The International Council on Clean Transportation celebrates more than two decades of clean transportation policy

(Washington, D.C.) March 3, 2025 — This year marks the 20th anniversary of the incorporation of the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). For over two decades, the ICCT has worked to establish itself as a first-rate research organization, providing technical and scientific analysis to guide policies aimed at decarbonizing the transportation sector and promoting cleaner transportation modes worldwide.

Our transformative work began in 2001 when eighteen government officials and experts gathered in Bellagio, Italy for the first ICCT council meeting. They emerged with the Bellagio Memorandum on Motor Vehicle Policy, a foundational set of guiding principles for designing effective policies to address air pollution from vehicles and fuels. Since then, the ICCT has made significant contributions to the transition to clean transportation across the globe that include directly shaping over 100 global policies and regulations through our technical analysis, helping to abate more than 2 Gigatons of CO₂ in the transport sector.

Since our incorporation in 2005, the ICCT has evolved in tandem with the changing global regulatory and technical landscapes. Our initial work focused on the use of low-sulfur fuels and related pollutant reductions, and the implementation and impact of greenhouse gas and fuel economy standards. In 2015, the ICCT’s research gained international attention when we exposed the use of illegal defeat devices in diesel cars in the United States and elsewhere around the world. “Dieselgate,” as it came to be called, demonstrated the ICCT’s focus both on object, independent research and serving as a trusted watchdog in global transportation. Today, our work encompasses the transition to zero-emission vehicles and the use of renewable fuels, in addition to the implementation of world-class standards in emerging markets.

“We are eternally grateful for our founding visionaries – Michael Walsh, Hal Harvey, Margo Oge, and others – as well as the support of our past and current funders, board members, and partners,” says Drew Kodjak, ICCT President/CEO.

“There is still much work to do,” says Rachel Muncrief, ICCT Executive Director. “We’re as committed as ever to supporting vehicle electrification and sustainable policies in both leading and emerging markets globally.”

Today, the ICCT employs over 180 professionals, with offices in Beijing, Berlin, New Delhi, São Paulo, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., and remote staff in Colombia, Indonesia, Mexico, and Vietnam. The ICCT’s global reach allows us to share our technical expertise and contribute to finding solutions transportation emissions with impacts that transcend borders.

Learn more about the ICCT’s key milestones at https://theicct.org/20th-anniversary/.

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Media contact
Kelli Pennington, Global Communications Manager, communications@theicct.org

About the International Council on Clean Transportation
The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) is an independent research organization providing first-rate, unbiased research and technical and scientific analysis to environmental regulators. Our mission is to improve the environmental performance and energy efficiency of road, marine, and air transportation, in order to benefit public health and mitigate climate change. Founded in 2001, we are a nonprofit organization working under grants and contracts from private foundations and public institutions.

Find us at:
www.theicct.org
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