Page 30 – Sustainability Academy

Health Safety and the Environment Trends in the UAE

The continuous investments and industrial developments in the UAE have brought new challenges concerning health and safety in the workplace. As a result, new standards concerning health and safety were adopted this year, alongside with the improvement of the existing ones. The chapters included in this movement are among others, the environmental conditions employees work in, the exposure to potential dangerous chemicals, along with social effects, such as the employees’ relationship with their colleagues and other psychological weights.

This has been a great progress since employees’ productivity is greatly affected by their sense of safety in the workplace, and these standards will play a significant role in accidents’ reduction and for skilled and experienced workforce to flow into the country. Consequently, the demand for HSE Managers is expected to raise, job openings will increase, while the importance of HSE Managers’ role in the organization will be strengthened.

EHS Manager’s Role

An Environmental Health and Safety Manager is a valued member of a business’ management team. But what does an EHS Manager actually do?

You will be expected to wear protective helmet/uniform/mask depending on the organization and the working conditions.
Your role involves the application and extensive knowledge of all health and safety regulations and guidelines concerning the organization.
You will be in charge of all the relevant permits for the organization (fire safety/environmental etc.), while you should be vigilant concerning possible hazards and risks in the workplace.
You will conduct regular trainings to all departments concerning all chapters of HSE and open a dialogue with the employees in order to perceive possible hazards or unsafe situations.
You will develop a program concerning workplace accidents which will include the investigation of the accidents, the analysis of the accident trends, and suggestions to avoid them in the future.
Your duties include regular inspections and maintenance of all machinery of the facility.

Are you ready?

So, if you think you are cut out for the job, we are here to support you in anything you need. CSE is a leading accredited provider of CSR Training and Consultancy internationally. Please have a look at our upcoming Certified CSR Training Program in Dubai, 5-6 November 2017. Good luck!

Sustainability practitioners have an enormous amount of skill in areas not normally thought of as “sustainability” (see CSE’s blog on Health, Safety and Environment). In the wake of a natural disaster, recovery will require a systems approach, inherent to the training sustainability practitioners receive and the process they implement every day.

In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, the Energy Industry will be calling for all hands-on deck both in recovery, risk assessment and emergency management. A third of the US oil refinery capacity was shut down for days. Long-term environmental fall out could lead to increased reliance on renewable energy or even electric vehicles. CSE has helped energy companies from Anadarko, to Hydro One, NRG to Talisman train leaders to manage sustainability concerns.

Sustainability practitioners trained in Facilities Management will spend time in the coming months reviewing preparedness plans, recovery plans and environmental impact of flooding, leaks, and mitigation. The Construction industry will face similar assessments as they develop more resilient construction methods and facilitate clean up. CSE has helped sustainability practitioners from Caterpillar, Sodexo, ABM and even Houston’s airport prepare for these challenges.

Emergency planning is going to be a hot topic. Those who are more civic oriented than corporate will find plenty of roles in city, state and national preparedness plans. In the light of poor press coverage of the Lakewood Church in Houston led by Pastor Joel Osteen, we know that emergency preparedness goes well beyond the Red Cross or FEMA. Might a sustainability practitioner on staff have helped the church put in place an emergency plan and team that considered basement flooding, volunteer staffing, coordinating with the city’s emergency management and parishioner needs? Systems thinking and forward vision is critical.

We look at ESG factors: environment – leaks, contaminants; Social – disruption to employees and clients; Governance – setting goals for the next crisis, implementing risk assessment and mitigation, both physical and financial (even emotional).

From 1987 to 2017, storms and other natural disasters, not counting Harvey, have cost the US $1.15 Trillion, $562.8B from hurricanes and another $192.7B from severe storms. Hurricane Sandy led to total losses of $68.4 billion only $29.2 billion of which were insured.

Whether you are an engineer, facilities manager or sustainability director, sustainability practitioners are here to meet the needs of the current crisis and prepare for the future. For a good example, check out Eco-Business’ new whitepaper taking a critical look at how we can better prepare for increased floods.

Let’s step up and be our best selves, bring our strongest skills and our umbrella way of thinking to deal with Mother Nature’s challenges. CSE trainings in Toronto, Oct. 26-27, and San Diego, Oct. 31-Nov. 1, provide training now for the concerns of tomorrow.

Business Ethics and Sustainability

Business Ethics is widely considered to be one of the most important ingredients of the Social pillar of Sustainability. A business can be considered sustainable when supported and approved by its stakeholders, employees and the community. Fairness, efforts towards retention and engagement, and good practices towards these groups constitute key indicators for a business’s sustainability.

