Page 26 – Sustainability Academy

It has been one year since President Donald Trump had withdrawn from the Paris accord. The reasons behind this decision? The president had characterized global warming a “hoax” in the past while he made it clear he believed the agreement would significantly “undermine economy” and would put the US at a major disadvantage. He stated that a withdrawal would help American businesses and workers. The President particularly claimed that it would cost the US $3tn in lost GDP and 6.5 million jobs. He also believed that economies such as China and India had gotten a better deal.

The Paris agreement underlined a commitment on behalf of almost 200 countries on December 2015 to limit global carbon emissions and contain global warming to 2 C. while the optimal goal is 1.5C. Every few years countries are bound to come together and review each other’s’ efforts towards this goal. It took very hard negotiations for 21 years among the countries in order to reach this agreement.

The president’s decision found some supporters among the Republican Party, still the reactions he received were mainly negative at an international level. He received criticism from businesses, political leaders, environmentalists, and scientists. However, since 4 years had not passed from the signing of the agreement presumably no actual effect would the withdrawal bring as for the terms the US are meant to abide.

The unfortunate fact is that although the US contributes about 15% of global emissions of carbon, they would also contribute significantly to the accord effort financially and technology-wise. This would help developing countries in their struggle to battle rising temperatures. The missing funds could back up renewable energy, energy efficiency, forest conservation and other initiatives that decrease greenhouse gas emissions.

Turning a new leaf, Donald Trump announced that the US could go back into the Paris agreement. “We could conceivably go back in … I feel very strongly about the environment” he stated. The agreement was signed under former President Barack Obama’s administration, which the President accused of making a “bad deal”.

He said the Paris accord was very unfavorable and “it put penalties” on the US. He underlined that the US is “rich in gas, and coal, and oil, and other things…there was a tremendous penalty to using it”; while it was estimated that many businesses would have to close in order to qualify by 2025. However, he does not have a problem with the accord itself and if there is a renegotiation the US could presumably go back in. Countries such as Germany, France and Italy already voiced their opinion that the deal “cannot be renegotiated since it is a vital instrument for our planet, societies and economies.”

Clean water and clean air appear on the top of the President’s priorities’ list although he also feels very strongly for businesses that can compete.

CSE’s next presentation of the Global Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Program will be held in Atlanta, on March 8-9, 2018 and will provide all the latest updates and key concepts regarding trends and legislation on corporate sustainability, SDG’s, carbon emissions, GRI reporting guidelines, ways to measure the stakeholder engagement, case studies and best practices.

Webinar presented at the Conscious Business World Summit 2018

Presenters: Nikos Avlonas, President and Founder; Rosalinda Sanquiche, CSE North America

Research from the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) on 551 companies from the United States and Canada, many from the Fortune Global 500, finds that companies with the highest rankings on CSRHub had better financial performance than companies with lower rankings as indicated by revenue during the period 2014-2016.

The webinar:

Reviews key findings from the the Sustainability Reporting Trends in North America 2017 research.
Identifies the environment, social and governance (ESG) criteria necessary to address the UN Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) which 41% of businesses are expected to embed into their strategy and practices within five years.
Discusses the use of international standards and guidelines, adding value, integrity, transparency, and reliability to reporting, using the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the most widely used guideline, as an example.
Discusses the importance of sustainability risk assessment in decision making by corporate leadership.

The CSE specializes in global sustainability consulting, training and research which informs CSE education programs. CSE has trained over 5,000 professionals, many from the Fortune 500. CSE’s Sustainability Academy offers affordable, online education in corporate responsibility. CSE is a GRI-certified training provider. Upcoming in-person Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Programs (2018 Advanced Edition) include London, March 1-2; Atlanta, March 8-9; Toronto, April 26-27; New York, June 7-8, and other dates globally.

To access the webinar, please contact [email protected]

Raise your hand if you are a Sustainability professional and you have never felt like you are from another planet.

You and your “green staff”

It is a very common problem for sustainability professionals, while they carve out a valuable sustainability strategy and they try to make an impact, to face significant difficulties. People tend to appraise them and value their work, still from far away, since they think of them as “romantics”. “You are doing a great job, keep working on your “green staff”. But when you try to talk to them about what sustainability means and how you should all work together to achieve relevant goals in your organization they are nowhere to be found.

