The American Sustainable Business Council Calls for the Creation of a White House Initiative on Inclusive Economic Growth

The White House Initiative on Inclusive Economic Growth is a new, broad-based coalition of nearly 50 organizations focused on stakeholder capitalism, corporate social and environmental responsibility, sustainable finance, community development finance, and capital markets structural reform. As a founding member of this coalition of partners, business leaders, community organizations, and elected officials, and more, we at the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC) ask that you join us in calling for the creation of a White House Initiative on Inclusive Economic Growth to coordinate federal policies that will reshape and rebuild our economy so that it works for all Americans.

We founded the American Sustainable Business Council more than ten years ago at the outset of the Obama Administration to co-create initiatives like this to represent the voice of businesses advocating for systemic change, and we are honored to be a founding member of this one today. Together we can solve the pervasive and systemic issues of climate and energy, infrastructure, circular economy, and creating an inclusive stakeholder economy, which we must always see through the lens of racial equality and justice. With the current progressive leadership in the White House and legislatures across the country, we are hopeful that this historic White House initiative will change the rules by which business is done so it is better for all people and the environment. 

America today is grappling with three monumental crises:
1) the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic fallout it has caused; 
2) a widening racial wealth gap caused by centuries of systemic racism; and,
3) the accelerating negative effects of climate change. 

Solving all three requires creating lasting, inclusive economic growth and prosperity for all Americans — that means creating quality jobs for working Americans and bolstering systems that allow underserved communities to build generational wealth. The White House Initiative on Inclusive Economic Growth would help bring together the public and private sectors to do just that. 

This initiative would engage corporations and investors alongside the federal government to implement structural reforms to our economy and capital markets to better serve and support underrepresented stakeholders, like workers and communities of color. This approach is bold, and urgently needed due to the interrelated problems of this moment and requires mobilizing a real commitment from the public and private sectors to work together to bring about real change to our economic system.

At ASBC we believe in changing the rules by which business is done so it is better for all people and the environment. We’ve historically been involved in these issues and joining the coalition is an extension of that work. 

We have seen how severely and disproportionately COVID-19 has impacted workers and communities of color, exacerbating longstanding systems of economic and racial inequality. Now is the time for us to act and create more broad-based prosperity for U.S. workers and communities.

Please join us today in sharing your support by tweeting:

Sample Tweet #1
Today, @ASBCouncil will join @ImpactInvestUS, @bcorpuscan, and a coalition of 45+ organizations calling for a White House Initiative on Inclusive Economic Growth to bring about real change for workers, underserved communities, and our environment.

Sample Tweet #2
After a year like no other, @ASBCouncil is joining 45+ organizations calling for bold & urgent action to address the economic fallout from COVID-19, the racial wealth gap & climate change. JOIN in calling for the creation of a White House Initiative on Inclusive Economic Growth. 

Sample Tweet #3
@ASBCouncil knows that we NEED an economy that prioritizes workers, communities, and the environment. That’s why they are joining 45+ organizations to support the White House Initiative on Inclusive Economic Growth, in order to create an economic system that works for all.

We look forward to your continued support so we can continue this important work.