About EDF+Business
We get business. We get the environment. You get results.
EDF+Business is working to create a more sustainable world where companies, communities, and the environment thrive. We’re making it happen by forging unexpected partnerships that catalyze environmental leadership and collaboration across companies and supply chains. Our team has been at the forefront of this transformation for +25 years, bringing cutting-edge science, policy, and economic expertise to high-impact companies – including McDonalds, Walmart, and KKR – to transform business as usual in their products, operations, and advocacy.
Mission
Environmental Defense Fund’s mission is to preserve the natural systems on which all life depends.
By working with business, we support the EDF mission by finding pragmatic, market-based solutions to environmental issues. Our work drives EDF’s aggressive goals for oceans, climate, health and ecosystems by leveraging the power of business to model the way for sustainability and smart policy.
Values
We envision a world where business thrives by valuing, protecting and improving the environment. Our collaborations drive sustainability leadership at high-impact corporations, creating ripple effects across entire industries.
Show the world how to thrive – profitably and sustainably
Smart business leaders know prosperity isn’t born of short-term politics, but rather long-term economics. These same leaders understand that a thriving economy depends on a thriving environment – and vice versa. It isn’t either/or.
Responsible progress is in the hands of the leaders, the innovators, the collaborators. The ones who see a more resilient future for both business and the planet.
We’re here to help you build a legacy of leading from the front. After all, that’s what your customers and stakeholders expect of you – and we bet you expect it of your own organization.
EDF has created a four-part framework grounded in sound science and 25+ years of partnering with business. This is how you raise the bar on corporate leadership.
Partnerships & Collaborations
EDF has collaborated with over 30% of Fortune 100 companies to align sustainability goals with bottom line gains.
Our work with companies like Walmart, KKR, McDonald’s and AT&T creates environmental and business best practices that have been successfully replicated across industries. We have +25 years of success in working with major brands to drive transformative environmental change.
Our Team
We are a gender- and generationally-diverse team of professionals with a unique blend of skillsets, backgrounds and specialities. We are united by deep understanding of how business works.
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Our History
Founded in 1967, EDF drives environmental breakthroughs in climate and energy, ecosystems, oceans and health through a unique approach that draws heavily on science, economics and bipartisan outreach.
A signature element of EDF is its ability to form unique partnerships around common goals. When looking specifically at EDF’s corporate partnerships, the common goal is finding the opportunities where sustainability and bottom line gains intersect.
Starting with the first groundbreaking collaboration between an NGO and an industry leader – McDonald’s – EDF has been modeling the way for driving transformative environmental gains from our alliance with business.
1990
McDonald's: a new kind of partnership
EDF launches first corporate partnership with McDonald’s, eliminating 300 million pounds of packaging waste. One of the changes made, switching from polystyrene foam “clamshells” to paper for sandwich packaging, resulted in a 70-90% packaging reduction and saved McDonald’s an estimated $6 million per year.
1996
Starbucks: re-thinking double cups
Starbucks and EDF join forces to reduce the coffee giant’s paper cup waste. (By 50%) Starbucks says goodbye to double-cupping! With the introduction of the insulating sleeve, made from 60 percent postconsumer recycled fiber, EDF helped develop the best environmental alternative to double-cupping. Learn more.
1998
UPS: tackling excessive packaging
EDF helps UPS save over $1 million per year with new packaging. EDF improves the environmental impact of the company’s express packaging while advancing UPS as an industry leader. Learn more.
2002
Citigroup: switching to recycled paper
EDF shows Citigroup how to switch to 30% post-consumer recycled copy paper — at no additional cost. EDF demonstrates how to improve paper purchasing while reducing environmental impacts.
2003
McDonald's: reducing antibiotics in poultry
McDonald’s and EDF eliminate 17,900 pounds of antibiotics used annually by McDonald’s poultry suppliers. EDF helped McDonald’s create a global purchasing policy to reduce the use of antibiotics in poultry production.
2004
Fedex: greener, cleaner trucks
EDF and FedEx develop a cleaner, more fuel-efficient delivery truck. Greener by the mile: FedEx’s new fleet of trucks reduced smog-causing emissions by 65%.
2004
Wegman's: reducing antibiotics in shrimp
EDF works with Wegman’s, a family-owned grocery chain, on developing standards for farmed shrimp. The new standards EDF created with Wegman’s require farmed shrimp producers to eliminate the use of antibiotics and other chemicals.
2005
Walmart: ambitious goals, enormous scale
EDF partners with Walmart to help guide the retailer in reducing the environmental footprint of its operations and the products it sells. The partnership has led to Walmart’s commitment to cut 20 million metric tons of CO2 and other important advances.
2005
Compass Group: reducing antibiotics in pork and poultry
EDF and Compass Group unveil a first-of-its-kind purchasing policy to curb antibiotic use in hog and chicken production.
2006
PHH Arval: a carbon neutral fleet
EDF announces venture with PHH Arval to improve the environmental performance of commercial fleets and curb global warming emissions. PHH becomes the first North American fleet management company to deploy a carbon neutral fleet. Learn more.
