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Basic Information
On September 30, 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officially ended its Climate Leaders program. This decision was taken in recognition of the availability of climate programs operated by the states and NGOs and the advent of the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reporting Program. In order to continue EPA’s tradition of recognizing excellence in corporate GHG management and acting as a resource for entities interested in reducing their emissions, the Agency will be proceeding with a number of activities:
- Joint Recognition Programs for Climate Leadership
- Supply Chain GHG Management
- Strategic Partnerships and Engagements
- GHG data analysis focusing on large end-users of electricity which will complementthe GHG Reporting Program
- Promotion of GHG management best practices and technologies in collaboration other EPA programs and other organizations
The Agency is considering organizing these activities under the auspices of a “virtual” resource center that would house the Climate Leadership Awards—a joint awards program with The Climate Registry, the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, and the Association of Climate Change Officers, and serve as a clearinghouse to engage a broader range of companies and institutions such as universities and federal agencies with updated GHG measurement and mitigation tools and resources.
Climate Leaders History
Launched in February 2002, Climate Leaders was an EPA industry-government partnership that worked with companies to develop comprehensive climate change strategies.
Partner companies committed to reducing their impact on the global environment by completing a corporate-wide inventory of their greenhouse (GHG) gas emissions, setting long-term reduction goals, and annually reporting their progress to EPA. Through program participation, companies created a lasting record of their accomplishments and identified themselves as corporate environmental leaders. Climate Leaders coordinated with a suite of EPA voluntary industry-government partnerships for reducing GHG emissions to assist corporations with their greenhouse gas emissions management strategies.
Climate Leaders Partners and Small Business Network members represented a broad range of industry sectors including cement, forest products, pharmaceuticals, utilities, information technology, and retail, with operations in all 50 states.
- Partner List at a Glance (PDF) (1 pg, 324K, About PDF)
- Partnership Directory (PDF) (9 pp, 454K)
As part of Climate Leaders, Partners were required to do the following:
- Step 1: Develop a corporate-wide GHG inventory and management plan.
- Step 2: Set an aggressive corporate-wide GHG emissions reduction goal.
- Step 3: Report inventory data annually and document progress toward emissions reduction goal.
- Step 4: Achieve a long-term GHG reduction goal. Throughout the life of Climate Leaders, many Partners successfully achieved their GHG reduction goals.
- Step 5: Publicize the organization’s achievements through Climate Leaders. EPA routinely highlighted partner achievements and also provided resources for Partners to communicate their program participation and achievements.