This presentation discusses environmental sustainability and sustainability reporting. It provides an overview of GGG Sustainability Solutions, which is a consulting firm that integrates sustainability into business operations. The presentation then covers sustainability reporting frameworks like CDP, GRI, and DJSI. It discusses applying sustainability through baseline assessments, stakeholder engagement, and quantifying impacts. Trends covered include increased collaboration, chemical transparency, addressing water risks, and integrating social issues into sustainability programs.
Presentation at the Carbon Management Council's June 5, 2008 webinar, Corporate Action: Designing Practical Sustainability Programs. Presentation by Dr. Julie Fox Gorte, SVP for Sustainable Investment, Pax World Management Corp.
Getting a Grip on Context: Initial Findings of World's First Science-Based Ap...Sustainable Brands
Mark McElroy, Founder and Executive Director, Center for Sustainable Organizations
Mike Bellemente, Director, Climate Counts
Gretchen Hancock, Project Manager, Corporate Environmental Programs, GE
Jed Richardson, Global Energy Director, Johnson & Johnson
Now that many important stakeholders, including a growing number of brands, have understood and appreciated the implications of sustainability context, what tools are best suited to assist in benchmarking against actual natural thresholds? How does the Climate Counts assessment work and why are brands getting engaged?
An overview of Georgia Tech's Carbon Reduction Challenge, wherein student teams join forces with public and private organizations to design and implement a carbon reduction project, saving energy costs for their partners. Cumulative emissions reductions total more than 40 million lbs of avoided CO2 emissions over the last ten years. Get in touch if you'd like to discuss replicating it at your institution! Information available at carbonreduction.gatech.edu
The Multiple Benefits of Energy Efficiency: An overview - Nina Campbell, Dat...SustainableEnergyAut
Presentation on The Multiple Benefits of Energy Efficiency: An overview by Nina Campbell, Databuild Research & Solutions at the Unlocking the energy Efficiency Opportunity report launch 2015.
The seminar presented new insights including the scale of the energy efficiency opportunity; the costs and benefits of 2020 target achievement; and policy options based on a new analysis of investor behaviour and decision-making.
The launch of the report was accompanied by presentations from exemplar projects from the SEAI energy efficiency programmes and a panel discussion exploring how we might accelerate the pace of retrofit in Ireland. New insights into the attitudes of investors was presented and the multiple benefits of energy efficiency explored.
UN SDG SDGs Sustainability Impacts KPIs are for the assessment of actual impacts on sustainable development through sustainability impact management and investment.
Example/Best practices of sustainability impact management and investment for each SDG ESG topics are illustrated.
Presentation at the Carbon Management Council's June 5, 2008 webinar, Corporate Action: Designing Practical Sustainability Programs. Presentation by Dr. Julie Fox Gorte, SVP for Sustainable Investment, Pax World Management Corp.
Getting a Grip on Context: Initial Findings of World's First Science-Based Ap...Sustainable Brands
Mark McElroy, Founder and Executive Director, Center for Sustainable Organizations
Mike Bellemente, Director, Climate Counts
Gretchen Hancock, Project Manager, Corporate Environmental Programs, GE
Jed Richardson, Global Energy Director, Johnson & Johnson
Now that many important stakeholders, including a growing number of brands, have understood and appreciated the implications of sustainability context, what tools are best suited to assist in benchmarking against actual natural thresholds? How does the Climate Counts assessment work and why are brands getting engaged?
An overview of Georgia Tech's Carbon Reduction Challenge, wherein student teams join forces with public and private organizations to design and implement a carbon reduction project, saving energy costs for their partners. Cumulative emissions reductions total more than 40 million lbs of avoided CO2 emissions over the last ten years. Get in touch if you'd like to discuss replicating it at your institution! Information available at carbonreduction.gatech.edu
The Multiple Benefits of Energy Efficiency: An overview - Nina Campbell, Dat...SustainableEnergyAut
Presentation on The Multiple Benefits of Energy Efficiency: An overview by Nina Campbell, Databuild Research & Solutions at the Unlocking the energy Efficiency Opportunity report launch 2015.
