American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC) is a left-of-center multi-issue advocacy group that claims to represent American business.

It advocates for greater regulation of businesses on environmentalist grounds, as well as ending the U.S. Senate’s filibuster rule in order to enact left-of-center election administration legislation. ASBC funds research, conducts polls, and supports environmental legislation to promote ecological considerations in all aspects of business, from recyclable product packaging to “green building” in real estate construction. It also supports various left-leaning policy initiatives relating to race, labor and employment law, and taxes.

The organization signed a petition supporting the Green New Deal and has opposed the use of zero carbon nuclear energy. ^{1 2}

Projects

Publications

Among other publications, American Sustainable Business Council released a white paper entitled The Business Case for Rethinking Fracking, which simultaneously acknowledged and downplayed the economic and environmental benefits of shale natural gas mining, colloquially known as “fracking.” The paper accused the oil industry of understating the environmental effects of fracking by focusing only on the effects of the mining process itself, and not peripheral effects. ASBC calls for a moratorium on new fracking permits until long-term studies of environmental effects are completed and more stringent federal standards are imposed, so that the energy industry can meet the “burden of proof” that it can address “suspected risks to water, air, climate and local economies in the long-term.” ³

In another white paper, How Green Building Helps the U.S. Economy, ASBC advocated for mandating rating processes through third-party environmental organizations such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Energy Star, claiming that buildings created in conjunction with these companies’ standards actually appreciated in value over time at a higher rate than others.⁴

ASBC also publishes a guide instructing its readers on how to effectively lobby elected officials and craft social media messaging for maximum public impact. ⁵

PRO Act

ASBC partners with the labor union-associated American Income Life Insurance Company to support the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act.  This labor union-backed legislation would eliminate “right-to-work” laws, as well as restrict which employees can classified as “independent contractors,” potentially affecting so-called “gig economy” workers. ^{6 7}

Race and Equity Working Group

ASBC hosts a Race and Equity Working Group. Among its projects is support of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would require anti-discrimination training and the use of body cameras by police officers, as well as expanding the power of the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct so-called “pattern and practice” investigations of alleged discrimination by local police forces. ⁸

The Race and Equity Working group also supports ending the “qualified immunity rule” that restricts the circumstances under which a police officer can be sued for alleged misconduct. ⁹

Voting Legislation and Filibuster “Carveout”

In October 2021, the U.S. Senate declined to close debate and proceed to a vote on the Freedom to Vote Act, which would make sweeping changes to voting laws such as allowing electronic copies of identification and mandating early voting. ASBC joined Main Street Alliance and Small Business Majority, two other left-leaning “business” groups, in calling for special exceptions to the filibuster rule for so-called “democracy protection” legislation supported by Senate Democrats and opposed by Republicans. ASBC refers to this change as a “carveout” from the filibuster rules. ¹⁰ ASBC also supports the passage of the For the People Act, which would require states to allow individuals to register to vote online, as well as requiring states to send an application for an absentee ballot to each registered voter, and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would force states to seek federal approval before making any alterations to voter requirements. ^{11 12}

Global Tax Regulation

In October 2021 ASBC hosted a YouTube forum featuring Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) in which it advocated for a minimum “country-by-country” tax to combat American companies’ abuse of offshore “tax havens.” ¹³

Opposition to Nuclear Energy

In May of 2021, the American Sustainable Business Council was one of 715 groups and businesses listed as a co-signer on a letter to the leadership of the U.S. House and Senate that referred to nuclear energy as a “dirty” form of energy production and a “significant” source of pollution. The letter asked federal lawmakers to reduce carbon emissions by creating a “renewable electricity standard” that promoted production of weather dependent power sources such as wind turbines and solar panels, but did not promote low carbon natural gas and zero carbon nuclear energy. ¹⁴

Nuclear power plants produce no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions, and as of 2021 accounted for 19 percent of American electricity production—the largest source of zero carbon electricity in the United States. ¹⁵ An October 2018 proposal from The Nature Conservancy noted that zero-carbon nuclear plants produced 7.8 percent of total world energy output and recommended reducing carbon emissions by increasing nuclear capacity to 33 percent of total world energy output. ¹⁶

People

Jeffrey Hollender, CEO and co-founder of ASBC, is also the co-founder and CEO of Seventh Generation cleaning products, and founder of Sustain Natural, which produces and markets feminine care products. He is also the former board chair of Greenpeace US. ¹⁷

