Page 17 – Sustainability Academy

In times of volatility, Corporate Sustainability Leadership guides legislation and successfully manages internal risks.

In this age of globalization, CEOs and the entire C-suite must focus beyond their office buildings, factories and retail outlets. To protect their interests, employees, suppliers and vendors, they must and do affect policy, regionally, nationally and globally.

Recently, a group of companies including GlaxoSmithKline, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Interface and United Technologies signed a statement encouraging the EU to set the stage for a climate-neutral economy by 2050. While there is certainly a component of altruism to their request, their motives have a basis in economics. Long-term certainty makes for economic prosperity.

If you doubt that companies believe this, look at what happens to the markets whenever there is extreme volatility. Investors want certainty, even if that certainty may lead to increased oversight, legislative restrictions and even taxes.

Just as the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) research shows increased profitability among those companies with a strong sustainability strategy, multinational corporations have run the numbers. They believe the economic value of achieving a net zero economy by 2050 is greater than the economic benefits of less ambitious goals.

Companies know their factories are in threatened coastal zones. They know their employees are at risk of poor health from air pollution, hunger, increased costs of living. At a corporate level, wielding the power of the purse, corporations can influence policy for the good of their revenue stream and the good of the communities which drive their profitability.

Larry Fink, CEO of Blackrock, wrote in his annual letter to the companies in which Blackrock invests, “the world needs your leadership.” He said purpose and profit are inextricably linked. “Stakeholders are pushing companies to wade into sensitive social and political issues,” he wrote, “especially as they see governments failing to do so.”

CEOs and the whole C-suite need to be sustainability experts. They must address geopolitics, talent acquisition and retention, international supply chains, national legislation and global commitments not only from their countries of incorporation but from the countries in which they have holdings, factories, and employees.

What they need to know should not be left to “on the job” training nor delegated down the ranks. Corporate heads need to come together as a cohort of leaders, learning from each other and driving changes outside their domains which are inextricably linked to their own success.

Want to learn how to leverage sustainability efforts to demonstrate global leadership and impact? Attend the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence Sustainability (ESG) Leadership Training Workshop for C-Suite Executives, in NYC on Monday September 30^th – Tuesday October 1^st, 2019, an exclusive limited gathering of corporate leaders. CSE specializes in global sustainability consulting, research and training. Participants include governments, NGOs and Fortune 500 companies. CSE is accredited by CMI, Green Business and is a GRI organizational stakeholder.

This year BBC Earth launched a new cause to “place sustainable fashion at the heart” of London Fashion Week. This eco-friendly move was done in collaboration with British Fashion Council and clothing company Mother of Pearl. A short film was made for the event and premiered on Saturday.

Ethical fashion is becoming an increasingly hot-topic. Headlines have celebrated the fact London Fashion Week is officially fur-free – an announcement made by the British Fashion Council that reflects an important cultural change in the way consumers are shopping for clothes.

There has been a shift towards understanding the importance of using ethically sourced, natural materials. Consumers are increasingly seeking out Fair Trade brands or simply looking into the production processes behind the clothes they wear. There has been an increased awareness to the impact of buying decisions.

Alongside the traditional London Fashion Week shows, a series of events are taking place to highlight some of the eco-friendly and ethical issues within fashion.

Sustainable fashion is not a trend, but a new movement which needs to be recognized as an industry standard. This is why it is even-more important for the industry leaders to promote these values at London Fashion Week so others will follow.

Not one to shy away from coming challenges, CSE always keeps up with the latest sustainability trends! Join us in London on March 14-15 2019 as we will discuss many more crucial areas of sustainability. Also, we are excited to present in London, CSE’s brand new research findings on Sustainability (CR) and Non-Financial Reporting in Europe. The research explores the level of commitment of European companies, through their common Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility strategic goals, and how well they measure their impacts and social value.

There is limited seating so hurry up. Contact us: [email protected]

Food security and hunger is the “dumbest problem” in the world, according to Komal Ahmad, founder of Copia PBC which has recovered over $4.6 million worth of food. Hunger is also a problem that sustainability practitioners can help solve. Whether land management, agriculture, food production, water protection, or distribution, crossing disciplines and industries requires systems thinking – integral to the training received by certified sustainability practitioners.

Toronto is meeting this challenge head on with Food Projects, the Toronto Food Strategy Team and the Toronto Food Policy Council. Solutions range from sustainable agriculture/aquaculture to public/private partnerships.