The seminar presented new insights including the scale of the energy efficiency opportunity; the costs and benefits of 2020 target achievement; and policy options based on a new analysis of investor behaviour and decision-making.
The launch of the report was accompanied by presentations from exemplar projects from the SEAI energy efficiency programmes and a panel discussion exploring how we might accelerate the pace of retrofit in Ireland. New insights into the attitudes of investors was presented and the multiple benefits of energy efficiency explored.
UN SDG SDGs Sustainability Impacts KPIs are for the assessment of actual impacts on sustainable development through sustainability impact management and investment.
Example/Best practices of sustainability impact management and investment for each SDG ESG topics are illustrated.
UK’s Climate Change transition – A progress update and the next challenge? (...EMEX
We will hear new change perspectives from the Rapid Transition Alliance and leading Corporate Sustainability professionals. Join us for an intense session of thought leadership and cutting-edge insights for transitioning the UK’s Economy
Planet First presentation from Bywaters event 'Cities within a City'Camilla Oelman
'Cities within a City' was a seminar hosted by Bywaters. Speakers included Steve Malkin CEO of Planet First who discussed how sustainability can partner up with businesses to bring them cost and carbon savings.
Additional Savings from Energy Management–Beyond Utility Bill Cost ReductionEnergyCAP, Inc.
Beyond direct dollar savings, there are substantial savings from energy management that aren't sometimes considered. Presented by Steve Heinz at the Catalyst Training Conference by EnergyCAP, Inc.
New Guidance & Standards for Climate Change Adaptation (Maria Pooley)EMEX
Climate change increasingly calls us to understand the impacts of the changing climate on our businesses, projects and operations. UK experts are leading the global effort to standardise approaches for organisations and projects to adapt to these changing conditions and to increase their own climate resilience.
Carbon Footprint in Real Estate and InfrastructureGRESB
On February 23rd we learned about the carbon footprint of the real estate and infrastructure industries, with a focus on operational and embodied carbon.
Analytics from the 2021 GRESB Assessment were presented and we discussed where the industry is now and where we have to go.
This webinar was hosted in partnership with GRESB Partner Envint, and is supported by Industry Partner APREA, a not-for-profit industry association that is a passport to property investment opportunities in AsiaPac.
Communicating sustainability examines the business drivers for sustainability. It looks at the strategic and tactical approaches for communicating organisational sustainability to external audiences.
Ecosystem Cloud Summit Presentation Deck, Dec 2019 in Sunnyvale CAWorkSpan
WorkSpan, the category leader in the Ecosystem Cloud, is excited to invite you to the Ecosystem Cloud Summit (ECS) in collaboration with NetApp.
Ecosystem leaders from the top technology companies in the world are come together to share:
- Industry best practices on the advent of business ecosystems.
- How to get a head start on business innovations with Ecosystem Cloud?
- Network with other industry professionals.
Material Engagement (with suppliment included)Nawar Alsaadi
Material Engagement is the missing link between the sharp growth in ESG aligned assets, and the lack of progress on many of the pressing environmental, social and governance issues facing humanity today. The sustainability priorities of Material Engagement are grounded in human rights by virtue of its focus on the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Furthermore, by linking the SDGs to SASB’s Materiality Map, the Material Engagement approach provides the legal, commercial, and strategic impetus for companies to make the SDGs a reality. Said another way, Material Engagement is an approach that combines the heart (SDGs) with the brain (SASB) thus birthing a new sustainable business reality, one that’s rooted in human rights, and guided by the power and genius of private enterprise. In addition to its powerful intellectual and moral foundation, Material Engagement offers a turn-key sustainability engagement solution, with relevant KPIs, scope and milestones blueprints, clear timelines, escalation pathways, and communication methods. Material Engagement is the missing link between the world we have, and the world humanity deserves.
Energy Efficiency
“Aims to Gain the Maximum results or effects from each unit of energy used and is about obtaining the same outcomes through using less energy”
ESG DX enables effective integration of ESG sustainability into business strategy, model, and operations based on data-driven material ESG risks/opportunities/impacts assessment across supply and value chain.
ESG DX enables ESG sustainability data informed decision-making to lead an ESG sustainable company.