David Levine, president and co-founder of ASBC, is the co-founder of the Continuing Education and Public Education program at the Graduate Center of City University of New York founder and former executive director of the Learning Alliance education resource. ¹⁸

Thomas Oppel, executive vice president of ASBC is the founder and president of consulting firm O2 Strategies, and co-founder of environmental consulting firm The Mabus Group. He is the former chief of staff under Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus in the Obama administration. Prior to this position, he worked as press secretary and political advisor to Mabus during his Mississippi gubernatorial campaign. ¹⁹

1. ”Green New Deal Hub.” Influence Watch. https://www.influencewatch.org/hub/green-new-deal/.
2. Letter from Center for Biological Diversity et. al. to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Joe Manchin, and Rep. Frank Pallone. “RE: CONGRESS SHOULD ENACT A FEDERAL RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY STANDARD AND REJECT GAS AND FALSE SOLUTIONS.” May 12, 2021. Accessed July 25, 2023. https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/energy-justice/pdfs/2021-5-12_600-Group-Letter-for-RES.pdf?_gl=1*1c9h3t8*_gcl_au*MTc3NjM3MTM1Mi4xNjg5OTU1MzAz
3. “The Business Case for Rethinking Fracking.” ASBC. 2015. Accessed November 1, 2021. https://www.asbcouncil.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/asbc_fracking_report_2015_sv_finalkh.pdf
4. “How Green Building Helps the U.S. Economy.” ASBC. Accessed November 1, 2021. https://www.asbcouncil.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/asbc_green_building_industry_brief_20160522a.pdf
5. “Step Up, Speak Out, Impact Policy.” ASBC. Undated. Accessed November 1, 2021.  https://www.asbcouncil.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/asbc-ccm-step-up-speak-out-advocacy-guide.pdf?1571857214
6. ^[1] Millsap, Adam. “PRO Act Will Harm, Not Help, Workers.” Forbes. January 27, 2021. Accessed November 1, 2021. https://www.forbes.com/sites/adammillsap/2021/01/27/pro-act-will-harm-not-help-workers/?sh=4a3b7fc9499b
7. “The Protect the Right to Organize Act.” ASBC. Accessed November 1, 2021.  https://www.asbcouncil.org/protect-right-organize-act
8. “H.R. 7120 George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.” Congress.gov. Accessed November 1, 2021. https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/7120
9. “Tell Congress to End Qualified Immunity.” ASBC. Accessed November 1, 2021. https://asbc.salsalabs.org/tellyourlegislatorssupportendingqualifiedimmunitybillh/index.html
10. “Leading Small Business Organizations Call for Filibuster Carveout to Start Debate on the Freedom to Vote Act.” ASBC. October 20, 2021. Accessed November 1, 2021. https://www.asbcouncil.org/media-release/leading-small-business-organizations-call-filibuster-carveout-start-debate-freedom
11. “H.R. 1 For the People Act of 2021.” Congress.gov. Accessed November 1, 2021. https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1/text
12. “H.R. 4 John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021.” Congress.gov. Accessed November 1, 2021. https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4
13. “Advancing Corporate Tax Transparency: A Conversation with Sen. Van Hollen MD, Rep Axne IA, and Busin.” Youtube. October 6, 2021. Accessed November 1, 2021.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRIT9JcXQgE
14. Letter from Center for Biological Diversity et. al. to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Joe Manchin, and Rep. Frank Pallone. “RE: CONGRESS SHOULD ENACT A FEDERAL RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY STANDARD AND REJECT GAS AND FALSE SOLUTIONS.” May 12, 2021. Accessed July 25, 2023. https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/energy-justice/pdfs/2021-5-12_600-Group-Letter-for-RES.pdf?_gl=1*1c9h3t8*_gcl_au*MTc3NjM3MTM1Mi4xNjg5OTU1MzAz
15. “Nuclear explained.” U.S. Energy Information Administration. Accessed July 25, 2023. https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/nuclear/us-nuclear-industry.php
16. “The Science of Sustainability.” The Nature Conservancy. October 13, 2018. Accessed July 25, 2023. https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/the-science-of-sustainability/
17. ^[1] ASBC. “Jeffrey Hollender.” ASBC Website. Undated. Accessed November 1, 2021.  https://www.asbcouncil.org/profile/jeffrey-hollender-ceo-co-founder-asbc
18.  “David Levine.” ASBC Website. Accessed November 1, 2021.https://www.asbcouncil.org/profile/david-levine-1
19. “Thomas Oppel.” ASBC Website. Accessed November 1, 2021.https://www.asbcouncil.org/profile/thomas-oppel