Latest Trends

Compliance officers are expected to respond to various trends regarding business ethics, which gradually become more challenging. The evolution of technology greatly assisted the steps towards a business’s sustainability (better work conditions, increased communication, additional jobs), while it has dramatically changed the face of these developments, e.g. automation. Dilemmas have arisen concerning the point where the human substitution becomes unethical. Is it ethically acceptable for organizations to “get into the consumers’ head” or to try to influence their emotions? The examples below come from the marketing and psychology field. One could say the “robots” are taking over.

From Science Fiction to Neuromarketing

Marketing has been the pioneering field in this dynamic invasion of technology in people’s minds. Brands, in their effort to create strong connections and engagement with consumers, have recruited neuroscience. Marketers study the nervous system, how the brain reacts to particular stimulus and specifically what particular emotions they trigger. The ultimate goal is for consumers to bond with the brands and raise engagement and loyalty.

Facebook feels us

In 2012 Facebook also attempted to involve the examination of human emotions in the social media’s strategy, by carrying out an experiment where it screened certain words from 689,003 peoples’ news feed for one week. This disclosure aimed towards seeing how this adaptation would then influence the “participants” of the experiment (it was realized without their knowing) concerning their subsequent posts, “Likes” and reactions. The reactions of the CSR communities however were not positive, mostly criticizing how the experiment had an underlying desirable consumer purchasing behavior.

Meet Ellie, the virtual interviewer, by the USC Institute

Ellie is a human-like machine developed to assist the diagnosis of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, through actual interaction. Substituting the therapist, Ellie “listens” to the patients and detects psychological problems. A job ordinarily assigned to humans has now evolved into a technology involving occupation. What will be the outcome for psychologists and patients over the world? We’ll see.

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It looks like technology has invaded in our lives more dynamically than ever. For us, Sustainability professionals, where should the limit be?

For cutting-edge sustainability education on essential sustainability issues, you can take a look at Sustainability Academy’s online courses.

CSE 2nd annual North America Sustainability Reporting research shows US lagging Europe despite better revenue returns for corporations with strong reporting practices

The Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) announces its second annual research of Sustainability Reporting Trends in North America 2017. This report presents 2015-2016 trends. Five hundred and fifty-one companies from the United States and Canada were analysed, many of them among the Fortune Global 500. The Report is intended for stakeholders including investors, business leaders, company boards, CSR and sustainability professionals, NGOs, customers, academics, and students. New this year, research includes a comparative analysis of companies that publish sustainability reports with the highest score in CSRHub, a global sustainability ratings agency listing over 17,000 public and private companies.

Sustainability Reporting Trends in North America 2017 examines company and organization sectors, size and ownership. It reviews reporting practices, external assurance practices, the presence of carbon footprint metrics and financial performance. The report describes over 20 trends specific to North America, broken down between the USA and Canada.

Key Take-Away

The most significant finding of Sustainability Reporting Trends in North America 2017 is 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. These companies have recognized the importance of a comprehensive sustainability reporting strategy that includes goals, and externally assuring performance information and data.

Other key trends include:

The sectors with the highest reporting presence are Energy and Energy Utilities, Financial Services, Food & Beverage, and Mining. As noted in CSE’s 2016 report on Silicon Valley, tech firms are surprisingly under-represented.

Most of the companies publishing a sustainability report for 2015-2016 were public companies (79.2% in the U.S. and 79.0% in Canada). The global presence of Large and Multinational Enterprise operations makes reporting sustainability performance a necessity to keep their social and environmental license to operate. Small-Medium Enterprises represent only 5.1% of U.S.A. and 8.0% of Canada.

The use of specific guidelines for reporting is growing, adding value, integrity, transparency, and reliability to reports. Of the many guidelines available, 65% of companies use the Reporting Guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).

In North America, the majority of reports following reporting guidelines have not sought external assurance, compared to 50% of global reporting companies and organizations. The percentage of North America companies seeking assurance has not grown since 2014.

Adoption of the UN Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) has proceeded slowly in North America. However, 41% of businesses are expected to embed SDGs into their strategy and business practices within five years, and 71% of businesses say they are already planning how they will incorporate the SDGs.

Carbon footprint reduction has become the priority of the companies that have the highest Sustainability Ranking. Most of the companies have well-stated and measured goals and targets found in their reports and websites.

For the full report, contact [email protected] . Report findings will be presented at CSE’s Sustainability Practitioner Program (Advanced Edition 2017) in Toronto and San Diego. CSE research informs the continuous updates of the online specialized courses offered by the Sustainability Academy.