ESG DX enables ESG sustainability data gathering and sharing for sustainable development of innovative products/services and their manufacturing/providing.
ESG DX enables ESG sustainability serve as a growth engine by innovating company’s operations, products and services, as well as creating new revenue streams.
ESG DX enables automation of ESG sustainability performance measurement and reporting process.
Презентация использовалась во время выступления Джоела Карбони, ключевого спикера международного ЭКОФОРУМА "Мир управления проектами" и представил тему "Зеленое" управление проектами
The presentation was used during the Joel Carboni's speech, who was the keynote speaker of the International ECOFORUM "World of project management" and present the topic Green Project Management.
UK’s Climate Change transition – A progress update and the next challenge? (...EMEX
We will hear new change perspectives from the Rapid Transition Alliance and leading Corporate Sustainability professionals. Join us for an intense session of thought leadership and cutting-edge insights for transitioning the UK’s Economy
Planet First presentation from Bywaters event 'Cities within a City'Camilla Oelman
'Cities within a City' was a seminar hosted by Bywaters. Speakers included Steve Malkin CEO of Planet First who discussed how sustainability can partner up with businesses to bring them cost and carbon savings.
Additional Savings from Energy Management–Beyond Utility Bill Cost ReductionEnergyCAP, Inc.
Beyond direct dollar savings, there are substantial savings from energy management that aren't sometimes considered. Presented by Steve Heinz at the Catalyst Training Conference by EnergyCAP, Inc.
New Guidance & Standards for Climate Change Adaptation (Maria Pooley)EMEX
Climate change increasingly calls us to understand the impacts of the changing climate on our businesses, projects and operations. UK experts are leading the global effort to standardise approaches for organisations and projects to adapt to these changing conditions and to increase their own climate resilience.
Carbon Footprint in Real Estate and InfrastructureGRESB
On February 23rd we learned about the carbon footprint of the real estate and infrastructure industries, with a focus on operational and embodied carbon.
Analytics from the 2021 GRESB Assessment were presented and we discussed where the industry is now and where we have to go.
This webinar was hosted in partnership with GRESB Partner Envint, and is supported by Industry Partner APREA, a not-for-profit industry association that is a passport to property investment opportunities in AsiaPac.
Communicating sustainability examines the business drivers for sustainability. It looks at the strategic and tactical approaches for communicating organisational sustainability to external audiences.
Ecosystem Cloud Summit Presentation Deck, Dec 2019 in Sunnyvale CAWorkSpan
WorkSpan, the category leader in the Ecosystem Cloud, is excited to invite you to the Ecosystem Cloud Summit (ECS) in collaboration with NetApp.
Ecosystem leaders from the top technology companies in the world are come together to share:
- Industry best practices on the advent of business ecosystems.
- How to get a head start on business innovations with Ecosystem Cloud?
- Network with other industry professionals.
Material Engagement (with suppliment included)Nawar Alsaadi
Material Engagement is the missing link between the sharp growth in ESG aligned assets, and the lack of progress on many of the pressing environmental, social and governance issues facing humanity today. The sustainability priorities of Material Engagement are grounded in human rights by virtue of its focus on the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Furthermore, by linking the SDGs to SASB’s Materiality Map, the Material Engagement approach provides the legal, commercial, and strategic impetus for companies to make the SDGs a reality. Said another way, Material Engagement is an approach that combines the heart (SDGs) with the brain (SASB) thus birthing a new sustainable business reality, one that’s rooted in human rights, and guided by the power and genius of private enterprise. In addition to its powerful intellectual and moral foundation, Material Engagement offers a turn-key sustainability engagement solution, with relevant KPIs, scope and milestones blueprints, clear timelines, escalation pathways, and communication methods. Material Engagement is the missing link between the world we have, and the world humanity deserves.
Energy Efficiency
“Aims to Gain the Maximum results or effects from each unit of energy used and is about obtaining the same outcomes through using less energy”
ESG DX enables effective integration of ESG sustainability into business strategy, model, and operations based on data-driven material ESG risks/opportunities/impacts assessment across supply and value chain.