Healthy food should not be a perk of the rich or those conveniently living in Vancouver or Toronto. As a top food exporter, Canada should be able to feed its own population. The country can tackle Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Good Health and Wellbeing (SDG3) and Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG11) within its own borders. There is wide disparity between northern Canada food costs and the rest of Canada.

In some regions, “ethical” food – those that are affordable or ecologically sustainable – are often out of reach for lower income individuals. PepsiCo (which has relied on the Sustainability Academy) is trying to change the perception of ethical food as only available from small farmers with its mission to “Leave No Trace” throughout its entire business and supply chain.

A systems approach requires input from many stakeholders. Canada is finding the same food security issues faced worldwide: foreign influence on farming, urban food deserts, injustice to temporary farm workers, climate change, environment protection and diet-related diseases, to name a few.

Toronto’s chefs are taking on the challenge. Canoe Restaurant, Drake One Fifty, Ruby Watchco, and AGO Bistro are acclaimed sustainability leaders. There is a website specific to finding Sustainable Food jobs (FoodWork.ca), and Canada ranks #3 globally for Food Sustainability.

Sustainability practitioners constantly question who are the key stakeholders? What are the Materiality considerations? No industry is left out. Even mining, affecting water resources, influences food security. Are you ready to address these concerns?

CSE’s Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program (New Advanced Edition 2019) offers training on these key topics and many others. The first 2019 program in Toronto runs April 11-12.

The business climate has generated many shared concerns among CEOs and other board managers on issues of manpower and budget, regardless of the industry or type of business they operate. One of the greatest hurdles for CEOs is trying to balance creating an exciting future while maximizing results today.

Time and space for reflection is crucial for strategic process but struggling with how to navigate change might take you away from your day-to- day workload and leadership goals. You want to identify challenges before they disrupt productivity. You want to innovate your approach and stay ahead of competition.

You need a strong management team, trustworthy and flexible, to ensure fast problem solving and focus on strategic initiatives. You need to keep innovation alive with talent and engage on new ways to motivate employees and keep them dedicated, thus providing the reassurance and sense of stability an organization needs.

A sustainability strategy helps evolve your company’s mission and prioritize quality, people and community:

Define the company’s long-term purpose. Here we mean a higher, social purpose. This should be shared across the company so that all employees can relate to it. This will create meaning for them in and at work.
Explain why sustainability is good for the company. As we posted in Step Aside Fortune 500: ESG Rankings Are Key to Corporate Growth, there is a connection between financial performance and sustainability strategies and reporting. CSE research has found that of companies with the highest Sustainability scores (as ranked by CSRHub), 73% improved financial results. Sustainability Reporting and comprehensive strategies regarding community, employees, governance and environment correlate to a positive impact on profitability.
Promote and support a “people first” approach, nurturing a strong company culture. Stress the values of respect, safety and inclusion. A comprehensive Sustainability strategy includes and prioritizes these issues. Make sure you reinforce this through goals and training. Establish and support rewards and compensations scheme beyond legislation requirements.
Provide purpose to your employees. Purpose is a key to creating an engaged and productive workforce, beyond day-to-day completion of tasks and income. Sustainability provides that higher purpose needed to match the values of employees. Find ways to get all employees, from top executives to assembly line workers, personally engaged in corporate sustainability efforts.
Promote sustainability knowledge. Invest in educating employees about sustainability and creating systems and processes that make it easier for them to integrate sustainability into their business decisions. Many sustainability initiatives require specialized knowledge and expertise — such as talking to suppliers about sustainable sourcing or using an eco-efficiency tool to evaluate a new product.
Use your leadership to inspire and create sustainability champions. In order to embed a sustainable business model, you have to create and cultivate sustainability champions or “ambassadors” throughout the organization. This way, employees will feel that their role enables them to contribute to the sustainability agenda. Employees contributing their own ideas or initiatives is a process that has proven valuable: Once employees see the positive impact and economic returns on social and environmental investments that they helped create, they start believing that they do have a role to play, and the ideas start to flow.
Make sustainability visible inside and outside the company. Measure and communicate progress or success on key sustainability indicators, as this is always attractive and will keep employees satisfied from their own contribution. To keep visibility high and reinforce the idea that achievements in sustainability are meaningful for the company, celebrate success when goals are reached, or awards won (such as category leadership in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index).
Stand firm on social issues – and because you cannot please everyone, focus on values important to you and the company.
Create transformational change through sustainability. Leaders who can see the broader picture and are working to solve major environmental and social issues will help create a sustainability momentum to foster a sense of unity among employees that goes beyond traditional competition and can demonstrate the higher purpose.

