Although neither Donald Trump nor Kamala Harris made sustainability-related issues their top priority while campaigning, Trump’s election victory will play a critical role in shaping the US’s sustainability policies. Alongside significant influence as a national figure, the president directs sustainability and climate policy through signing treaties, implementing federal initiatives and appointing administrators to independent regulatory agencies like the EPA and OSHA.
With the announcement that Trump has been elected, corporate climate leaders – both within the US and across the world – will be analysing what this means for policies and regulations over the next four years. While nothing is certain until Trump takes office in January, Verdantix analysis predicts how the President-elect may act on sustainability-related issues:
Trump’s election will impact several aspects of corporate sustainability initiatives – including what funds are available through federal incentive programmes and how fast the grid will decarbonize – but firms should not abandon or dilute their sustainability programmes. If national regulations and initiatives are weakened, or even reversed, many US firms will still be subject to the EU’s CSRD, sustainability-related requests from stakeholders and state-level requirements, and will continue to face sustainability-related risks in their supply chains. Additionally, sustainability initiatives also present significant opportunities, with an increasing number of corporate leaders recognizing their business benefits, such as lower costs, reduced risks and higher revenues.
For more on the potential impacts of the US election – and how corporate leaders can prepare for impending policy changes – read Verdantix Strategic Focus: The Sustainability-Related Implications Of The 2024 Elections Go Well Beyond The Presidency.