Reasons why you are from outer space

There are several reasons why this happens: people tend to believe that Sustainability is not a feasible goal for an organization. Take for example, climate change. For most people it seems quite distant how their everyday work and life could – good heavens – have an impact on global warming. It is not comprehensive to them how these little everyday acts could have significant results.

Additionally, people tend to think and prioritize their own departments, functions, activities, in other words, their work. So, it is quite unlikely that they will spend time and effort to understand and work towards a goal they do not consider their own. They don’t have an incentive to do so – unless you give it to them.

It is not also uncommon for people to perceive Sustainability as a goal related to political agendas. If you do not support a political party automatically Sustainability should not be among your priorities.

The Organization’s Stance

Integrating sustainability in your strategy is crucial – as you already know. It should be a core part of your business strategy. Sure it should be part of everyone’s job; organizations should raise awareness on the topic and “contaminate” all their employees with the green virus. We read that Jerry Lynch, CSO of General Mills said: “Sustainability is a core operating imperative to be a successful food business, much like safety and quality.” Other companies state similar views, such as UPS, Owens Corning, and Dow Chemical Company. Well said, but what are you to do, the neglected still admirable sustainability professional?

What you can do

Well, for starters you should learn how to speak a foreign language. Since your coworkers don’t speak “green”, you should learn how to speak their language. Adapt the message you want to get through in the organization’s culture and philosophy. You may have to “talk money” and interpret sustainability goals in a different manner but it may get them to be interested.

If they still don’t understand what you’re talking about, you can bring very successful examples of your competitors. How your competitors’ sustainability strategy helped them to bring the desirable goals profits wise? Spoiler alert: you should read CSE’s remarkable report “Sustainability Trends in North America” which found correlations between Sustainability performance and corporate profitability. We will be hosting a Global Sustainability Practitioner Program in Atlanta on March – would be happy for you to join us.

Also, you should know you are not alone. Or you shouldn’t be alone. The most significant move you should take is find allies. Managers, directors who will support you in your goal, help you get your message through and spread the news about the importance of sustainability. You will need powerful allies in your mission, to achieve cross-functional communication, to provide training, raise interest and awareness and in the end, actually make sustainability part of everyone’s job.

Over the past decade, the term sustainability and Corporate Responsibility has caught on in the boardroom, courtroom and living room. While the concept has reached the mainstream, opportunities abound for implementation. Ten trends to watch for and prepare in 2018 in Gulf Countries

Sustainable Cities – Now that the insurance sector acknowledges the risks of climate change, increasingly local governments will prepare themselves. NEOM will be a similar size to Belgium and have more robots than humans. The recently proposed $500 billion sustainable city in NW Saudi Arabia will be fully powered by renewable energy, and become the country’s hub for industry, technology and entertainment. NEOM is part of Saudi Arabia’s 2030 vision to diversify its economy and transform its energy generation. The first phase of NEOM is due to be finished by 2025, with the city expected to use the latest technology (“passenger drones”, free online education and robots to do repetitive and arduous tasks) and have the highest possible environmental standards (carbon-free homes).
More Sustainability Reporting for companies that did not considered it in the past and more transparency. GRI standards are the dominant standard for Reporting so far in all Gulf countries
Cultural divide – Besides the haves and have nots, expect a divide between those who do and those who don’t: do recycle, don’t eat meat; don’t stave off vampire electrics, do use plastic bags; don’t drive big cars, do carpool. Reduce/reuse from the Thrift Store or shop new at the Box Store? Fortunately, retailers will offer more sustainable products to attract both.
Corporate breakdown of silos – Corporations will increasingly value integrating sustainability across departments, product lines, R&D, manufacturing, infrastructure, everything! Up and down the supply chain, as imperative for international trade or a method of risk abatement – assimilating sustainability will become essential to ameliorate corporate woes and increase profitability.
Fake news driving real news – With so little trust in media, companies, NGOs and governments will increasingly depend on externally assured self-reporting of their sustainability successes and challenges. As stakeholders become disillusioned and distrustful, sustainability reporting must prove itself – real metrics, no green or blue washing, quantifiable goals. And, all of it must be verified by an outside source.
More organizations private and public Will Align with UN SDGs: The Sustainable Development Goals call for action by all UN member states to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. By aligning around the 17 Goals, and their smaller targets, corporations can choose among major initiatives they want to take on. The SDGs are also going to change and enhance future CSR/Sustainability reports.
More Sustainable Events will create awareness to public. Abu Dhabi’s Sustainability Week, one of the largest sustainability gatherings, will focus on “Driving the Global Energy Transformation”. It will address key global trends that are impacting the shift to sustainable energy: Climate Change, Urbanization and Digitization. One of the focus areas will be youth, while emerging entrepreneurs and innovators will have the opportunity to forge partnerships with leading global investors.
More Sustainability related jobs will be created including Social and Green startups You can take a look to sustainability-academy.org for getting advanced knowledge in this field and get qualified
Role of technology – Between smart grids, smart supply chains and smart transport, i.e., electric trucks, trains and cars, reliance on AI will increase
More need for education in the Sustainability Field. Millenial’s attention to Corporate Responsibility will increase and the need for more professional and academic education in this field will become a permanent trend

The Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) specializes in global sustainability consulting, training and research. CSE has trained over 2,000 professionals in Gulf Countries since 2005. CSE’s Sustainability Academy offers affordable, online education in corporate responsibility. Accredited by CMI (Chartered Management Institute), CSE is a GRI-certified training provider. Upcoming in-person Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Programs (2018 Advanced Edition) LONDON, 1-2 March, 2018

By Nikos Avlonas, CSE President

Over the past decade, the term sustainability has caught on in the boardroom, courtroom and living room. While the concept has reached the mainstream, opportunities abound for implementation. Ten trends to watch for and prepare in 2018….

Role of technology – Between smart grids, smart supply chains and smart transport, i.e., electric trucks, trains and cars, reliance on AI will increase. This can be good or bad, depending on whether programmers KNOW to code for sustainability. Unfortunately, research shows Silicon Valley is behind the curve. Other tech centers will step up.

Cities planning for climate change – Now that the insurance sector acknowledges the risks of climate change, increasingly local governments will prepare themselves. Coastal cities planning for sea-level rise or any town planning for the disaster du jour – hurricanes, sinkholes, tornadoes, blizzards, fires – must put sustainability plans in place or face uninsurable liability.

Cultural divide – Besides the haves and have nots, expect a divide between those who do and those who don’t: do recycle, don’t eat meat; don’t stave off vampire electrics, do use plastic bags; don’t drive big cars, do carpool. Reduce/reuse from the Thrift Store or shop new at the Box Store? Fortunately, retailers will offer more sustainable products to attract both.

Corporate breakdown of silos – Corporations will increasingly value integrating sustainability across departments, product lines, R&D, manufacturing, infrastructure, everything! Up and down the supply chain, as imperative for international trade or a method of risk abatement – assimilating sustainability will become essential to ameliorate corporate woes and increase profitability.

Fake news driving real news – With so little trust in media, companies, NGOs and governments will increasingly depend on externally assured self-reporting of their sustainability successes and challenges. As stakeholders become disillusioned and distrustful, sustainability reporting must prove itself – real metrics, no green or blue washing, with quantifiable goals. And, all of it must be verified by an outside source.

Cross-Company collaboration – Many of today’s pressing issues are simply too complex to solve alone. An even bigger traction of companies – and competitors – will partner to advance whole-scale change, like for example Danone and Nestle did to form the NaturALL Bottle Alliance.

Sector-wide collaboration with consumers – Acknowledging the power of strength in numbers, companies in specific industries will continue to band together to accelerate progress on shared issues. For example, the Food and Beverage industry has aggressively tackled transparency, with major players like Hershey and Panera arming consumers with additional information, not only nutrition but also production (organic, non-GMO), shipping and handling (human rights), and sustainability efforts.

Generation Z influence – Generation Z will hold companies to high standards. Much like their Millennial counterparts, Generation Z is focused on the impact companies have on the world. In a study by i4cp, 93% of Gen Zs said that a company’s impact on society affects their decision to work at or purchase from the company.

Companies aligning initiatives around United Nations SDGs – The Sustainable Development Goals call for action by all UN member states to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. By aligning around the 17 Goals, and their smaller targets, corporations will take on major sustainability initiatives specific to company values. The SDGs are also going to change and enhance the future of Sustainability Reports.

More Sustainability related jobs – Sustainability related jobs will be created, not only in large companies but also including benefit corporations and green startups. To get advanced knowledge in this field and earn qualifications, go to www.sustainability-academy.org.

Based on a collective 100-plus years of experience among our leadership and advisors, extrapolating from our annual research, we at CSE know the challenges are surmountable. With awareness, education and determination – ever forward!

The Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) specializes in global sustainability consulting, training and research. CSE has trained over 5,000 professionals, many from the Fortune 500. CSE’s Sustainability Academy offers affordable, online education in corporate responsibility. Accredited by CMI (Chartered Management Institute), CSE is a GRI-certified training provider.

Upcoming in-person Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Programs (2018 Advanced Edition) include London, March 1-2; Atlanta, March 8-9; Toronto, April 26-27; New York, June 11-12, and other dates globally.

There are many paths to becoming a CSO – make sure you are honing the essential skills!

In 2005, only 150 major companies had a Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO). Today, most of the Fortune 500 and at least 15,000 other companies around the world have a senior executive in charge of Sustainability and/or Corporate Responsibility.

Tangible skills and how to get them

CSOs need strong communication skills within the organization, both written and oral. They must be able to speak to supervisors, peers and subordinates. Many CSOs have come up from Human Resources.

CSOs need creativity and good problem-solving skills. They develop, design or create new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products. For example, they are tasked to shrink their companies’ carbon footprint. Many CSOs have come up through engineering, research and development and business development.

CSOs must stay up-to-date with information. They must apply that information to determine compliance with standards. This lends itself to compliance officers.

CSOs need to communicate effectively outside the organization. They must be adept at engaging and often collaborating with many different stakeholders: customers, the public, activists. Many have risen from marketing and communications departments.

Intangible skills which will set you apart

To become a CSO, you also need key intangible skills. Most of all, you must have a passion for the environment, social and governance (ESG) factors involved with sustainability. You must be able to develop objectives and strategies and then make decisions.

While the focus may be on corporate social responsibility (CSR), if you can’t make the business case for a CSR initiative, then you won’t be the leader your company needs. Many CSOs have strong backgrounds in economics or business management, even if that isn’t the career path they’ve followed.

Whether following a traditional career path or starting in a sustainability department, you’ll need to understand every department in your company, and how they work together. Your creative skills will be employed to develop plans which often overlap departments. The good news is that there is a profit at the end of your skill-building journey. According to Recruiter.com, CSOs can make up to $400,000 in the private sector.

How do you jumpstart your CSO path? Or transition into sustainability?

The Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) has spent over a decade honing the key content every sustainability practitioner needs to move into the executive suite. Learn about the latest research, the most highly regarded standards and how to apply them. Build strategies which incorporate global citizenship and corporate financial success.

If you want to become a Certified Sustainability Professional, join CSE’s Global Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Program (Advanced Edition 2018), an intense two-day immersion, held several times a year, all around the world. See our upcoming North America, Canada, Europe and Asia trainings here.

For a more flexible approach, CSE created the Sustainability Academy, offering certified online courses for specialized education.

Large companies, investors, national and local governments met in Paris on Tuesday, December 12, to celebrate the second anniversary of the signing of the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement. One promising sign to have emerged from this year’s One Planet summit came in the form of a pledge by 225 financial institutions to begin holding the world’s worst emitting companies to account. Investors from eight of the worlds’s top asset managers, pension funds, insurers and top sovereign wealth funds, as well as 20 globally systemic banks, backed the initiative. This will see them join the Climate Action 100+ to pressure companies to cut greenhouse gas emissions and improve disclosure and oversight of climate-related threats.

Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, arranged the One Planet conference to bring together governments, businesses and others to help find ways to meet the Paris goals. Civil society organisations, from nearly 60 countries, called on governments at the meeting to end subsidies and public finance for fossil fuels, and for the World Bank to end fossil fuel finance. The signatories included Greenpeace, the Climate Action Network, WWF, Christian Aid and Oil Change International.

Making it more difficult for companies to ignore the cost of their carbon footprint creates an exercise in transparency that will have long term consequences.

Meanwhile, according to a new study published in the scientific journal “Nature” worst-case climate change scenarios are likely to be most accurate. The report estimates that there is a 93% chance that global warming will exceed 4˚C by the end of this century under a business-as-usual scenario. That is double the target set in the Paris Climate Agreement to keep temperature rises below 2˚C above pre-industrial levels, with previous models only putting the likelihood of a 4˚C rise at 62%. The researchers said the different variations in global warming projected by models were largely due to how they simulate changes in clouds reflecting heat from the sun back to space.