ESG DX enables ESG sustainability data informed decision-making to lead an ESG sustainable company.
ESG DX enables ESG sustainability data gathering and sharing for sustainable development of innovative products/services and their manufacturing/providing.
ESG DX enables ESG sustainability serve as a growth engine by innovating company’s operations, products and services, as well as creating new revenue streams.
ESG DX enables automation of ESG sustainability performance measurement and reporting process.
Презентация использовалась во время выступления Джоела Карбони, ключевого спикера международного ЭКОФОРУМА "Мир управления проектами" и представил тему "Зеленое" управление проектами
The presentation was used during the Joel Carboni's speech, who was the keynote speaker of the International ECOFORUM "World of project management" and present the topic Green Project Management.
[Note: This is a partial preview. To download this presentation, visit:
https://www.oeconsulting.com.sg/training-presentations]
This presentation is a compilation of PowerPoint diagrams and templates used to convey top 20 corporate sustainability frameworks and standards.
INCLUDED FRAMEWORKS & STANDARDS:
1. United Nations Global Compact (UNGC)
2. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
3. Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
4. Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)
5. Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)
6. FTSE4Good Index Series
7. EcoVadis Sustainability Rating
8. B Corp Certification
9. Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI)
10. International Integrated Reporting Framework (<IR> Framework)
11. Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB)
12. World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Compass
13. Ceres Roadmap for Sustainability
14. ISO 26000:2010 Social Responsibility
15. Total Resource Use and Efficiency (TRUE)
16. Carbon Trust Standard
17. Business in the Community (BITC) Corporate Responsibility Index
18. Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN) Ecolabels
19. International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) Framework
20. Social Accountability International (SAI) Social Accountability Standards (SA8000)
Iseal Alleance: Better Standards,Bigger ImpactsLorenz Jakob
The International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labelling Alliance (ISEAL) is the global membership association for credible sustainability standards. SECO supports the alliance in strengthening sustainability standards systems for the benefit of people and the environment.
ISEAL is the global membership association for credible sustainability standards.
Our members are sustainability standards that meet our Codes of Good Practice and promote measurable change through open, rigorous and accessible certification systems. They are supported by international accreditation bodies, which are required to meet accepted international best practice.
Tools, techniques and strategies for understanding, measuring and communicating impact. 19th-20th June 2018, London. This two-day conference will highlight the latest methods being applied by business to measure the impact of their sustainability programs. We’ll discuss and debate the pros and cons of the different tools and techniques available, whilst assessing what has really worked for companies in practice.
January 2024. Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) is a framework that helps investors evaluate how a company manages risk and opportunities around sustainability issues. ESG takes a comprehensive view that extends beyond the environmental aspect to include the social and corporate governance aspects.
ESG metrics are non-financial indicators that evaluate companies' ESG performance. They are quantitative, such as GHG emissions; and qualitative, such as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
ESG reporting is the public disclosure of ESG data. Its purpose is to shed light on a company’s ESG activities and improve transparency with investors.
ESG reporting offers many advantages to a business, including improved reputation, being more attractive to investors, competitive advantage, improved performance, resilient and sustainable business, capacity building, and climate change mitigation.
However, ESG reporting faces challenges such as the lack of a universal standard, being complex requiring specialized expertise, risk of greenwashing, and constantly changing regulations.
An ESG framework is a structured approach to ESG reporting. Using an ESG framework produces measurable, actionable, and credible results.
ESG standards translate ESG framework principles into action by specifying factors such as metrics, methodologies, and reporting formats. The absence of a universal ESG reporting standard has resulted in reliance on various standards.
The most commonly used ESG reporting standards include Task Force on Climate related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and United Nations Global Compact (UNGC).
ESG compliance refers to meeting or exceeding ESG guidelines established by the compliance frameworks and regulatory bodies.
An ESG rating, also called an ESG score, provides a benchmark for investors to evaluate a company’s ESG performance and compare it to other companies.
Policy wise, the Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) initiative was launched in 2009 to improve corporate transparency and performance on ESG issues. The SSE is coordinated by United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA).
