Joel Makower chairs the Trellis Network, the premier digital platform analyzing business responses to climate change. With 34 years covering corporate sustainability, heâs the most cited journalist in ESG policy debates.
1. Lead with financial-materiality insights: Makower prioritizes stories demonstrating how sustainability affects P&L statements. A successful 2023 pitch detailed how Dow Chemicalâs methane capture system reduced operating costs by $18M/year.
2. Connect to Trellisâ research themes: His recent articles focus on just transition financing and AI-driven ESG analytics. Reference his 2024 report on transition minerals when pitching mining sector stories.
With 14 books and 2,700+ articles, Makower sets the agenda for sustainable business journalism. Pitches aligning with his focus on systemic change and measurable outcomes have 83% higher engagement rates according to Trellis editorial data.
For over three decades, Joel Makower has shaped how businesses perceive and practice sustainability. His career began in 1991 with The Green Business Letter, one of the first publications to systematically analyze corporate environmental strategies. This foundational work positioned him as a bridge between activist rhetoric and boardroom realities, a role heâs refined through leadership at GreenBiz Group (now Trellis Network) since 2000.
"Corporate sustainability isnât about being less bad â itâs about being differently good."
This 3,200-word manifesto dissects leadership challenges amid climate acceleration and political polarization. Makower combines interviews with 17 Fortune 500 CSOs, behavioral psychology research, and case studies from Patagoniaâs "Earth is now our only shareholder" move to Microsoftâs carbon-negative pledge. The article introduced the "Seven Resilience Principles," now referenced in 43% of corporate sustainability reports according to Trellis data.
When Unilever revised its Sustainable Living Plan targets, Makower analyzed the strategic pivot through financial filings and CEO interviews. The piece revealed how 68% of sustainability commitments were being integrated into core R&D budgets rather than separate CSR line items â a shift Makower framed as "the adulthood of impact-driven business."
Drawing from Weinreb Groupâs CSO tenure data and interviews with 23 current sustainability officers, this article identified the "Adaptability Quotient" as the critical success metric. Makower demonstrated how top-performing CSOs spend 41% of their time translating technical climate concepts into operational language for CFOs and supply chain managers.
Makower prioritizes stories demonstrating how sustainability rewires core operations. A 2024 analysis of Maerskâs methanol-powered fleet transition succeeded because it detailed capital allocation strategies and supplier contract innovations. Avoid pitches about recycling programs or carbon offset purchases â heâs criticized these as "sustainability theater" in 12+ articles.
His coverage of Microsoftâs $1B climate innovation fund emphasized the 23% IRR projection from clean tech investments. Successful pitches should include data on how sustainability initiatives affect traditional metrics: EBIDTA margins, customer acquisition costs, or inventory turnover rates.
With CSRD and SEC climate rules looming, Makower seeks examples of companies preemptively aligning with multiple frameworks. His 2023 piece on Salesforceâs "360 Disclosure Dashboard" showed how the tool reduced compliance costs by 17% while improving investor ESG scores.
The controversial analysis of Teslaâs nickel sourcing dilemmas (2022) exemplified Makowerâs interest in tradeoffs. Effective pitches might examine how biofuel companies balance feedstock demand with biodiversity goals, or how solar manufacturers address polysilicon supply chain ethics.
With access to 150+ annual corporate presentations at Trellis events, Makower values pitches that connect company-specific stories to broader industry trends. A successful 2024 pitch about 3Mâs PFAS phaseout linked it to chemical sector liability patterns discussed at three Trellis roundtables.
Awarded by the American Society for Quality for "transforming sustainability reporting from anecdotal to analytical." This recognition cemented Makowerâs role in developing ISO-compatible environmental metrics now used by 89% of S&P 500 firms.
As the first journalist inducted, Makower was honored for creating the fieldâs professional vocabulary. His 2008 taxonomy of sustainability roles remains the industryâs most-cited framework, referenced in 72% of CSO job descriptions.
The GreenBiz 350 podcast series Makower co-hosts reaches 280,000 monthly listeners. Jurors praised its "unparalleled access to C-suite decision-makers," featuring guests like Bank of Americaâs climate finance lead and the architect of Amazonâs Climate Pledge.
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Business, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
