. The company also works to retrofit “legacy” products to help reduce their environmental impact, and they have long approved the use of biodiesel blends in their engines with clear customer guidance on applicability. Caterpillar works closely with stakeholders to ensure the smooth introduction of new technologies and the establishment of technical standards for biodiesel and other alternative fuels.
As a complement to the company’s efforts, the Caterpillar Foundation plays an active role in sustainability initiatives and has been supporting EMBARQ since 2006. “We want to help improve the quality of life in the world’s fastest growing cities, so we are pleased to partner with EMBARQ,” said Caterpillar Chairman and CEO Douglas R. Oberhelman, who also serves on WRI’s Board of Directors. “We are actively involved as part of EMBARQ’s board of investors and advisors, doing our part to ensure the program is successful, helping identify additional cities, and leveraging our local dealers’ involvement as well.”
EMBARQ addresses the issues of traffic congestion, air pollution, GHG emissions and safety. In addition to engineering efficient mass transportation routes, EMBARQ is replacing outdated equipment and retrofitting existing buses with modern clean diesel engines and particulate filter technology – an area where Caterpillar has significant expertise. The successful Metrobus Bus Rapid Transit project in Mexico City, where 450,000 passengers travel each day, has resulted in a 50% reduction in travel times and 80,000 tons per year reduction in greenhouse gases. EMBARQ has replicated this success in Guadalajara and Istanbul, and continues to work in several other cities such as Porte Alegre, Brazil; Arequipa, Peru; Indore, India, and is expanding its activity to additional global cities.
Bruce Schlein
Vice President, Environmental Affairs
Small and growing businesses in emerging economies face several obstacles to success, including a lack of business development services and access to capital. It can be a struggle to grow a business in a developing country or industry that lacks support systems. Without the right tools and resources, these entrepreneurs are often unable to maintain or grow their businesses.
WRI’s New Ventures program works to empower entrepreneurs by addressing these challenges. Through its global network of enterprise acceleration centers, New Ventures provides business development and investment facilitation services to entrepreneurs whose products and services deliver strong environmental and social benefits as well as financial returns.
The Citi Foundation has been supporting New Ventures for more than a decade in the program’s six emerging markets: Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Indonesia, and Mexico. Through this program, local Citi managers are involved in the enterprise development process through selecting entrepreneurs with high-growth potential as well as mentoring these entrepreneurs and providing strategic guidance on how to grow their businesses. In 2009, Citi funded work to identify 40 promising entrepreneurs operating in sectors such as renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and water. These businesses typically source products from rural and low-income populations, promoting increased production and employment in these underserved communities.
With Citi’s support, the New Ventures program has facilitated over $200 million in 255 small and growing businesses, creating nearly 9,000 jobs as a direct result. Bruce Schlein, Citi’s Vice President of Corporate Sustainability, states, “WRI’s New Ventures program is an ideal fit for the Citi Foundation’s approach to philanthropy, given our focus on providing opportunities for economic empowerment through the growth of small and growing business, as well as contributing to the protection of the environment.”
Mitch Jackson
Vice President, Environmental Affairs and Sustainability
In 2011, FedEx and WRI entered into a strategic relationship to support the expansion and improvement of public transportation in developing world cities. The relationship stems from FedEx and WRI’s mutual interest in promoting economic development, sustainability, accessibility, and road safety in three of world’s most important emerging markets, Mexico, Brazil and India.
FedEx will provide $1.4 million over two years to EMBARQ, WRI’s sustainable transport program, to provide technical expertise on sustainable transportation projects that improve quality of life in cities. This grant is a continuation of FedEx’s successful collaboration with EMBARQ’s Center for Sustainable Transport in Mexico (CTS-EMBARQ México), which began in February 2010 with a $500,000 grant to help Mexico City’s Metrobus optimize its vehicle operations.
“We’re excited to scale-up our work with EMBARQ so that we can have an impact not just in Mexico, but also in Brazil and India, two of the world’s fastest growing economies,” said Mitch Jackson, vice president of FedEx Environmental Affairs & Sustainability. “We have a lot of expertise to share. FedEx moves packages and EMBARQ helps cities move people. As a company, FedEx sees the benefits that come from better route design and more efficient, cleaner fuels and vehicles. Now imagine if bus operators and passengers could also enjoy those same benefits? You would have faster commutes, safer streets, and cleaner air. That’s what this collaboration is all about.”
Through workshops, field visits and direct consultation, EMBARQ transport planners and FedEx global experts will team up to provide support to developing cities in fuel and vehicle technologies, vehicle asset management, and real-time user information systems. In addition, to prevent injuries and deaths from traffic collisions, the project in Mexico will work to train hundreds of bus drivers on key safety principles.
In 2009, WRI formed a multiyear strategic partnership with NewPage Corporation to work on projects that support our collective beliefs in the area of sustainable forestry. NewPage, the largest coated paper manufacturer in North America, supports responsible forestry practices across jurisdictional boundaries to positively affect the world’s climate, biodiversity, and local communities.