In this slideshow, you will learn about the definition, advantages, challenges, implementation steps, UN policy, and global statistics of ESG reporting. For more slideshows on environmental sustainability, please visit s2adesign.com
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA ConnectKari Kakkonen
My and Rik Marselis slides at 30.5.2024 DASA Connect conference. We discuss about what is testing, then what is agile testing and finally what is Testing in DevOps. Finally we had lovely workshop with the participants trying to find out different ways to think about quality and testing in different parts of the DevOps infinity loop.
Elevating Tactical DDD Patterns Through Object CalisthenicsDorra BARTAGUIZ
After immersing yourself in the blue book and its red counterpart, attending DDD-focused conferences, and applying tactical patterns, you're left with a crucial question: How do I ensure my design is effective? Tactical patterns within Domain-Driven Design (DDD) serve as guiding principles for creating clear and manageable domain models. However, achieving success with these patterns requires additional guidance. Interestingly, we've observed that a set of constraints initially designed for training purposes remarkably aligns with effective pattern implementation, offering a more ‘mechanical’ approach. Let's explore together how Object Calisthenics can elevate the design of your tactical DDD patterns, offering concrete help for those venturing into DDD for the first time!
Epistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI supportAlan Dix
Paper presented at SYNERGY workshop at AVI 2024, Genoa, Italy. 3rd June 2024
https://alandix.com/academic/papers/synergy2024-epistemic/
As machine learning integrates deeper into human-computer interactions, the concept of epistemic interaction emerges, aiming to refine these interactions to enhance system adaptability. This approach encourages minor, intentional adjustments in user behaviour to enrich the data available for system learning. This paper introduces epistemic interaction within the context of human-system communication, illustrating how deliberate interaction design can improve system understanding and adaptation. Through concrete examples, we demonstrate the potential of epistemic interaction to significantly advance human-computer interaction by leveraging intuitive human communication strategies to inform system design and functionality, offering a novel pathway for enriching user-system engagements.
Generating a custom Ruby SDK for your web service or Rails API using Smithyg2nightmarescribd
Have you ever wanted a Ruby client API to communicate with your web service? Smithy is a protocol-agnostic language for defining services and SDKs. Smithy Ruby is an implementation of Smithy that generates a Ruby SDK using a Smithy model. In this talk, we will explore Smithy and Smithy Ruby to learn how to generate custom feature-rich SDKs that can communicate with any web service, such as a Rails JSON API.
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 4DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 4. In this session, we will cover Test Manager overview along with SAP heatmap.
The UiPath Test Manager overview with SAP heatmap webinar offers a concise yet comprehensive exploration of the role of a Test Manager within SAP environments, coupled with the utilization of heatmaps for effective testing strategies.
Participants will gain insights into the responsibilities, challenges, and best practices associated with test management in SAP projects. Additionally, the webinar delves into the significance of heatmaps as a visual aid for identifying testing priorities, areas of risk, and resource allocation within SAP landscapes. Through this session, attendees can expect to enhance their understanding of test management principles while learning practical approaches to optimize testing processes in SAP environments using heatmap visualization techniques
What will you get from this session?
1. Insights into SAP testing best practices
2. Heatmap utilization for testing
3. Optimization of testing processes
4. Demo
Topics covered:
Execution from the test manager
Orchestrator execution result
Defect reporting
SAP heatmap example with demo
Speaker:
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey 2024 by 91mobiles.pdf91mobiles
91mobiles recently conducted a Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey in which we asked over 3,000 respondents about the TV they own, aspects they look at on a new TV, and their TV buying preferences.
Connector Corner: Automate dynamic content and events by pushing a buttonDianaGray10
Here is something new! In our next Connector Corner webinar, we will demonstrate how you can use a single workflow to:
Create a campaign using Mailchimp with merge tags/fields
Send an interactive Slack channel message (using buttons)
Have the message received by managers and peers along with a test email for review
But there’s more:
In a second workflow supporting the same use case, you’ll see:
Your campaign sent to target colleagues for approval
If the “Approve” button is clicked, a Jira/Zendesk ticket is created for the marketing design team
But—if the “Reject” button is pushed, colleagues will be alerted via Slack message
Join us to learn more about this new, human-in-the-loop capability, brought to you by Integration Service connectors.
