How eBay, Nestle and Michelin depoliticize climate policy work

The first month of President Donald Trump’s second term brought a dizzying list of new U.S. energy, permitting and funding mandates — many centered on reversing or neutering climate policies passed under President Joe Biden.

These changes were widely expected, but the pace at which they’re being delivered is unsettling and unusual, said long-time climate policy advocates who addressed the topic during a Feb. 11 panel discussion at GreenBiz 25, hosted by Trellis Group. In response, they said, corporations should act decisively to represent their interests but avoid straying too far from the core values that have guided their policy advocacy over the past four years. They can also benefit by focusing on state and local issues.

“In my 20 years of politics, things have never come as fast and as furious,” said Meg Villarreal, director of policy and public affairs at Nestlé, the world’s largest food company based in Switzerland. 

Government affairs teams are struggling mightily to interpret the impact of new federal rules — including the funding freeze and review of grants committed under the Inflation Reduction Act — as well as executive orders that prioritize fossil fuels projects over renewable sources, and that threaten to undermine the independence of agencies such as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Meanwhile, government affairs and sustainability teams are looking to new and ongoing opportunities to share state and local policies.

Villarreal nurtured relationships with Nestlé’s sustainability team to align the company’s priorities and better support issues such as regenerative agriculture and transportation electrification. As federal priorities shift under Trump, she said, “our job in government affairs right now is to be the best go-between” between companies and policymakers possible.

Tap into issues with broader business impacts

Panelists stressed that it’s important not to let the priorities of a new administration throw long-term priorities off track. “Politics is cyclical,” Villarreal said, “so there’s no reason to give up the fight, because the political outlook could look very different in the blink of an eye.”

One way sustainability leaders can help government relation teams interpret proposed or new regulations and policies is through the lens of emissions reduction strategies and other related high-level goals, such as reducing waste sent to landfills, even when the connection isn’t immediately obvious.

“I think one thing that we forget about, and I am guilty of this myself, is that the government relations team is looking out for the business as a whole,” said Renée Morin, chief sustainability officer at eBay. “There sometimes become these issues that you don’t even think touch sustainability. But if you think about it from a slightly different angle, they do.”

EBay, for example, is involved in a coalition of companies — along with Airbnb, Etsy and Poshmark — lobbying to raise the tax-reporting threshold that covers online sellers. The 1099K rule requires online platforms to issue 1099 forms for any seller with more than $600 in transaction revenue in 2025. That’s significantly less than the $20,000 threshold for 2023.

The policy is particularly challenging for resale platforms that encourage participants to find new homes for secondhand products, such as an old sweater or vacuum cleaner, Morin said it could discourage the transition to a more circular economy. “You have to watch out for loopholes,” she said. “In addition, we’re going to look to support something that does have an added sustainability benefit, even though it’s not bright and obvious.” 

Work through like-minded trade associations 

Kara Fulcher, director of sustainability, North America, at Michelin, said that now is a good time for sustainability teams to review the “first principles” guiding their company’s business decisions and find the best way to express them in policy advocacy. 

The French tire manufacturer does this, in part, by coordinating closely with peers and rivals to align their positions through trade associations such as the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association, which represents 55 U.S. manufacturing facilities in 16 states, and a similar organization in Europe, the European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association.

“You have to have a certain track record, a certain confidence in place before you can start going out and bringing people on board,” Fulcher said. 

Bringing external awareness into the company helps build credibility with leadership, especially when the company decides to break with its peers. 

For example, a central issue for both tire trade groups is the European Union’s deforestation rule, which will require manufacturers to closely trace the source of natural rubber used in their products. Michelin broke with its peers in October to vocalize its support for the rule. The company has long invested in practices intended to reduce deforestation. 

Similarly, Nestlé parted ways with its primary trade association seven years ago, creating an alternate with Danone, Mars and Unilever — companies that share its aspirations in corporate sustainability.

Don’t underestimate the impact of persistent, ‘quiet advocacy’

EBay’s Morin stressed the value of sticking with important issues despite setbacks. She offered the example of eBay’s quest in Utah (which started in 2012, before she joined the company) to seek changes to state energy regulations so that eBay could proceed with plans to invest in clean electricity at its data center site.

Although the effort failed, eBay built local relationships during the five-year process that have connected it more closely with local priorities. “All that groundwork means in the future we have another opportunity,” she said.

In addition, the company forged stronger ties with other technology companies seeking easier ways to procure renewable solar and wind power to offset emissions. It allied with about a dozen of them to offer comments on the now-scrapped disclosure rule proposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission.  

“Quiet advocacy can make a really big difference,” Morin said. “Not only because we’ve got our voices heard collaboratively, [but because] we’ve also got relationships established between our companies. So we know who to call the next time something comes up.”

Use the right language to find common ground

Panelists also noted that corporations can earn more credibility on both sides of the political aisle by understanding potential trigger issues for each policymaker and ensuring that their advocacy messaging reflects those concerns. 

“We not only have to tailor our messaging for Republicans and how to speak with them, we have to do the same for Democrats,” Villarreal said.

Michelin’s Fulcher, who works in South Carolina, a traditional Republican stronghold, suggested that corporations spend more time interacting with local communities to better represent the interest of those constituents. Often, she noted, they will discover that there’s more alignment on policies, such as incentives to manufacture clean energy technologies, than companies realize. 

“It’s time that we also talk about where to help identify the entry points,” she said. “Let’s not look for the exit points; let’s be looking for additional entry points for our neighbors.”