Pure Earth provides corporations opportunities to have direct impact in a specific country and/or support specific interventions. Currently Pure Earth is implementing two multi-year initiatives addressing lead and mercury pollution with the exciting potential to scale up solutions in 10 countries.

• Matching Employees Gifts
• Corporate Project/Country Sponsorships
• Corporate Partner Fundraising (like a personal fundraising page, but for a corporation)
• Become a participating partner in the Protecting Every Child’s Potential initiative or the Global Lead/Mercury Program
• Awareness raising campaign via social channels and employees
• In Kind donations
• ProBono donations

Explore these opportunities.  Contact Carol Sumkin, VP of Development, [email protected]

Depending on level of support, Pure Earth facilitates the following for its corporate partners:

• Reports, stories from the field, photographs and videos demonstrating the impact of the corporation’s grant for internal and external use
• Participation in the Pure Earth Day Campaign
• Invitation to the International Women’s Day Virtual Luncheon
• Access to Pure Earth’s experts and in-country partners
• Promotion of partnership and its impact in press releases, on the website, social media, annual report
• Executive membership on Pure Earth’s Leadership Council
• Access to advance drafts of cutting edge reports

Pollution is the leading cause of death worldwide and growing, costing the global economy $4.6 trillion annually. Of the 9 million deaths per year, 92% occur in low- and middle-income countries. Furthermore, even though pollution from toxics like air particulates, lead and mercury often originates from the developing world, these pollutants migrate around the globe through the air, water, soil, food and products, affecting everyone.

Modern pollution (that of soil, chemicals and ambient air), is the direct result of industrialization and urbanization, as is climate change.  In addition, air pollution is closely linked to climate change, specifically particulates from fossil fuel burning are both warming agents and the cause of cancers, cardiovascular disease and other non-communicable diseases.

In general, multinational and large companies proactively control their toxic emissions to minimize health and environmental impacts.  However, in low- and middle-income countries, small- and middle-sized enterprises (SME) and even livelihood operators often avoid regulatory compliance, and are a main source of pollutants that result in the enormous health burden we observe today.  This results in inequity in market inequality, which needs to be addressed to ensure a level playing field.

There is burgeoning recognition that pollution control/prevention must be a top environmental and health priority.  Not only do technologies and protocols need to be shared with SMEs and livelihood operators in developing countries, but the governments’ capacity to develop and enforce effective policies and regulations must be supported.

Finally, pollution is well-recognized in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In SDG 3 “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being…”, pollution is directly associated with Target 3.4 “to reduce premature mortality from non-communicable disease through prevention…”  and 3.9 “to reduce number of deaths from… pollution and contamination.” Further, pollution control is closely linked to the SDGS that focus on sustainable economic growth and climate change.

Why is corporate leadership essential?

Engagement in pollution control is critical to ensuring a level playing field, as well as advancing sustainable livelihoods and products.  Typically, large corporations, especially multinational corporations, have strong pollution management strategies, and comply with regulations. However, their competitors, local or small companies, sometimes livelihood operations, often do not follow regulatory or best practices, have lower operating costs, and sometimes an unfair competitive advantage. This can result in the diversion of business from the formal sector to the informal sector. Diminishing that advantage benefits employees, customers, the public at large and especially locally-affected populations.

Sustainable practices— whether associated with supply chain, agriculture, employment, economic growth, industrialization, climate change, or development—need to encompass pollution control.  Any practice that poisons people and/or property cannot be considered sustainable.   With strong corporate alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals, pollution management is a reasonable addition.  Progress on pollution advances 10 of the 17 SDGs, and supports integrating pollution control into CSR agendas.  For example, advancing SDG 8 “Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, and full and productive employment and decent work for all” requires that a product or product component does not poison workers, communities and/or contaminates the environment.

Similarly, for corporations to meet expanded ESG (environmental, social and governance) goals, an analysis of pollution exposures generated by production, disposal and recycling processes (and those of the supply chain) should be reported, alongside carbon footprint.  Reporting associated with industries’ “pollution footprint” can inform the need for better sectoral regulation and enforcement.  Reporting related to environmental exposures to employees, local communities and customers are also valuable in ESG.  These are new initiatives within ESG, and standard methodologies for these reports need to be developed.

A Value Proposition: Pure Earth and the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP)

Although some environmental and health organizations, as well as corporate associations have begun to address aspects of disease-causing pollution, Pure Earth and GAHP provide a unique opportunity.  Corporations can invest in a comprehensive strategy and concrete pollution prevention/control activities that benefit employees, consumers and the public at large, as well as mitigate their industry’s risks associated with pollution.

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