And...
Speakers:
Akshay Agnihotri, Product Manager
Charlie Greenberg, Host
The Art of the Pitch: WordPress Relationships and SalesLaura Byrne
Clients don’t know what they don’t know. What web solutions are right for them? How does WordPress come into the picture? How do you make sure you understand scope and timeline? What do you do if sometime changes?
All these questions and more will be explored as we talk about matching clients’ needs with what your agency offers without pulling teeth or pulling your hair out. Practical tips, and strategies for successful relationship building that leads to closing the deal.
Key Trends Shaping the Future of Infrastructure.pdfCheryl Hung
Keynote at DIGIT West Expo, Glasgow on 29 May 2024.
Cheryl Hung, ochery.com
Sr Director, Infrastructure Ecosystem, Arm.
The key trends across hardware, cloud and open-source; exploring how these areas are likely to mature and develop over the short and long-term, and then considering how organisations can position themselves to adapt and thrive.
Accelerate your Kubernetes clusters with Varnish CachingThijs Feryn
A presentation about the usage and availability of Varnish on Kubernetes. This talk explores the capabilities of Varnish caching and shows how to use the Varnish Helm chart to deploy it to Kubernetes.
This presentation was delivered at K8SUG Singapore. See https://feryn.eu/presentations/accelerate-your-kubernetes-clusters-with-varnish-caching-k8sug-singapore-28-2024 for more details.
Kubernetes & AI - Beauty and the Beast !?! @KCD Istanbul 2024Tobias Schneck
As AI technology is pushing into IT I was wondering myself, as an “infrastructure container kubernetes guy”, how get this fancy AI technology get managed from an infrastructure operational view? Is it possible to apply our lovely cloud native principals as well? What benefit’s both technologies could bring to each other?
Let me take this questions and provide you a short journey through existing deployment models and use cases for AI software. On practical examples, we discuss what cloud/on-premise strategy we may need for applying it to our own infrastructure to get it to work from an enterprise perspective. I want to give an overview about infrastructure requirements and technologies, what could be beneficial or limiting your AI use cases in an enterprise environment. An interactive Demo will give you some insides, what approaches I got already working for real.
2. Presentation Overview
About GGG Sustainability Solutions
Sustainability Reporting
Sustainability Reporting Frameworks
CDP
GRI
DJSI
Sustainable Value Framework
Applied Sustainability
Future Trends in Sustainable Development
3. GGG Sustainability Solutions
Sustainability consulting firm integrating sustainability into
operations and streamlining business processes
Founded in 2008, offices in Houston and Dallas
Driving quantifiable and measurable operational
excellence
7. CDP
Formerly Carbon Disclosure Project
Systemic look at environmental impacts
Corporate Goal – establish sustainable supply chain
management
Request information on greenhouse gas emissions,
energy use and the risks and opportunities from climate
change from thousands of the world’s largest companies
8. Global Reporting Initiative
GRI has pioneered and developed a comprehensive
Sustainability Reporting Framework that is widely used
around the world
A sustainability report is a report published by a company
or organization about the economic, environmental and
social impacts caused by its everyday activities.
Goal is to make the practice standard for all companies
and organizations.
9. Dow Jones Sustainability Index
Launched in 1999 as the first global sustainability benchmark
Financial index
World (2,500 largest S&P Global Broad Market Index)
North America (600 largest North American co’s of the S&P Global Broad Market
Index)
Europe (600 largest European co’s of the S&P Global Broad Market Index)
AsiaPacific (600 largest Asia/Pac co’s of the S&P Global Broad Market Index)
Korea (200 largest Korean co’s of the S&P Global Broad Market Index)
Emerging Markets (800 largest Emerging Markets co’s of the S&P Global Broad
Market Index)
11. Applied Sustainability
Baseline and strategy
Integration and engagement of key stakeholders
Reliable local vendors to execute strategy
Quantify
12. Future of Sustainable Development
Collaboration becomes an accelerator
Chemical transparency
Water becomes a risk factor
Integration of social issues into sustainability programs
Strategic employee engagement
State of the Green, GreenBiz, 2014
13. For in depth information, contact:
Tajana Mesic
972-415-3017
tajanamesic@greengrovegroup.com
Editor's Notes
Does the Earth need saving? Frankly, the earth doesn't need to be saved. Nature doesn't give a hoot if human beings are here or not. The planet has survived cataclysmic and catastrophic changes for millions upon millions of years. Over that time, it is widely believed, 99 percent of all species have come and gone while the planet has remained. Saving the environment is really about saving our environment -- making it safe for ourselves, our children, and the world as we know it. If more people saw the issue as one of saving themselves, we would probably see increased motivation and commitment to actually do so. Robert M. Lilienfeld, management consultant We live in a global economy, interconnected by technology and business demand. As this exciting reality continues to evolve, we also need to understand the realities of natural resources, including water, energy, climate, and natural resources value and account for them in our operations. Just as important are the impacts on our health and well being.
