The Business Council of Australia (BCA) copped a hiding today. Both Greenpeace and the Climate Council have come out swinging against the nation’s peak business lobby group, accusing it of cooking up “junkyard modelling” and dragging the chain on climate action just when the country needs to lock in its 2035 emissions target.

The BCA’s shiny new report, Australia 2035 – Maximising Australia’s Potential, was pitched as a roadmap for how business can get us to net zero by 2050. It laid out three possible emissions reduction scenarios – from a low-ambition 50 per cent cut by 2035, through to a more respectable 70+ per cent cut. The Council says it’s all about finding “ambitious but achievable targets with the right policies to deliver them”.

But Greenpeace Australia Pacific wasn’t buying it. CEO David Ritter didn’t hold back, calling the report “dangerous, delusional and completely unaligned with the latest science”.

“The BCA report is the epitome of cynical short-sightedness, that not only puts all of us in danger, but risks robbing Australian businesses of future prosperity and our place in the clean economy,” Ritter said.

“The BCA’s advice is consistent with catastrophic warming of well over 2 degrees — exposing communities across Australia to worsening floods and bushfires, decimating our agricultural industry, and pushing our native wildlife to the brink.”

Climate action needed now

Australia is due to submit its new 2035 target to the UN’s Paris Agreement in just weeks. Greenpeace says if the Albanese government takes its cues from the BCA, it’ll be “an extraordinary act of self-harm”. That’s not exactly the image we want while we’re bidding to co-host COP31 with our Pacific neighbours.

Greenpeace also took aim at the BCA’s choice of consultants. The modelling was put together by McKinsey, a firm Ritter says has a “history working with the fossil fuel industry” and a habit of pushing big oil’s interests globally.

Campaigner Solaye Snider turned up the heat, accusing the BCA of “bad-faith tactics to undermine any progress towards meaningful climate action.”

“With this report, the BCA has reaffirmed it will continue to use bad-faith tactics… putting the Paris Agreement at risk and disregarding the fact that 96 per cent of its members have committed to strong climate action,” Snider said.

“How can companies like Telstra, Woolworths, NAB, Bupa, Rio Tinto and others claim to be ‘climate leaders,’ but allow the BCA to do their dirty work advocating for more fossil fuels?”

Snider’s advice to those brands: if you don’t want to be tarred with the same brush, walk away from the BCA.

The Climate Council’s nudge to business heavyweights

While Greenpeace came out swinging, the Climate Council took a different tack. CEO Amanda McKenzie urged BCA members to step up publicly and back a stronger 2035 target.

She pointed out that 500 businesses have already thrown their weight behind a goal to cut emissions by 75 per cent by 2035, with Deloitte’s modelling showing this would leave Australia $370 billion better off and create 69,000 jobs.

“Forward-looking BCA members Lendlease, Fortescue and Atlassian, as well as 500 other businesses, have publicly backed a stronger 2035 climate goal to protect Australians from worsening climate harm, and build a prosperous, clean economy for the future,” McKenzie said.

“BCA members – like Telstra, Woolworths, Coles, Rio Tinto, AGL, IAG, Commonwealth Bank and EY – have made promises to their staff, customers and shareholders to pursue climate action. We encourage these businesses to go further, put their money where their mouth is and publicly support a stronger 2035 climate target.”

McKenzie added that “seven in 10 Labor voters” want tougher action, and Australians are deeply worried about extreme weather and the future of the Great Barrier Reef.

What small business owners should take from this stoush

So what does this bunfight between lobby groups and climate campaigners mean for small businesses? In short: watch which way the political winds blow, because your customers are already paying attention.

Australians are increasingly choosing brands that are serious about climate action. If the big end of town is copping flak for double-speak; spruiking climate commitments on one hand while bankrolling lobbying against them on the other – you can bet small businesses will be held to the same standard.

You don’t need Deloitte-level modelling to act. Start with what’s in your control: energy bills, supply chains, packaging. Show your customers where you’re cutting emissions or backing renewable energy. Don’t be shy about telling that story: ‘green’ sells, especially when it’s authentic.

The BCA might be happy debating whether a 50, 60 or 70 per cent cut by 2035 is “achievable”. But if Greenpeace and the Climate Council have their way, businesses of every size will be expected to do more, sooner. And for small businesses, that’s not just a cost, it’s a chance to stand out from the pack.

“The primary duty of the Australian government is to secure the safety of current and future generations,” says Ritter.

Swap “government” for “business” and the same applies: customers want to know you’re thinking about the long game, not just the next quarterly return.

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