2007
DuPont: addressing nanotechnology risks
DuPont and EDF launch the Nano Risk Framework, a comprehensive, practical system to address the potential risks of nanotechnology.
2008
The launch of Climate Corps
EDF creates Climate Corps, a summer fellowship program that embeds talented graduate students directly inside organizations to guide them on saving money and energy.
2008
KKR: scaling sustainability across portfolios
EDF launches Green Returns program with private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR). to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduced water use and trim and recycle waste across their portolio.
2010
GE: finding "treasure" through sustainability
EDF collaborates with GE on Ecomagination Treasure Hunts. GE has performed over 200 Treasure Hunts across its businesses with $150 million in savings opportunities.
2010
The Carlyle Group: environmental risk mitigation
EDF partners with The Carlyle Group to launch EcoValuScreen. New tool helps private equity factor environmental performance into risk mitigation.
2013
AT&T: efficient water use for corporations
EDF and AT&T develop the Water Efficiency Toolkit and launch it at World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden. If EDF’s water efficiency tools are used in buildings across the U.S. there is a potential of 28 Billion gallons of water savings annually.
2014
Walmart: phasing out chemicals of concern
With EDF’s support in creating the policy, Walmart gives notice to its consumer product suppliers requiring the phase out of certain chemicals of concern in U.S. consumable products sold in Walmart and Sam’s Club stores.
2014
IFC International: putting a cost on methane
The ICF cost curve helps achieve a commitment to 45% reduction in and the development of methane regulations from the Obama administration.
2014
Rising to the methane challenge
EDF launches the Methane Detectors Challenge to jumpstart a new market for innovative sensors that can make it easier to rapidly find and fix leaks of methane emissions, a potent short-lived greenhouse gas.
2015
Climate Corps expands into China
The Climate Corps program expands into China, working with global companies like Walmart, New Balance, adidas and Cummins to establish energy efficiency in supplier factories.
2015
Walmart: going big on GHG reductions
EDF works closely with Walmart to surpass the five-year goal of reducing 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from its global supply chain through several transformational projects.
2015
Tackling chemical additives in food
EDF expands our effort to reduce consumer exposure to hazardous chemicals with a new focus on food additives. We launched a new online initiative, Behind the Label, that encourages leading grocers and food manufacturers to adopt systemic approaches to moving hazardous chemicals out of food.
2016
Passing new policy on toxlc dhemicals
EDF helps reduce toxic chemicals from Walmart’s supply chain and leverages corporate leadership to spur adoption of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, a much-needed reform to the outdated U.S. chemical safety law.
2017
Shell, Statoil: measuring methane to manage methane
EDF collaborates with leading oil and gas companies Shell and Statoil to field test continuous monitoring technologies for oil and gas methane emissions; while launching an innovation challenge to develop new approaches to quickly detect and quantify methane emissions.
2017
Walmart: a "moonshot" on GHG emissions
EDF works with Walmart to develop and launch “Project Gigaton,” a collaborative effort to reduce one billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions from its global supply chain by 2030 — a number equivalent to the annual emissions from Germany, the world’s fourth largest economy.
2017
Smithfield: ambitious targets in the protein industry
EDF advises Smithfield Foods in setting an absolute greenhouse gas reduction goal, a first for a global protein producer. By reducing emissions 25 percent by 2025, Smithfield will avoid more than four million metric tons of greenhouse gas pollution
2018
Competitors collaborate on sustainability metrics
EDF helps launch the Beauty and Personal Care Leadership Group — CVS, Sephora, Target, Walgreens/Boots Alliance, and Walmart — to collaborate on a common set of sustainability metrics for the industry. Seeing growing industry momentum, Amazon and Rite Aid join this effort as well
2018
Companies speak out for climate policy leadeship.
The CEO Climate Dialogue launched, leading businesses and NGOs working together to advance federal climate policy.
2018
High tech solutions for cleaner air
EDF designs and pilots air monitoring system enabling data-driven solutions for climate and clean air.
2018
Laying the foundation for tackling methane
The Oil and Gas Climate Initiative agreeing to a global methane target in line with EDF recommendations is announced.
2019
Climate Corps continues to grow in scale and scope.
The Climate Corps program exceeds 1,000 fellows placed in over 750 organizations to date, as alumn fellows climb the ranks of corporate sustainability.
2019
A framework for Climate Policy Leadership
EDF and ten other NGOs release the AAA leadership framework for climate policy advocacy
2019
Walmart: measuring a chemical footprint
EDF works with Walmart to launch the Supplier Chemical Footprinting Program, which asks top suppliers in the consumables space to measure, reduce, and report their own chemical footprint to support Walmart’s 10% chemical footprint reduction goal
2019
Making babyfood free of toxic chemicals
EDF and Cornell University help launch the Baby Food Council, with a goal to reduce heavy metal contamination in baby food products to as low as reasonably achievable, using best-in-class management practices.