ABOUT CSE

The Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) specializes in global sustainability consulting, coaching and training. CSE has trained over 5,000 professionals, many from the Fortune Global 500. CSE is accredited by CMI (Chartered Management Institute) and is a GRI certified training provider. The Sustainability Academy offers affordable, specialized online education in sustainability and corporate responsibility. The Academy ambitiously plans to train 100,000 sustainability practitioners by 2020!

Food security goes beyond farming or international trade. Sustainability Practitioners bring a systems approach to the table to fight the “dumbest problem” in the world.

“Hunger is the world’s dumbest problem,” says Komal Ahmad. Toyota’s 2016 “Mother of Invention” founded Copia which has recovered over $4.6 million in food savings. Hunger is also a problem sustainability practitioners can help solve. Whether land management, agriculture, food production, water protection, or distribution, across disciplines and industries requires a systems thinking approach – integral to the training received by certified sustainability practitioners.

In the US, government policy focuses on food security. In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau established a broad-reaching mandate considering the economy, environment, sustainability and global leadership. Solutions range from sustainable agriculture/aquaculture to public/private partnerships to local solutions. Healthy food should not be a perk of the rich or those conveniently living in Vancouver or Toronto. Canada and the United States are top food exporters who can feed their own populations. They have the luxury of tackling food issues head on.

Despite lower food prices common to net exporters, there is wide disparity with Canada’s northern most regions paying $13 for a bag of flour while the rest of Canada pays $5. In other regions, “ethical” food is often out of reach for lower income individuals who cannot afford or don’t have access to ecologically sustainable foods.

Canada’s mandate from Trudeau is to develop a food policy that “promotes healthy living and safe food by putting more healthy, high-quality food, produced by Canadian ranchers and farmers, on the tables of families across the country.” Ethical food is often considered the purview of the small farmer. PepsiCo (which has relied on the Sustainability Academy) is trying to change that perception with its mission to “Leave No Trace” throughout its entire business and supply chain.

Food policy must be interconnected and rooted in health, equity and sustainability, informed by sound research. While Trudeau’s mandate is directed at the Minister of Agriculture, Canada is also integrating the mission into the science-oriented department of Fisheries and Ocean, emphasizing a strong certification and inspection program.

A systems approach requires input from many stakeholders. The Canadian government has launched an online survey and “A Food Policy for Canada” consultations throughout the country. They are uncovering the same food security issues faced worldwide: foreign influence on farming, urban food deserts, racial inequality, injustice to temporary farm workers, poverty, climate change, environment protection and diet-related diseases, medications and antibiotics from https://www.cdhfinechemical.com/cdh_data/antibiotics-online/ to name a few.

As sustainability practitioners, a systems approach comes naturally. But what are the key components? Stakeholders? Materiality considerations from industry to industry? Even mining, affecting water resources, influences food security. Sustainability practitioners, with their integrated understanding, are uniquely suited to address these concerns.

CSE covers these topics in its Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program (Advanced Edition 2017). The two remaining North America dates are Toronto, Sept. 26-27, and San Diego, Oct. 31-Nov. 1, 2017.

Sustainability Academy Ambassadors Spread Our Mission

The Sustainability Academy aspires to train 100,000 sustainability practitioners by 2020!

Opportunities for sustainability in corporate and social entrepreneurship are boundless. In-person programs can be financially out of reach and time-consuming. And, “on-the-job” inevitably leads to costly mistakes. The Sustainability Academy provides the same caliber concentrated training online that has reached executives from much of the Fortune Global 500.

Sustainability Academy courses teach the principles of nature and business, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s), trends and regulations, SROI, stakeholder engagement, cause-related marketing and materiality, creating a critical mass of Sustainability Practitioners which cross disciplines and industries.

We need your help. We invite all our existing and former Sustainability Practitioners – there are over 5000 of you! – to join us as a Sustainability Academy ambassador.

As an ambassador, you become part of our “Refer and Win” program.

Referrals are the highest compliment for us. We promise that your referrals will receive our high education standards and will gain advanced knowledge on Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility.

When you suggest three (3) members of your professional network, each one will receive a 15% discount for the online course of their choosing. This includes our signature Online Diploma on Corporate Sustainability as well as others on Sustainability Reporting, Carbon Reduction Strategy, ESG Performance for Investors, Social Entrepreneurship, Social Impact Assessment and SROI, Intro to Sustainability Reporting, Intro to Corporate Carbon Footprint Reduction, and How to Find a CSR Job.