One joint initiative is called “Project POTICO” (Palm Oil, Timber, Carbon Offsets), a bold, three-year initiative that preserves virgin forest in Indonesia by re-directing palm oil plantations to operate on already-degraded land. The project combats illegal logging and offers significant potential for relieving pressure on Indonesia’s rainforests, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, preventing loss of biodiversity, and developing opportunities for local communities.
“A key component of our sustainability strategy at NewPage is proactive involvement in improving the global environment, which aligns perfectly with our partnership with the WRI and their vision for Project POTICO,” shares David Bonistall, Vice President of Environmental, Health and Safety at NewPage.
During 2009, financial support from NewPage was also instrumental in supporting other WRI initiatives such as Leveraging Lacey, a project in partnership with the Environmental Investigation Agency to maximize the potential of the amended Lacey Act to reduce illegal logging and catalyze more sustainable forest management worldwide.
SC Johnson has been a WRI partner for approximately twelve years. The partnership has focused on a suite of projects that helped transform the corporate approach to climate change, including the GHG Protocol, Green Power Market Development Group, and Climate Northeast, with the company’s support often helping to spur new and innovative approaches.
The late Samuel C. Johnson, a former WRI Board Member, also personally collaborated with WRI around business school sustainable education work. He was honored at WRI’s 25th Anniversary Courage to Lead Dinner in 2007 as “an environmental and business visionary.”
In 2008, WRI and SC Johnson entered into a new agreement, which included seed funding for the GHG Protocol’s Product and Supply Chain Standard, as well as SC Johnson’s membership in WRI’s Corporate Consultative Group (CCG). With its grant, SC Johnson supports the newest emissions measurement and reporting tools, and also engages with the Institute on a broader level through the CCG.
Chris Librie, SC Johnson’s Director of Global Sustainability, explains the importance of the longstanding WRI partnership: “WRI and SC Johnson believe in the power of business to find profitable solutions to environmental challenges. Our work with WRI has helped us in our on-going efforts to lower our carbon footprint. We look forward to continuing to work with the Institute on innovative approaches to complex business challenges – particularly in the establishment of the new, Scope 3 GHG protocol.”
WRI has a long-term, close strategic relationship with the Shell Foundation. This centers upon collaboration with EMBARQ – WRI’s Center for Sustainable Transport. Through its global network, EMBARQ implements sustainable urban transport solutions in developing cities. Since co-founding EMBARQ with WRI in 2002, the Shell Foundation has contributed strategic advice, business planning support and multi-million dollar financial support to the Center’s work. EMBARQ’s mission to deliver real solutions at scale through a strategy is fully consistent with Shell Foundation’s objectives.
“Long term strategic partnerships are core to the success of EMBARQ. We are proud to be associated with EMBARQ and the significant impacts achieved to date. We remain committed to supporting the global scale-up and replication of innovative public-private partnerships for transport in cities,” says Chris West, Director of the Shell Foundation.
In November 2009, Harvard University presented the Roy Family Award for Environmental Partnership to EMBARQ, Shell Foundation, and other nonprofit and government partners, recognizing their work in Mexico City in addressing urban mobility problems. This bi-annual award commends outstanding public-private partnerships that enhance environmental quality through the use of novel and creative approaches.
Building on a decade long partnership, UTC and WRI formalized a strategic relationship agreement in 2010. The company’s support for WRI spans multiple projects and is helping to pioneer new work in the areas of Next Practices for a low carbon economy, expansion of global water risk work, enhanced supply chain management and exploration of options for improved climate finance. UTC staff globally are tapped into the activities of WRI’s programs and Corporate Consultative Group and are helping us break new ground on a number of topics of key relevance, both to long-term business value and environmental sustainability.
Paul Vitello, Director of Environmental Sustainability says: “For 20 years we have set aggressive environment, health & safety goals. We continue to address adverse impacts not only in our own operations, but also in our products and supply chain. UTC is a global corporation, and we have partnered with WRI because of a shared commitment to the belief that profitability and environmental responsibility go hand-in-hand.”
Following nearly a decade of strong positive engagement between UPS and WRI on the topic of climate change policy, The UPS Foundation and WRI agreed in 2009 to enter into a strategic relationship that focuses on sustainable supply chain management. As a result of the Foundation’s support, WRI is promoting more sustainable corporate practices in China by highlighting and sharing best practices, overseeing the development of greenhouse gas accounting tools, and developing online guidance about which available eco-labels are most relevant to different users.
Steve Leffin, Corporate Sustainability Manager at UPS, says that “The UPS Foundation support for collaborative research and tools development for more sustainable supply chain management is strategic and relevant for our business. In many ways, the sustainability of the goods that we ship is tied to the sustainability of our company. We are pleased with the emphasis that our relationship with WRI gives to China and climate protection.”
Note: WRI has discontinued its strategic partnership with BP.