A sustainability report is an organizational report that gives information about economic, environmental, social and governance performance.Sustainability reporting is not just report generation of collected data it is a method to internalize and improve an organization’s commitment to sustainable development in a way that can be demonstrated to both internal and external stakeholders.Corporate sustainability reporting has a long history going back to environmental reporting. The first environmental reports were published in the late 1980s by companies in the chemical industry, which had serious image problems. The other group of early reporters was a group of committed small and medium-sized businesses with very advanced environmental management systems.Non-financial reporting, such as sustainability and CSR reporting, is a fairly recent trend which has expanded over the last twenty years.Many companies now produce an annual sustainability report and there are a wide array of ratings and standards around. There are a variety of reasons that companies choose to produce these reports, but at their core they are intended to be "vessels of transparency and accountability".Often they also intended to improve internal processes, engage stakeholders and persuade investors.Organizations can improve their sustainability performance by measuring, monitoring and reporting on it, helping them have a positive impact on society, the economy, and a sustainable future. “sustainability reporting” is not necessarily the same thing as “publishing a sustainability report.” Companies disclose information in other ways, such as filings with regulatory agencies as well as to nongovernmental bodies such as the CDP or DJSIAs companies continue to measure and value natural capital, and factor it into their business decisions and metrics, this trend will continue.
For companies to succeed during these times of change, they'll need to define and embrace a rigorous framework for sustainability, something that helps build a foundation that helps a firm achieve its sustainability and business goals.The study noted that other emerging frameworks like the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), could face an uphill battle to gain traction unless they can prove their value in terms of providing a mix of useful tools, third party validation, and market recognition.
CDP is an international, not-for-profit organization providing aglobal system for companies and cities to measure, disclose, manage and share vital environmental information. If asked to report using this framework, companies disclose their impacts on the environment and natural resources with a goal take action to reduce them. Some companies use internal carbon pricing to fund energy efficiency, water conservation and other investments in sustainable resource management. That’s the strategy at Microsoft, which launched a carbon-pricing scheme in 2012 as part of a pledge to become “carbon neutral.” Working with their finance team, their model is to charge a fee for the carbon associated with the use of electricity and business air travel. The funds collected are invested in additional efficiency, clean energy and carbon offset projects. Some of the fees are used to fund carbon offset projects, such as forest conservation or reforestation.
GRI has been ranked in the top three most widely used and respected sustainability frameworks, according tothought leaders and business executives. GRI stimulates interest among corporation’s customers and make a positive impact on their organization being selected as a supplier.The GRI Sustainability Reporting Guidelines enable all organizations worldwide to assess their sustainability performance and disclose the results in a similar way to financial reportingApplication Levels indicate the extent to which the G3 or G3.1 Guidelines have been applied in sustainability reporting. They communicate which parts of the Reporting Framework have been addressed - which set of disclosures. By confirming the amount of Reporting Guidelines content that has been addressed, Application Levels aim to reflect the degree of transparency against the GRI Guidelines in reporting. They do not give an opinion on the sustainability performance of the reporting organization, the quality of the report, or on formal compliance with the G3 or G3.1 Guidelines.There are three different Application Levels: A, B and C. Reporters are required to assess their own Application Level. GRI offers a service for organizations to have their Application Level checked.