CSE has identified the gap between international objectives and business practices that must be bridged and delivers practical tools to help professionals steer their organisation towards effectively contributing to climate change goals. Since 2005, CSE has provided integrated sustainability, corporate responsibility and carbon reduction strategic consulting from Europe, to the Middle East to North America. More than 5.000 corporate sustainability professionals in over 35 countries have been educated to increase Sustainability Performance in leading corporations and institutions across the financial, pharmaceutical, retail, food & beverage, chemical, education, oil & energy sectors.

General feedback from our clients about Klonopin can be defined as positive. Only in few cases from twenty, people were noting the difficulties with drowsiness, headaches, tremors and stomach pain. Even though this suppose to be common side effects we still recommend to check the dosing or ask for change with your personal doctor.

CSE founder and president Nikos Avlonas was recently interviewed by Forbes. The interview focused on CSE’s 2017 research, Sustainability Reporting Trends in North America 2017. The research provides surprising insights on sustainability reporting and profitability for companies in the United States and Canada. Avlonas addressed the importance of Comprehensive Sustainability Strategies, global standards such as the GRI and the growing importance of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

CSE’s next presentation of the Global Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Program will be held in London, on March 1-2, 2018 and will provide all the latest updates and key concepts regarding trends and legislation on corporate sustainability, SDG’s, carbon emissions, GRI reporting guidelines, ways to measure the stakeholder engagement, case studies and best practices.

References

Alister Doyle, 2017, Global warming may be more severe than expected by 2100: study, Reuters, December 6

Fiona Harvey, 2017, Calls for greater fossil fuel divestment at anniversary of Paris climate deal, The Guardian, December 12

Ed Crooks, 2017, Investors to push highest-emitting companies to do more on climate, The Financial Times, December 12

Eoghan Macguire, 2017, Paris Agreement two years on: Who is taking the lead on climate change?, CNN, December 12

Global Warming Effects on Hurricane Harvey

The biblical catastrophe caused by Hurricane Harvey was made 3 times more likely because of global warming while the storm’s downpour and flooding intensified by 15% according to research study. World Weather Attribution (WWA) announced on Wednesday that global warming caused by human impact is partly to blame for the heavy rainfall in Houston, which led to over 19 trillion gallons of water dumped in the Houston area and severe floods.

The Tragedy was Threefold

Three factors played a significant role in the brutal consequences of Hurricane Harvey: the surprising amount of rainfall, the fast intensification before landing in Houston and the unexpected stalling of the Hurricane in one place.

Unbelievable amounts of water were dumped as a result of Hurricane Harvey. It has been explained that when the air temperature is higher it holds more moisture. That means the amount of water vapor in the air is increased which in the case of a world warmed up by climate change it can lead to more intense rainfall. Starting from the sea surface which is warmer due to global warming, this heat made it possible for the storm to take up more water vapor. If you add to this that the atmosphere too is warmer and also held up more water, it all resulted in making the rainfall unusually and catastrophically intense.

The rapid intensification of the storm was also a result of the fast evaporation of sea water. Water evaporation is by all means quicker from a hot surface.

However, the volume of the rain and the storm’s intensity may not have made a difference if the Hurricane hasn’t just stopped over Texas. The reason behind this is alleged to be that opposite currents were competing against each other to move the Hurricane towards opposite directions and neither of them “won”. Scientists state that most probably climate change was not to blame for that, yet, it has been alleged that climate change can potentially make steering currents weaker.

Hurricane “Climate Change”

Ultimately, global warming played a definitive role in this human tragedy. Unfortunately, global warming itself is a result of human impact. Hurricane “Climate Change” is now sweeping over the entire world, which everyone hopes will not just be a trend. Companies owe to take long-term responsibility for their actions and the importance they place on sustainability in a transparent and honest way. CSE is bound to help them in this mission and genuinely guide them towards making a positive impact on the world. CSE’s Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program in Atlanta, March 8-9 will responsibly address the importance of Sustainability in the Supply Chain and Carbon Footprint Reduction in order to provide companies with all the necessary tools and resources to be sustainable and not cause harm to the environment and the society. To those who are truly willing.

New research from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) points to indisputable evidence of the impact of climate change on Ireland to date. Launched at EPA Seminar on Climate Change Research on December 7, the report warns that the predicted changes to our climate are set to result in wide-ranging economic and societal impacts. The challenge is to provide decision makers at all levels and the general public with high quality information to make informed decisions on policy development and investments that will be resilient to the impacts of climate change. These challenges mean opportunity for sustainability practitioners.

