The Gulf Coast Carbon Collaborative is a cross-industry platform designed to mobilize the collective energy & motivation of businesses in the Gulf Coast to create measurable, long-term impact in reducing carbon emissions in the region while enhancing economic vitality.
Business-led, Cross-Industry, and Action-Oriented
The goal of the Gulf Coast Carbon Collaborative is to develop multi-industry decarbonization projects in the Gulf Coast region. The US Business Council for Sustainable Development, which is leading the effort, has 25+ years of experience facilitating cross-industry sustainability initiatives, using a methodology that has proven successful in translating business goals into actionable projects.
The empirical data from the Gulf Coast Carbon Collaborative’s activities helps demonstrate the value, commitment and investment of companies in decarbonizing the Gulf region. On-the-ground project results can underpin policy initiatives, connect with research projects led by top academic institutions, and offer a market for new technologies. Working together, participating companies and organizations will be well positioned to accelerate the development of carbon reduction projects in the region.
Geared Towards Action
The Gulf Coast Carbon Collaborative is driven by business and focused on developing and implementing initiatives that reduce carbon emissions across the economy while minimizing business impacts.
Successful strategies pursued by the group might include equipment modernization; technology and operating improvements; electrification; shifts to renewable energy sources; land-based sequestration; and carbon capture, utilization, and storage.
Better understanding of carbon reduction techniques helps participating company representatives engage internal decision-makers on potential solutions, leading to de-risked investments in appropriate decarbonization strategies.
Regional Focus
Some reduction strategies may be unique to or higher priority in the region, given industry mix and existing infrastructure. The Gulf region’s experience with climate impacts and resilience has already focused attention and identified some barriers to action.
Regional focus also allows for outreach to small/medium enterprises - entities with high value and leverage, but without staff or resources to do it alone or participate in national groups.
This program is specifically tailored to businesses and organizations with operations in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and parts of Florida.
Current Working Groups
Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage - Companies are interested in aggregating carbon from many facilities and connecting to offshore sequestration hubs in Louisiana and Texas.
Energy Transition- Member targets and strategies are being analyzed for alignment and potential collaboration while best practices are being shared on project valuation and financing. Nuclear generation, advanced solar and wind technologies are being explored by member companies for collaborative pilot projects.
Nature Based Solutions - Member goals and resources are being matched with established solution providers and technical expertise in pursuit of demonstration projects.
Hydrogen: Members are defining hydrogen use, production, storage, transportation and market development opportunities and obstacles.
Collaboration Framework
The structure of the Gulf Coast Carbon Collaborative enables broad collaboration without losing business focus. The group engages with a wide range of supporting NGOs, business groups, academic leaders, and government entities interested in carbon reduction regionally and nationally, but our core focus will always be on business and industry in the region. As projects are identified, we bring in solution providers including engineering and consulting firms directly involved in carbon reduction work.
Cross-Sector Engagement
Our approach to cross-sector engagement creates conversations across sectors, customers, and suppliers up and down the value stream. This unique engagement reveals unexplored common interests and opportunities, generates new ideas, new solutions, and brings new energy to develop strategies.
More than 100 companies have participated from the automotive, power, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, chemical, refining, and transportation sectors.
Founding members of the Gulf Coast Carbon Collaborative as of January 2020 include leading utility, energy generation and transmission, chemical and manufacturing companies in the region - get in touch with the the program team using the form below to add your company to the mix!
“If we can bring the collective power of this group and examples of the projects that come out of it to bear on developing good policies, they are much more likely to become reality. The result will be greater net benefits to our communities and our planet.”
— Chuck Barlow, Vice President, Sustainability and Environmental Policy at Entergy
Special thanks to Entergy Corporation for their generous support of the Gulf Coast Carbon Collaborative Kick-off Event in December 2019.
And company representatives from: AEP, AmerisourceBergen Corporation, Armstrong Flooring, Bank of America, BASF, BNSF, C2ES, Center for Houston's Future, CenterPoint Energy, Cheniere, Dow, DTE Energy, Enbridge, Entergy, Ernest N. Morial Convention Center New Orleans, Formosa Plastics, Forterra, Honeywell, Ingersoll Rand, LA Mid-Continental Oil & Gas Association, NRG, Port of New Orleans, Renewable Energy Group, Restore the Earth Foundation, Sempra, Shell, Southern Company, Tierra Resources, Total and Toyota.
There is tremendous industrial activity in the Gulf Coast Region supporting a strong economy, and companies are more motivated than ever to reduce carbon emissions.
If your company is interested in learning different strategies, techniques, and ways you can work together to drive greater carbon reduction, get in touch with us about joining the Collaborative today.
The Gulf Coast Carbon Collaborative is a platform from the US Business Council for Sustainable Development. The US BCSD and platform partners are organizing a series of quarterly working meetings around the Gulf Coast region focused on project development, strategy/technology information sharing, and other barriers and enablers around policy and regulation, education and communications.
In between meetings, working groups will be convened around different content areas, and various virtual events (webinars and webcasts) will be scheduled to maintain engagement between events.
Contact Claude Griffin at griffin@usbcsd.org with any questions about participation.