[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4985]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE 2015 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT ``CREATE, GROW, SUSTAIN: 
                          LEADING BY EXAMPLE''

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                            HON. FRED UPTON

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 14, 2015

  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, it is wholly fitting that I rise today, Earth 
Day, to call attention to a report that attests to all of the wonderful 
strides our nation's largest companies are taking in the interest of 
sustainability--strides taken not in response to government mandates, 
but because they are good for customers, good for employees, good for 
the bottom line, and good for the communities in which these companies 
do business.
  Mr. Speaker, for several years Business Roundtable, a fine 
organization that represents CEOs of more than 200 of the country's 
largest companies, has released a comprehensive Sustainability Report 
in conjunction with Earth Day. The companies participating in the 
report--most of the Roundtable's members--submit considerable 
information about the many ways in which they are striving to take 
sustainability to an even higher level.
  Some companies have focused on drastically reducing the energy they 
use or increasing their use of renewable energy. Others have cut their 
waste production while increasing their commitment to reuse and recycle 
in ever more innovative ways. Still others have built sustainability 
into their products and workforce policies. Many have made progress on 
several fronts at once.
  The 2015 edition of the Business Roundtable's Sustainability Report, 
``Create, Grow, Sustain: Leading by Example,'' is hot off the presses, 
and it is a pleasure for me to introduce it into the Record today. What 
is most notable--and impressive--to me is that the CEOs themselves 
contributed to this report through signed letters. These leaders 
personally attest to the steps taken by their companies and are 
justifiably proud of them. What a perfect way to mark this Earth Day.
  Beyond that, what is most striking about the long list of 
accomplishments in the area of sustainability by our nation's largest 
firms is that for the most part, their actions have been taken not 
because they were forced to by regulations and legislation but because 
they were good for the bottom line. We see this happening more and 
more. Companies are using their ingenuity to reduce their impact on the 
environment, not because they are threatened with government action, 
but because they consider solid corporate citizenship, including 
lessening their environmental footprint, to be a major company value.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope our colleagues will take the time to review 
``Create, Grow, Sustain: Leading by Example'' so that we all can share 
with our constituent companies the many lessons that Business 
Roundtable companies have to offer.

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