The family tracks the financialperformance of the world's leading companies in terms of economic, environmental and social criteria. It uses tools such as survey, company documentation, and media and stakeholder analysis to assess a company’s sustainability performance.The indices serve as benchmarks for investors who integrate sustainability considerations into their portfolios, and provide an effective engagement platform for companies who want to adopt sustainable best practices.
The Sustainable Value Framework enables a constructive discussion about how best to incorporate the emerging challenges associated with sustainability into core business strategy. Using our Sustainable Value Framework, participants first chart the company’s current sustainability “portfolio.” This allows for a clear understanding of the current reality. Next, participants identify gaps and develop specific strategies and priorities for next steps. The result is a common understanding of how best to integrate the challenges of sustainability into strategy and a set of action items for the future.
Using your chosen framework, you will establish the baseline and devise a strategy of mitigating your environmental and other chosen impactsAt that point, it is key to find a way to engage your key stakeholders including employees and integrate your strategy into the operations of the company, either at a micro-enterprise, small business, medium, business or enterprise level.To accomplish that, it is important to have a strong internal champion and reliable local vendors. At chosen intervals, either on a quarterly basis or annually, capturing the quantified data of your efforts will ensure that your program is successful and applied.
Collaboration becomes an accelerator:One of the challenging realities of sustainable business is of companies reinventing wheels. Nearly every company, finds its own solution to its environmental challenges and opportunities, sometimes creating programs and processes that have previously been created by of other firms. The next step in problem solving we are observing is collaboration and alliances across industries. They require getting the right people and organizations to the table, having a clear vision, creating effective governance and setting the right goals. Good example is the Arkansas-based Sustainability Consortium.Chemical Transparency:there are more than 85,000 chemicals in commerce in the United States alone, and there is a push by retail giants Walmart and Target to push chemical disclosures down their supply chain. Walmart announced a policy to require manufacturers of cosmetics and cleaning products to disclose ingredients in their products and remove priority hazardous chemicals. Water becomes a risk factor: As hundreds of millions of people climb up the economic ladder, their water use grows. Cooking and personal hygiene may be the least of it. The bigger piece is likely the water it takes to produce the chemicals, materials, food, fuels, energy and other “stuff” associated with middle-class living and overall economic growth. Water is now one of the highest global risks, alongside the economy, unemployment, food shortages and extreme weather patterns, according to the ninth edition of the Global Risk Reportreleased in early 2014 by the World Economic ForumIntegration of social issues into sustainability programs: A more comprehensive look at the sustainability and corporate social responsibility is the trend. As companies knit together their environmental and corporate responsibility programs to address more holistically the role of business in the world, and what’s needed to ensure long-term success. In some cases that means mitigating environmental risks, such as water shortages or polluted air. In others, it’s about ensuring the well-being and raising the standard of living of the communities in which they operate in order to ensure future customers. The business world has had to rethink what it means to be a “responsible” company. It’s not just about “doing the right thing” or “doing well by doing good.” It’s about creating value — for shareholders, of course, but also employees, customers and communities. Procter & Gamble’s 2010 “sustainability vision,” for example, included a variety of environmental commitments: replacing petroleum-based materials with “sustainably sourced” alternatives, reducing packaging and manufacturing waste, and growing its use of renewable power.Strategic employee engagement: Most of you understand the challenges of engaging employees on environmental and social issues. Your success hinges in large part on how effectively you enlist employeesof the company to help to root out waste, save energy and water, reduce the operational footprint, evangelize achievements and suggest innovations where sustainability can become a driver of customer loyalty or increased revenue.One of the other factors leading to the elevation of employee engagement has to do with the maturing of sustainability inside many companies. Once a company has picked the low-hanging fruit — the blatantly wasteful energy, water and materials use— it’s time to tackle some of the harder stuff. Changing entrenched employee behavior certainly qualifies, and doing so can lead to new levels of environmental impact reductions and cost savings. But it’s hard work.Companies that want to accelerate improvements in their environmental impacts, and leverage sustainability for shared value, will need to engage the entire organization. They just can’t do it unless everyone is involved.