When a friend or colleague registers, you will receive a 15% discount for any online course and a $45 Amazon voucher.

Referring us to your colleagues means you’re helping them gain advanced knowledge on Sustainability and CR, take their careers to the next level and make a positive impact for our planet.

Let them see the benefit for themselves with our free first modules for Carbon Reduction Strategy, ESG Performance and Sustainability Reporting.

Help us reach 100,000 Sustainability Practitioners by 2020!

For more information about “Refer and Win”, contact: [email protected]

Can beer, soda and bottled water improve world water resources? Yes! To mitigate their negative impacts, the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) works with beverage companies around the world making strides in water protection, conservation, replenishment and management.

Protection – Beer is 95% water. Heineken uses water to growing crops and distill its final product. To reduce impact, Heineken is working to minimize water intake by increasing water efficiency, treating brewery effluent and balancing the water which facilities can’t return to the local watershed. Heineken concentrates water stewardship investments in 23 operational sites in water-stressed areas, mostly in Africa, Mexico, Indonesia and Spain. A good example is their 2016 tree planting project in Rwanda to improve soil structure and drainage.

Conservation – In 2015, PepsiCo reduced operational water use per unit of production by 26% against a 2006 baseline, well exceeding their goal of 20% by 2015. Water conservation efforts saved PepsiCo more than $80 million between 2011-2015. PepsiCo contributes to Recycle for Nature, a five-year partnership with The Nature Conservancy to protect U.S. drinking water sources by recycling beverage bottles and cans.

Replenishment – Many of Coca-Cola’s projects focus on replenishment. Replenishment returns clean water to the watershed and improves community water systems. Coca-Cola boasts a success rate of replenishing 115% of water used in global sales volume, ahead of 2020 targets. Their replenishment projects are conducted with the expertise and support of partners such as WWF, USAID, The Nature Conservancy, Water for People, UN-HABITAT, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Management – Nestle sustainably manages nearly 14,000 acres of natural watershed around their 50 spring sites. At the source, they monitor water levels to ensure that they’re being replenished. Nestle has improved the production life cycle for packaging. For example, their bottle has the lightest environmental footprint in the industry. Managing the end of the process, Nestle focuses on improving recycling rates to reduce energy needs and raw materials.

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Michael Washburn, director of sustainability at Nestle Waters North America, states that their effort “serves our business interests”, promoting economic growth, saving businesses money. The effort can add 1.5 million jobs if the US reaches a 75% recycling rate.

CSE is proud to have worked with each of these companies via their Sustainability Practitioner Program and consulting. There is much more to be done. To meet the training challenge, CSE’s Sustainability Academy offers an affordable, flexible online program targeted to train 100,000 sustainability practitioners by 2020!

Ed Sheeran games with sustainability. Will the rest of Hollywood get on board?

Five major explosions, one fiery crash, 15 cars destroyed and 2 store fronts demolished. Add waste generated by 100 people on set on any given day and easily over 1000 by the end of a production. Sustainability practitioners are NEEDED to address awareness and sustainable practices in Hollywood.

Fortunately, Hollywood is coming around. The first Environmental Media Association Impact Summit was held March 2017. Representatives from Disney, Fox, Sony, Paramount and Warner Bros. Studios attended. The summit was headlined by celebrities Shailene Woodley and Jaden Smith. Topics ranged from vendors, carbon emissions and energy conservation to community partnerships and the EMA Green Seal recognition program.

With this much interest in movie production, soon there will be a heading as the credits role for sustainability crew. Sustainability practices are similar across industries. Adopting sustainability practices in the entertainment industry benefits nature and the triple bottom line.

Producers need sustainability strategists. A course on sustainability in Hollywood would look like the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence’s (CSE) Sustainability Practitioner Program. Modules include reporting guidelines such as the GRI Standards, supply chain and carbon foot printing. What Hollywood still lacks and sustainability professionals can help provide is transparency in production practices and reporting. Movie production is a significant contributor to GHGs, but without a baseline and solid metrics, how can Hollywood improve?

Ed Sheeran, Beyoncé, Pearl Jam and Coldplay are some of the musicians rocking sustainability. Movies have global reach. The entertainment business is generally perceived as progressive. The blockbuster writer/director of Bridget Jones’s Diary Richard Curtis and Academy Award-winning actress Charlize Theron are both representatives of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Good work already is being done. Now, more studio heads need to get on board. Sustainability advocates Angelina Jolie, Leonardo DiCaprio, Emma Watson, Ben Affleck, Jessica Alba: let’s make their lives easier with a cadre of sustainability practitioners ready to bring sustainability to the set!