Want to learn more about how you can leverage your sustainability efforts to motivate employees and strengthen efficiency? Attend the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) Sustainability (ESG) Leadership Training Workshop for C-Suite Executives, in NYC on Monday September 30^th – Tuesday October 1^st, 2019.

The CSE Leadership Training Workshop is a C-Suite gathering of key corporate influencers working together to motivate employees and supply chains, to turn competition into collaboration and to influence policy on the sustainability concerns most impacting social, environmental, workplace and marketplace arenas. Participants will develop strategy, hone techniques and actively design the future of corporate sustainability. The workshop incorporates exclusive training, facilitated discussions and intimate conversations to culminate in thought leadership and actionable steps for an integrated approach toward addressing the most pressing issues of our time.

CSE specializes in global sustainability consulting, research and training. Clients include governments, NGOs and Fortune 500 companies. CSE is accredited by CMI and is a GRI organizational stakeholder.

You believe access to resources, human rights, clean environment, educational opportunities, community wellness are important. You have fresh ideas, ample energy and a social awareness. You’d also like a steady paycheck.

Read the fourth part series on Sustainability careers to find your perfect job.

How to land your dream job

If you’ve read parts 1-3 of this series, you know we strongly advocate becoming a certified sustainability practitioner. Certifications demonstrate you have the basic knowledge to hit the ground running. They give you an edge over similar applicants, particularly when you pick up a topic-specific course.

Other ways to gain an edge:

Do your homework. Find out all you can about the company you’ve set your sites on. If you haven’t picked a specific company, find out about the industry. CSE regularly posts industry insights on Facebook and Twitter.

Identify the organization’s challenges. What are the most prominent sustainability obstacles and opportunities? Retail may worry about supply chain or employee relations. A mining company may angst about the environment or worker health and safety.

Tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight how you can help the company meet specific challenges. Yes, this means you have multiple resumes (beyond the “dump file” resume which has every job/volunteer position, dates, boss, address and phone number you have ever had since high school) and multiple cover letters.

Network. We’ve said this before. Once you’ve targeted an organization(s), reach out to someone you know who works there (mine your LinkedIn and Facebook contacts). A casual good word in the hiring manager’s ear can move you to the interview pile.

Prepare. Practice describing how you can meet the company’s need. If they didn’t have a pressure point, they wouldn’t be hiring! Demonstrate you’ve done research and thought about what you bring to the company.

Practice interview skills. Start with a tutorial offered by college placement offices, libraries, community centers, etc. Then, set up mock interviews with the most difficult and obnoxious person possible – never hurts to over prepare.

Send a thank you letter. You want them to remember you out of all the other people the hiring committee saw the same day. Now you know who is hiring, so send the note to specific people.

You can do this!

CSE helps professionals advance their careers through certified on-site and group training services globally as well as the online Sustainability Academy. CSE is a recognized global leader in professional Sustainability training and coaching and one of the first to recognize the growing need for advanced certified education in the sustainability field. The Sustainability Academy is CSE’s global initiative to offer affordable, specialized, online education focused on Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility. Our goal is to train 100,000 professionals by 2020 and make an impact on our planet!

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A New Year always brings with it, a new perspective either in business or personal. In terms of business, 2019 brought a shift towards Corporate Sustainability.

Corporate Sustainability means that individuals and companies have a duty to act in the best interests of their environments and society as a whole. Lately, businesses have developed sustainability strategies where social responsibility is an integral part of their business model.

More than 80% of Millennials say that their favorite companies have identified their values, according to Forbes. Research shows that Corporate Sustainability produces transparency and can increase brand awareness, trust and an overall advantage to companies. CSE’s unique research findings have been picked up by Forbes.

Businesses large and small get a competitive advantage in regards to sales and also talent recruitment by not only supporting social responsibility but also by walking the walk and demonstrating it. Social responsibility should be organic, dynamic and proactive.

A challenging two-day training offered by CSE provides the latest practical tools and resources required to implement or upscale corporate sustainability. Executives from Fortune 500 companies, local governments and academia trust CSE’s advanced training to become Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioners and earn a unique recognition in the Corporate Sustainability field.

The Practitioner Program in London focuses on key challenges, many of which were faced by hosting the Super Bowl. Topics include:

Integrating SDGs into a Sustainability Plan
New trends and how to gain a competitive advantage
Maximizing stakeholder engagement
How to influence C-Suite Executives and get support for a Sustainability Plan
The role of Investors and maximizing corporate performance in ESG ratings

The course includes a chance to complete a two-year sustainability plan that will qualify you to earn the globally recognized CSR-P Certification and become Certified Sustainability Practitioner. The final assignment helps participants implement practical tools.

