ClimateVoice Press Release · June 26, 2025
San Francisco, CA — 20 U.S. based companies fund climate policy obstruction through trade association memberships allied with a fossil fuel agenda and through hiring lobbyists who also work for the fossil fuel industry, according to a newly expanded Climate Policy Obstruction Scorecard, released today by ClimateVoice.
This update adds five new popular consumer brands Nike, Procter & Gamble, Starbucks, Uber, and Walmart, underscoring that companies considered environmental leaders are opposing climate action. Other companies spotlighted include Pepsi and Salesforce, both of which have recently downgraded prior sustainability ambitions. Pepsi watered down its suite of climate commitments “citing a lack of system-wide investment in cleaner technologies and support from policymakers as reasons for the shift,” according to Trellis. Similarly, while Salesforce has long touted its sustainability efforts, last month they quietly dropped key climate goals related to cutting emissions.
Each company scored is a member of the Business Roundtable (BRT) and/or the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, trade organizations that have spent years and millions of dollars lobbying against climate progress. From lobbying against climate-related legislation, opposing clean energy investments, fighting climate disclosure laws, and working to block strong pollution standards, these powerful U.S. trade groups have consistently thwarted climate action. Most recently, the U.S. Chamber joined the American Petroleum Institute to file multiple lawsuits to block new laws in Vermont and New York requiring oil and gas companies to pay for climate change damages. This Spring, the Business Roundtable called on policymakers to ban climate-related shareholder resolutions.
“Industry associations still play a hugely significant role in influencing government policy. The energy policy positions and priorities that these companies have communicated are being undermined by the influence of industry associations they remain members of. Around the world, investors, companies and their industry associations are shifting their positions to back science-aligned policy to decarbonize the economy,” said Ed Collins, a Director at InfluenceMap, whose data and analysis on trade associations inform the Scorecard rankings. “The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Business Roundtable are increasingly looking like exceptions to this trend, with advocacy on the energy transition that often only aligns with the demands of fossil fuel companies.”
The U.S. Chamber and BRT receive failing grades when it comes to climate policy engagement. Furthermore, the U.S. Chamber’s policy engagement mirrors fossil fuel interest advocacy positions, aligning most closely with the American Petroleum Institute (ranked E- by InfluenceMap) and the American Gas Association (which receives an F).
“We need true climate leaders – not obstructors – and we need them now,” said Deborah McNamara, Executive Director of ClimateVoice. “Companies should be leading on climate policy – not falling in line with the fossil fuel agenda pushed by these trade groups and the new U.S. administration.”
In an era when many companies have remained largely silent in the face of attacks on climate and clean energy, 84% of companies are nonetheless keeping or accelerating climate targets – and nearly 70% of the world’s 500 largest companies have a public climate commitment.
Dominic Gogol, Director of Advocacy Initiatives at We Mean Business, said, “The disconnect between many large companies’ public climate commitments and the advocacy work done by trade associations on their behalf is stark – and must be urgently addressed. Through our work with companies on Responsible Policy Engagement, we’re seeing corporates looking to leverage their influence and membership dues to call for greater accountability and policy alignment. The business case is clear: reducing emissions offers a pathway to operational efficiencies, greater resilience and reduced risk. Companies must take proactive steps to ensure their lobbying and association memberships support – not undermine – their business goals.”
The scorecard also assesses publicly disclosed paid lobbyists who are lobbying on behalf of these companies while also working for the fossil fuel industry. This data was collected from the F Minus Lobbyist Database, which shows that more than 1,500 state-level lobbyists are working both for multiple stakeholders (whether it be environmental groups, schools, companies, or governments) as well as for fossil fuel companies with conflicting priorities.
“It’s bad for their brands and calamitous for the climate when companies go out and hire fossil fuel lobbyists,” said James Browning, Executive Director of F Minus. “Intentionally or not, top American companies are undermining their own message on climate by hiring these lobbyists who also work for fossil fuel companies and funders of climate denialism.”
ClimateVoice, a non-profit founded by former Google and Facebook sustainability leader Bill Weihl, is a project of Tides Center.