CSE’s next California Sustainability Practitioner Program (Advanced Edition 2017) will be held in San Diego, Oct. 31- Nov. 1 at the SRI Conference.

While the need to bolster sustainability and equality and eliminate poverty is more pressing than ever, in the annual check-in on the SDG’s at U. N. Headquarters, known as the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), cities and the SDG 11 (the goal focused on sustainable urbanization), as part of the sustainability development agenda, are not explicitly on this year’s HLPF menu.

Reinventing the global urbanization paradigm

Despite the growing recognition that the way cities have been built is unsustainable, with the lack of planning and control leading to problems such as overcrowding and pollution, it’s the urban areas where a more coordinated approach is expected to take place and would have a powerful impact on the pace of social, economic and environmental change needed to meet the interconnected goals. So local authorities have a vital role to play in this global effort.

The time has come for cities to plan and manage their future and fulfill their role as drivers of sustainable development in order to successfully implement the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change. The “sustainability urban development agenda” needs cities to cooperate with committed partners, relevant stakeholders and urban actors at all levels of public administration, the civil society and private sector.

Finding new solutions to new problems

When it comes to the global urban agenda, America’s mayors have probably never felt more alone, since Trump’s decision to pull out of Paris Accords. This decision though seems to have reinvigorated efforts and motivated local leadership to redouble efforts to meet the goals of the cities of tomorrow, as US mayors pledge their commitment to climate change.

How do mayors convince their constituents that investing in a more sustainable city is the right thing to do? Given the limited regulatory jurisdiction, how do cities leverage other key players and resources? In this context how businesses are going to collaborate effectively and efficiently with governments at subnational, national and federal level and tap into networks of other cities while maintaining the right kind of momentum?

Businesses have an added incentive to seize the day and cities have to act before it’s too late, in order to become inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

To learn how to integrate sustainability and bring about positive results in your areas of influence, attend CSE’s Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program (Advance Edition 2017) in New York City, September 28-29. NYC companies such as HSBC and Pfizer already work with CSE. The training will be led by Nikos Avlonas. Visit www.CSE-net.org for other trainings around the world or for online courses offered by the Sustainability Academy.

Sources: United Nations, Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform, Eco-Business, Politico, Youth for Human Rights International

Sustainability professionals looking for a career field ready and waiting for your skills — look to Health, Safety and Environment (HSE).

HSE departments led the field in early sustainability. Trained sustainability practitioners can help them to get back on track!

Nikos Avlonas, president, Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE), recently addressed HSE, speaking to Cathy Hansell, President, Breakthrough Results, LLC and Executive Producer, Safety Breakthrough Talk Radio. She is also a Certified Sustainability Practitioner, trained through CSE.

“Sustainability has absorbed HSE as part of its agenda,” says Avlonas.

Despite fears from US withdrawal from global agreements, Avlonas is convinced the incorporation of sustainability within corporations will increase, rather than diminish. No single country can suspend agreements such as the Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement to reduce GHG emissions, observes Avlonas. In Europe, companies with more than 500 employees, including US multinationals, must have sustainability reporting.

HSE is an integral part of this movement. Avlonas points out that investors expect great performance in HSE, particularly over the past 4-5 years. Companies can leveraged their HSE track records to build their sustainability programs.

An obstacle, however, is that too many HSE professionals lack a sustainability background. They don’t understand globally accepted guidelines such as GRI. Fortunately HSE models, (such as Hansell’s SHE partnership to CSR), and best practices are well developed.

Avlonas advises companies to:

Educate HSE staff.
Ensure sustainability committees include HSE participants
Have HSE work with internal communications departments

Steps HSE professionals can take to support sustainability:

Ask HR for sustainability training to understand how HSE and sustainability interrelate. Many treat them as separate. The “beginning of confusion and beginning of conflict,” says Avlonas.
If your company has a sustainability committee or plans to have one, make yourself part of the committee.
Create awareness campaigns for stakeholders internally and externally.
Provide data to sustainability professionals for their reporting process.

Avlonas and Hansell emphasize that HSE must become more open to the sustainability agenda rather than isolated in its own department. They must work with HR, Quality Control, Communications – bringing all the players together to boost sustainability.

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To learn how to integrate sustainability and HSE, attend CSE’s Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program (Advance Edition 2017) in New York City, September 28-29. NYC companies such as HSBC and Pfizer already work with CSE. The training will be led by Nikos Avlonas. Visit www.CSE-net.org for other trainings around the world or for online courses offered by the Sustainability Academy.