The course provides a free CMI membership (a $200 value). You also receive Certified Learning materials (hard copy) and a training guide (electronic copy). During the two days of instruction, students learn from updated case studies from companies such as Apple, Ikea, and Unilever; informative videos from leading sustainable organizations; participant-specific sector CSR reports.

Best among the many values of the course is the friends made and networks built. You learn from fellow participants and they learn from you. The instructors listen to each individual’s challenges and offer pro bono advising services.

Among the engineers, facilities managers and tech specialists, Marketing, Public Relations, Communications, General Management and Human Resources this CSR training is not only for those working in CSR and Environmental Management. CSE’s training offers added skills to all professionals engaged in the field of CSR, small business, major corporation and mega-events included.

The first 2019 Certified Sustainability Practitioner Programs in Europe is in London 14-15 March, 2019.

While the game may have been slow and the score low, Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta fielded tons of waste, kicked the A/C into hyperdrive and scored better on sustainability than any other. Atlanta was prepared. The stadium used state of the art technology for lighting, water, food distribution and climate control. This was purposefully the greenest Super Bowl on record.

With efforts ranging from food waste recovery to solar panels to electric charging stations, an army of professionals across sectors took to the field. Will you be ready for the next mega-event?

The Practitioner Program in Atlanta focuses on key challenges, many of which were faced by hosting the Super Bowl. Topics include:

Integrating SDGs into a Sustainability Plan
New trends and how to gain a competitive advantage
Maximizing stakeholder engagement
How to influence C-Suite Executives and get support for a Sustainability Plan
The role of Investors and maximizing corporate performance in ESG ratings

Best among the many values of the course is the friends made and networks built. You learn from fellow participants and they from you. The instructors listen to each individual’s challenges and offer pro bono advising services.

Among the engineers, facilities managers and tech specialists, the Super Bowl also required

Marketing, Public Relations, Communications, General Management and Human Resources. Sustainability training is not only for those working in CSR and Environmental Management. CSE’s training offers added skills to all professionals engaged in sustainability, small business, major corporation and mega-events included.

The first 2019 Certified Sustainability Practitioner Programs in North America are in Atlanta, Feb. 21-22; Toronto, April 11-12; and Seattle, April 15-16, 2019.

This four-part series on Sustainability careers is written for new graduates and young professionals with fresh ideas, ample energy and a social awareness. It is also for established professionals outside sustainability who’ve become disenchanted with business’s disregard of basic societal needs.

How can you be part of the solution?

Part 3: How to find a job in sustainability

The challenge to finding a job in sustainability is that many career tracks do not have Sustainability in the title. You must dig into job descriptions for key words like Life Cycle Assessment, Supply Chain, SDGs and others you can learn by taking CSE’s free online course The future of the sustainability profession: Current trends and how to find a sustainability (CSR) job.

Here are some tips to get you started.

Identify your own interests! Nearly every company needs a sustainability professional in some capacity. What do you like to do? What companies do that kind of work? CSE on LinkedIn and Facebook are good places to start.

Network – like it or not, this is a tried and true way to get any job. Go to city council meetings, alumni association or activist groups. Call your parents, your college professor, the boss you had one summer in high school. Ask them “who should I talk to about a job in sustainability?” Whatever answer you get, follow-up!

Investigate the sustainability challenges in your community (or the community where you want to work). Which companies or organizations are helping meet those challenges? Give them a call. Offer to volunteer or intern. This could lead to a job or help expand the always-important network.

Scan job boards — not the black hole you think. First, you might actually find a job. Second, you’ll learn which industries are hiring. Third, you’ll pick up on the titles associated with sustainability tasks. If you enter the word sustainability and five jobs appear in customer service, zoom in on key words and use them to expand your search. The next round might pull up jobs in HR, Communications or Operations.

Tell everyone. Tell every single person you encounter that you are looking for a job in sustainability. Post it on your social networks. Mention it at the birthday party of a friend of a friend. If you get a lead – follow up immediately. More importantly, you’re honing your ability to describe what you want. This will help refine your search and polish your pitch when you get the inevitable interview!

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CEOs are plagued with sustainability demands — noisy headlines which keep them awake at night.