Key considerations

The EPA’s research indicates that Ireland has already seen an increase in mean annual temperatures of 0.8°C since 1900, with an increase of 1–1.6°C projected by mid-century. The largest increases are set to occur in the east of the country, the report states. The higher end of this predicted rise will go beyond the long-term goal set by the Paris Agreement of limiting the increase in global average temperature to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Average annual rainfall has also increased by 60 mm between 1981– 2010, according to the report. This is five per cent more than the average recorded in the previous 30 year period between 1961 and 1990. In general, larger increases in rainfall have been recorded in the west where farmers have been hit hard by the recent fodder crisis as wet weather conditions leave farmers facing a hay shortage for livestock feed. Significant changes in seasonal rainfall patterns by mid-century will also likely lead to drier summer conditions, while flooding is expected to increase in both the winter and spring. Data analyzed by the EPA shows that there has been sea level rise of about 3.5 cm per decade since the early 1990s, consistent with expected acceleration due to climate change.

On Wednesday, December 6, the Irish Government’s Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) said that the pace and scale of emissions reductions must be accelerated across all sectors to have any chance of achieving our long-term objective of reducing emissions by at least 80 per cent by 2050.

The Irish wake- up call

European Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner, Phil Hogan issued a stark warning that Ireland will face massive fines unless it improves its environmental performance. Speaking at the Department of Agriculture’s Food Wise conference in Dublin, Hogan said Ireland needs to ‘wake up and wake up soon’ to the reality that it is part of a European Union that has assumed the role of global leader in tackling climate challenges. “The day is gone when we can pay lip service to sustainability and climate action,” he warned. Hogan said there is a gulf between Ireland’s ‘welcome rhetoric and the operational reality’ citing that Ireland is one of only four countries in the EU where greenhouse gas emissions are still above 1990 levels.

Identifying Challenges and Pressures

Changes in Ireland’s climate are in-line with and similar to relevant global trends. Climate change will have diverse and wide ranging impacts on our environment, society, economic sectors and natural resources. The challenge is to provide decision makers at all levels and the general public with high quality information to make informed decisions on policy development and investments that will be resilient to the impacts of climate change.

These challenges mean opportunity for sustainability practitioners. Companies and government alike recognize these are all inter-related. Whether you are a program manager, an engineer, an accountant, you work in construction or retail, there is a good reason to understand the complexity of sustainability.

CSE’s next presentation of the Global Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Program will be held in London, on March 1-2, 2018 and will provide all the latest updates and key concepts regarding trends and legislation on corporate sustainability, SDG’s, carbon emissions, GRI reporting guidelines, ways to measure the stakeholder engagement, case studies and best practices.

References

EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), 2017, A Summary of the State of Knowledge on Climate Change Impacts for Ireland, Report No. 223

European Commission, Phil Hogan, Announcements Speech at Foodwise 2025 Conference, Croke Park Dublin – 4th December 2017 (Accessed: 8 November 2017)

Climate Change Advisory Council, Annual Review 2017, Tuesday 5th December, http://www.climatecouncil.ie/media/ClimateChangeAdvCouncil_AnnualReview2017FINAL.pdf (Accessed: 8 November 2017)

Think sustainability reporting is time consuming and expensive? Research finds improved financial performance for those corporations which put in the effort.

CSE founder and president Nikos Avlonas was recently interviewed by Forbes. The interview focused on CSE’s 2017 research, Sustainability Reporting Trends in North America 2017. The research provides surprising insights on sustainability reporting and profitability for companies in the United States and Canada.

Avlonas answered questions about CSE’s research mission, the most significant of the findings, characteristics of successful companies, reporting shortcomings and room for improvements.

Avlonas addressed the importance of Comprehensive Sustainability Strategies, global standards such as the GRI and the growing importance of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Read the full interview: Sustainable Reporting: Lessons From the Fortune 500.

For more detail on the 2017 research on North America trends or last year’s research on Silicon Valley, contact Rosalinda Sanquiche, CSE North America, at [email protected].

CSE’s research informs the Centre’s education programs. The Sustainability Academy offers flexible and affordable online certification for sustainability practitioners. The Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Program (Advanced Edition 2018) provides an in-depth, in-person, intensive two-day course, held several times a year around the world.