The Power of Partnerships
Protecting the environment is everyone's business.
2000: Delivering better mileage and less soot with FedEx.
EDF opens the door for progress by forging alliances with partners ranging from farmers to Fortune 500 companies.
By working with leading corporations, we have demonstrated the business benefits of environmental innovation and created a race to the top of the green ladder. In every partnership, we aim not just to improve one company’s performance, but to spur environmental gains across an entire economic sector. A recent Financial Times study of 850 business-nonprofit partnerships worldwide named EDF the #1 environmental partner.
"To maintain our objectivity, we accept no funding from our corporate partners. That independence frees us to set aggressive goals and drive change across entire industries"
-Gwen Ruta, VP Corporate Partnerships, Environmental Defense Fund
Partnerships from Past Years
1990: McDonald’s cuts 150,000 tons of waste
In the first collaboration between an environmental group and a leading corporation, McDonald’s accepts the recommendations of our joint waste-reduction task force, doing away with foam-plastic sandwich boxes and eliminating 150,000 tons of packaging waste over ten years. Others in the restaurant industry quickly follow suit.
1995: Four million acres of wildlife habitat preserved
North Carolina’s Pinehurst Resort becomes our first partner in Safe Harbor, a program that gives landowners incentives to help endangered species on their property. Red-cockaded woodpeckers at Pinehurst and rare species at other Safe Harbor properties have enjoyed a resurgence. Today more than four million acres of critical habitat on working lands are being protected.
2000: Delivering better mileage, with 96% less soot
We begin a partnership with FedEx to develop a cleaner, more efficient delivery truck. The resulting hybrid electric trucks, designed by Eaton Corporation, cut smog-causing emissions by 65%, reduce soot by 96% and get 50% better mileage. Today, all major U.S. truck manufacturers offer midsize hybrids and more than 100 fleets use them.
2007: One company influences 100,000 suppliers
EDF becomes the first environmental group to open an office in Bentonville, Arkansas, home of Walmart. We’re helping Walmart, the world’s largest retailer improve energy efficiency and cut waste. We’re also working with Walmart to set a high environmental bar for its suppliers in China. EDF recently helped launch a process to create a sustainability index, which will be used to assess the environmental performance of Walmart’s 100,000 suppliers.
2009: Encouraging sustainable growth in India
India began opening to world trade a decade ago, and today its economy is growing almost as fast as China’s. When EDF decided to paths to sustainable growth in India, it was clear that local partnerships would be key. See how we connected with local youth groups and rural communities.
Posted: 18-Dec-2009; Updated: 18-Dec-2009