CSE’s 2018 research Sustainability (ESG) Reporting Trends North America 2018 focuses on the influence of Sustainability on Financial Results. We break down the data by sector. Taking an example from telecom, the most material issues which keep telecom CEOs on edge include:

Sustainable product design
Inclusion and diversity
Ethical Governance
Privacy and Security
Customer service and transparency
Talent management
Waste and recycling
Energy and emissions

What do these issues have in common? They all manifest as long-term risk.

One of the most challenging long-term risks, particularly from investors’ viewpoint, is climate change. With PG&E;s bankruptcy attributed to climate change by the Wall Street Journal, financial analysts are taking heed. Climate change risks affect volatile markets, supply chains, the urban centers where companies place factories and draw employees, not to mention the hazards to shipping and distribution conduits.

As we posted in Step Aside Fortune 500: ESG Rankings Are Key to Corporate Growth, investment rankings are influenced by sustainability considerations. Fitch Ratings integrated scoring system includes ESG criteria. According to Fitch, about 3 percent of a rating’s derivation is directly attributed to an ESG issue, and 19 percent is influenced by at least one ESG concern.

Companies with sustainability reports and an actively implemented sustainability strategy can mitigate long-term risks such as climate change. Sustainability can be a driver for stakeholder engagement, innovation and organizational change.

Are CEOs putting their resources in the right place? CSE’s experience can help C-suite leaders answer this question. CSE research highlights findings from many sectors including:

Energy & Energy Utilities
Mining & Construction
Food & Beverage
Healthcare
Transportation
Financial Services

There is a link between Sustainability Reporting and Financial Performance at the corporate level. No longer is financial performance based solely on quarterly returns. CEOs, CFOs, COOs, and management at all levels must be alert to long-term sustainability on near-term decision making.

Want to learn more about how you can leverage your sustainability efforts to mitigate long-term risk? Attend the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) Sustainability (ESG) Leadership Training Workshop for C-Suite Executives, in NYC on Monday September 30^th – Tuesday October 1^st, 2019. CSE specializes in global sustainability consulting, research and training. Clients include governments, NGOs and Fortune 500 companies. CSE is accredited by CMI and is a GRI organizational stakeholder.

There is a widespread speculation over the necessity of promoting Integrated Reporting. More specifically, it is questionable what Integrated Reporting really stands for. What is admitted is that integrated reporting has yet to become a major trend for organizations that communicate their financial and non-financial performance. Main concerns are raised over the “usefulness” of these integrated reports to the majority of stakeholders of companies. Customers, clients, consumers, users, suppliers need to be further motivated by the structure and content of an integrated report.

On the other hand, financial stakeholders seem to be more positive to that information presented and find it more respective, since the global trends are for these interested groups not only presented in the financial performance of companies, but also in their ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) performance.

CSE, in the global certified Sustainability Practitioner Program this March, in London covers the importance of Sustainability Reporting while it showcases some of the best practices on reporting communication.

With regards to integrated reporting, it is directed towards specific audience/stakeholder groups, mainly the financial one and that is reinforced by the fact that the European Banking Federation is calling on financial sector authorities in the European Union to create an integrated and standardized framework for data reporting.

Additionally, according to a Eurosif survey it was found that 83 out of 90 European investors, who were asked, mentioned that they support the EU Directive for non-financial reporting and believe it should lead to integration with financial information.

Companies that are legally committed to report their non-financial information are considering integrated reporting in order to comply and communicate their performance to their financial stakeholder (investors, shareholders etc.).

Research shows that there is a tendency to combine the financial and non-financial (CSR) reports, but not describing them as integrated reports (or following the corresponding guidelines). They lean towards combining their financial reports with ESG performance indicators, or to just combine the two separate reports.

By any means, integrated reports still remain the least preferable form of report for organizations, while Annual Reports, CSR reports and Annual Reviews are mostly preferred.

According to CSE’s research for Europe and North America, no significant trends have been disclosed when it comes to integrated reporting. Out of a sample of 475 and 642 companies/reports respectively, the percentage of integrated reports was in the single digits.

Don’t forget to claim your seat at the Advanced Certified Sustainability Practitioner program in London. It will feature a presentation of the Surprising Research Findings 2018 on Sustainability Goals Integration and Sustainability (CR) Impact. The research focuses on reporting practices of more than 460 corporations from leading business sectors and outlines key considerations related to common strategic objectives, social impact goals, UN SDG’s, reporting and external assurance practices as well as legislation.

For more information, contact [email protected].

Part 3: How to find a job in sustainability

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