July 2019 Policy Update

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Plastic Pollution Law Progresses in CA

ASBC is closely following a pair of circular economy bills – SB 54 and AB 1080 — the California Circular Economy and Plastic Pollution Reduction Act. ASBC voiced our support at hearings on July 3 and 8. Both bills have passed in their original houses. ASBC sees organizing California business support as a good start for our federal circular economy campaign. Consulting with California allies, we’ve developed principles that:

  • utilize Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s circular economy principles;
  • ensure local governments don’t shoulder the entire responsibility;
  • define “recyclable” and “compostable” so that criteria for packaging and receiving facilities align for maximum recovery;
  • provide incentives for companies that manufacture or use PCR materials in products or packaging.

Want to help ASBC shape and advocate for responsible packaging waste reduction policies? Let us know!

Click to Tweet: Plastic pollution crisis is mounting, but California bills #SB54 and #AB1080 aim to reduce single-use disposable products and packaging by 75% by 2030. Urge legislators to support these bills and help close the loop against plastic pollution!

What’s New

Clean Water Still on Defense

ASBC partners recently testified at a Senate environmental committee hearing on how the administration’s proposed rollback of Waters of the U.S. regulations threatens clean water. The rule will likely be finalized later this year, but this EPA’s attacks will continue. Sign-on to voice support for ASBC’s ongoing work to defend and improve vital clean water policies. 

Click to Tweet: The Administration’s roll back of the Clean Water Rule is bad for business. Join @ASBCouncil and voice your opposition to attacks on clean water protections. https://ctt.ec/xZa7k+

Support Cosmetic Chemical Disclosure Act Now

In California, the Cosmetic Fragrance and Flavor Ingredient Right to Know Act of 2019 (SB 574) has passed the Assembly’s Environmental Safety and Toxic Material Committee! The bill now moves to the Appropriations Committee, and your support is crucial as we approach the floor vote in September. Add your business voice: sign on to our letter!

Click to Tweet: Consumers and employees have a right to know what chemicals are in the products they are buying or working with. California bill #SB574 would provide this information. Sign on to show your support. https://ctt.ec/9Xh4d+

Make Chemistry R&D Innovative and Sustainable!

Earlier this year, ASBC endorsed Senator Coons’ (D-DE) Sustainable Chemistry Research and Development Act of 2019. This bill has been offered before but has now been introduced in both chambers (H.R.2051 and S.999). The Act forms a coordinating entity to help ensure that sustainable chemistry practices are used in all chemistry-based research and production. Learn more in the one-pager on Senator Coons’ webpage.

Getting involved: A hearing on this bill will be held in the House Committee on Science, Space, & Technology this fall. In advance, please contact your legislators and urge them to support H.R. 2051 and S. 999 – and stay tuned for updates from ASBC.

Media Coverage, Blogs, and More:

ASBC Staff News

  • David Beech has joined ASBC as a Policy Intern. After graduating from U. of Iowa in 2017 with a B.A. in Political Science and Ethics & Public Policy, David did a year of national service with AmeriCorps NCCC. In August 2018, he moved to New York City to pursue a Masters of Public Administration at NYU. He is interested in working on climate change policy, especially carbon pricing; and in gaining advocacy experience on Capitol Hill.
     
  • David Bernstein has joined ASBC as a Policy Intern. After graduating from Duke University in 2018 with a B.A. in Public Policy, David worked on a congressional campaign in Maryland’s first district. More recently, worked for a new nonprofit, The Purple Project for Democracy. He is interested in environmental policy and renewable energy technologies, and in gaining research and advocacy experience.
     
  • Amelia Jones , a senior Environmental Studies and Biology major at Middlebury College, has joined ASBC as a Policy Intern this summer. The Dallas, TX native’s education has fueled her passion for protecting the earth and all its inhabitants. With a strong background in biological research and the scientific aspect of environmental studies, Amelia plans to learn more about the policy aspect through ASBC’s Packaging Waste Reduction campaign.
     
  • Arin Kaye recently joined ASBC’s Policy Team, where she will be specializing in water and sustainable agriculture initiatives. Arin is a combined Bachelors/Masters student at American University in the School of International Service, majoring in International Studies with a focus on Environmental Sustainability and Global Health, and minoring in Sustainability in the Kogod School of Business while pursuing her Masters in Global Environmental Policy. This summer, she is focused on learning from ASBC’s team and helping to further its mission.

ASBC Member News

National Stewardship Action Council Webinars

Want to learn more about battery recycling, household hazardous waste reuse, or pharmaceutical and sharps producer responsibility? To learn from the experts, sign up for our informational webinars on 7/24, 9/5, and 10/24. $125 each, free for NSAC partners, (or buy an individual partnership for $125 and receive one free webinar through June 2020, and other benefits.) Can’t make that day and time? We record every webinar so you can watch it at your convenience. For more information email Jordan@nsaction.us
 

Soli Clean Seeks ASBC Member Input in Short Survey

Soli, the customer rewards program that fights climate change, has been chosen to participate in the national CleanTech Open Accelerator Competition which helps start-ups target first markets, attract investment and build customer traction. To help us prepare, we’re asking fellow ASBC members to help with a quick, five-question survey. The survey consists of just five main questions, with some sub-questions depending on main responses. All responses are confidential, and results will only be used in the aggregate.

Upcoming Events

Save the Date: ASBC Sustainable Business & Advocacy Summit: “Making Capitalism Work for All”
Washington, D.C. | December 10 – 11
Join American Sustainable Business Council, the nation’s leading voice for responsible business thought and advocacy, as we tackle issues that will impact your operations and the economy in 2020 and beyond.

Boston GreenFest
Boston, MA | August 16 – 18
Boston GreenFest is an inspiring, energizing, and free three-day festival in a new venue on the Rose Kennedy Greenway and Long Wharf. Under this year’s theme, Connecting Land and Sea, attendees will learn how to be better stewards of our environment, share ideas and celebrate the green way of doing things! ASBC CEO Jeffrey Hollender will be a keynote speaker.

The Responsible Business Summit West 2019
San Diego, CA | October 9 – 10
The Responsible Business Summit West brings together more than 250 CEOs, sustainability leaders, investors, government representatives and NGOs to provide the blueprint for innovations and understand what technology will drive the change that sustainability will shape.

Regenerative Earth Summit
Boulder, CO | October 29 – 30
Join At The Epicenter for the third annual Regenerative Earth Summit (RES19)that convenes global leaders from business, agriculture, academia and civic sectors who recognize we can accelerate systemic change in land to market systems that benefit people and planet. Recognizing earth as the source, not a resource, it is crucial that businesses become stakeholders in climate action through their purchasing power and supply source decisions.