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Andrew Mangan |
Earlier this month, I had the
opportunity to speak with Andrew Mangan, co-founder and
executive director of the United States Business
Council for Sustainable Development (USBCSD). As a Global Network Partner of
the World Business Council for Sustainable
Development, USBCSD works to create and deliver value-driven sustainable
development projects.
As Andrew explained to me, “the
USBCSD is an action-oriented and member-led business association that gives U.S.
businesses a platform to mobilize boots on the ground and work together to
design, implement and scale sustainability solutions.”
The
Council currently has four areas of focus:
·
Facilitating
company-to-company industrial reuse opportunities that support the culture shift to a circular, closed-loop economy
· Establishing regional cross-industry carbon reduction collaboratives aimed at reducing carbon emissions and impacts while preserving and enhancing economic vitality
· Creating replicable business solutions for improving watershed collaboration between stakeholders to reduce shared water risks
· Identifying and implementing member-led
projects to conserve or enhance ecosystems while creating new business value
and benefit to communities where they operate
In my
discussion with Andrew, he shared how he has seen the sustainability field
shift in the past 30 years, as well as what excites him the most about it
today.
MK: At
USBCSD, you are facilitating a culture shift among organizations toward a circular
closed-loop economy. Where is the U.S. in this shift? What more is needed to
accelerate the shift?
AM: Here
in the U.S., there is a lot going on; it’s a major shift and will require a lot of
understanding from within companies – not just by the sustainability team but also
the procurement, legal, and acquisitions teams. They are needed to actually
implement the shift.
It is
going to take a while, but a lot of good things are happening already. I’m seeing
support from the top – from CEOs – for the concept of circularity. Government
is also intrigued by the concept – especially State-level government given that
they are the ones tasked with implementing the Federal Waste Management Regulations
and submitting 2030 Waste Strategies to the U.S. EPA. Also, none of the States want to permit another
landfill, and some states are really struggling with limited landfill space.
The Council has been working with three states – Ohio, Michigan and Tennessee –
with their State Environmental Commissions and State Economic Development
Corporations and the private sector to establish systems that promote circular economies.
Together, we are looking at recycling infrastructure, government funding
incentives, and whether current regulations are preventing desired outcomes.
MK: Many
of the initiatives that USBCSD has incubated have been regional – not
sector-specific – in scope. What is the value of this approach?
AM: We
find this approach works really well because companies that are in a region
feel ownership of that region, whether its’s the Gulf Coast, Great Lakes, or New
England – we find there is a real affinity for collaboration. It’s also a lot
easier to get a company focused on a sub region of the U.S. than on the whole
country. A lot of our regional efforts
are bringing together companies that have common objectives – whether on water,
materials, or carbon – but that aren’t organized to work together in an
effective way. An example is in the Gulf Coast where we are bringing together
companies around decarbonization. They
have done a lot internally but not across industries, which is key to moving
ahead.
MK: During
your time with USBCSD, how have you seen the field of sustainability change?
AM: In
the late 1980s, people weren’t really sure what sustainability was … it took 10
to 15 years to get agreement on what the issues, challenges, and opportunities
were. Then, the discussion shifted to what do we do about it. A lot has been
done internally within companies, but now there is a growing recognition that
you can’t do it on your own or even within an industry. There has been an evolution
in external engagement and finding effective ways to bring in other sectors – including
the academic sector – to solve major challenges.
MK: Is
there a greater sense of urgency than in the past to tackle sustainability?
AM: A big
change recently is seeing the investment community really stepping up – from communications
to CEOs on carbon, the circular economy, and natural resources. They are
telling CEOs that if they don’t see their companies moving on this, they will
pull them out of their investments. That is accelerating and making it more
urgent for companies.
MK: What
in the work among your members excites you the most and why?
AM: The Gulf
Coast Carbon Collaborative. We will be launching in New Orleans in early December.
It will be business-led, business-organized and business-driven.
MK: What
impact will the US’ decision to leave the Paris Agreement have on the efforts
of U.S. companies?
AM: It’s
disappointing to see the U.S. pull out of a global agreement. But, it’s not
impacting what we are doing. Companies are moving ahead and are driven by other
forces. There is still strong corporate commitment to the agreement.