Cox Enterprises announced a Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Action to invest $25 million in sustainable companies and technologies by 2020. The Commitment to Action was announced onstage at the 2016 CGI America meeting by Alex Taylor, Cox Enterprises' executive vice president of strategic investments. A defining feature of CGI, Commitments to Action are new, specific and measurable plans that support increased economic growth and opportunity.

"Cox Enterprises has aggressive sustainability goals. We believe it's not only smart for the environment, but it's also good business," said Taylor. "Our focus on the long-term demands that we protect our resources and leave the world in better condition than we found it."

The commitment will be implemented by actively identifying sustainability initiatives through Cox Enterprises' Corporate Strategy and Investments and Cox Conserves teams. Through this commitment, Cox Enterprises seeks to divert 3,000 tons of waste from landfill and prevent 20,000 tons of carbon from entering the environment.

Cox Enterprises' financial support will help bring concepts to scale and provide backing for further innovation in the sustainability space. The organizations will have the opportunity to learn best practices from Cox Enterprises' sustainability experts and potentially pilot their technologies within one or more of the Cox companies.

The company launched Cox Conserves in 2007 and has prevented 65,000 tons of carbon from entering the environment, diverted 6,000 tons of waste from landfill and conserved 55 million gallons of water. Cox Conserves is a holistic program that also engages the company's employees, customers, suppliers and community partners.

Through Cox Conserves, the company seeks to send zero waste to landfill by 2024 and be carbon and water neutral by 2044.