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US companies operating in Europe face tough penalties for not publishing Sustainability Reports or publicly disclosing Corporate Responsibility data.

The EU Directive on Non-financial and Diversity Information (Directive 2014/95/EU) can greatly affect North American corporations operating in any of the European Union Member States.  The European Commission (EC) objective is to raise to a similarly high level across all Member States the transparency of social and environmental information provided by companies operating in all sectors.

A “similarly high level” does not mean THE SAME.  Each member state can modify the directive to comply with national laws.  Corporations which meet the minimum requirements in multiple states, must file a report for each Member State, requirements which can differ significantly.

Reports must cover:

  • Environmental impact including GHG emissions scope 1,2 and 3
  • Social and employee matters
  • Respect for human rights
  • Anti-corruption and bribery concerns

Reports must include:

  • description of the company’s business model;
  • description of relevant policies implemented, including due diligence processes;
  • outcome of those policies;
  • company’s principal risks, including business relationships, products or services, and how the company manages those risks;
  • non-financial key performance indicators relevant to the business.

There are many benefits to adhering to the EU directive.  Reporting increases stakeholder trust.  Companies learn from the reporting process.  The effort generates continuous improvements in a business’s impact.  And, the requirement to make the report public helps company’s highlight their business integrity.

Another advantage – guidance on incorporating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They are the EC’s major policy priority. Addressing the 17 SDGs sustainability challenges, including climate change, human rights, corruption, poverty, inequalities and justice, tops the EU agenda.

The directive applies to Member State-defined “large undertakings which are public-interest entities” having an average of 500 or more employees within a Member State.  Each state can also specify: report topics and content, reporting framework, disclosure format, level of auditing and independent assurance, penalties for non-compliance, including the Safe Harbour Principle and including diversity reporting.  For companies meeting the 500-employee minimum in multiple countries, the reporting requirements can be quite complex!

How different can requirements be?  By country, fines range as low as $1,650 to as high as $12 million! Fines can be applied to an individual or the company.  Some states impose a prison sentence, with durations ranging from 2 years to 6 years.  There are 30 different variations of reporting. If you oversee compliance, you do not want to get this wrong!

With our European team and global expertise, CSE is uniquely positioned to help companies meet Directive 2014/95/EU requirements.  CSE’s Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program, Advanced Edition 2018, addresses EU mandates, providing participants an edge in their efforts to keep their companies ahead of the game.  During the upcoming New York City program, June 11-12, 2018, attendees will learn how to apply corporate sustainability strategy and reporting efforts to facilitate meeting EU and other global legislation.

Join us as we stay ahead of reaching global sustainability goals and understanding evolving international laws: Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program, Advanced Edition 2018, New York City, June 11-12, 2018.

 

Polar bears are mammals that spend most of their time in the Arctic Ocean and they are considered very good swimmers. They have a high percentage of body fat and a water-repellent coat in order to be able to survive in the Arctic Ocean’s conditions and they are mainly fed by seals. They are hunting half of their time and still, they may catch 1 or 2 seals out of 10.

Polar bears are divided into 19 sub-populations, out of which 3 are already in decline according to the IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group.  In the southern Beaufort Sea there has been documented a 40% population loss for polar bears. Additionally scientists are afraid that this decline is going to continue in the future due to climate change since there is a continuous loss of their ice habitat.

But why are polar bears so severely affected by climate change? Polar bears need the sea ice to cover most of their primary needs: they access the seals from which they are fed, while they use it to breed and rest. As sea ice deteriorates polar bears do not have the means to survive.

Dr. Pete Ewins, WWF’s Senior Species Officer stated that “This is a clear warning sign of the impact a warming Arctic has on ice-dependent species like the polar bear.” “Given this sub-population is at the edge of the range, it’s no surprise to see this happening so soon.”

Unfortunately, polar bears are not the only ones affected by climate change. Many species are facing endangerment since their habitats are deteriorating, such as African Elephants, Giant Pandas and Snow Leopards. On the other hand extreme weather conditions have also made their appearance all over the world causing disasters. Hurricanes Harvey, Maria and Irma are only recent examples of how climate change has affected our lives.

It seems that after many years of humans leaving their footprint on the planet, the time has come for animal populations and future generations to pay the price. All nations and people individually should take responsibility for their actions and work together towards a resilient, sustainable world.

You want to become part of the solution? For cutting-edge sustainability education on essential sustainability issues, you can take a look at Sustainability Academy’s online courses.

 

 

The Sustainable Development Goal 5 is to achieve gender equality and to empower all women and girls by 2030. However, women and girls still face discrimination and become victims of violence all over the world.

Where do we stand concerning this Sustainable Development Goal?

Unfortunately, 49 countries still do not have laws to protect women from domestic violence. In 87 countries it is estimated that 1 in 5 women and girls under 50 years old fall victims of physical or sexual violence by their partner within last year.

Child marriage is still a real thing: every year 15 million girls get married under the age of 18.

Women find themselves doing 2.6 times more unpaid and domestic work than men. That leaves them with significantly less time to engage in other activities while they make less money.

It is estimated that only 52% of women around the world make their own decisions concerning sexual relations, contraception and health care. As a result, decisions concerning education and work are affected too.

As far as women’s professional status is concerned, they occupy less than a third of senior and middle management positions in the private sector and 23.7% of parliamentary seats.

According to the United Nations the targets of the SDG 5 are the following:

End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere.

Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.

Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.

Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate.

Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.

Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences.

Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws.

Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women.

Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels.

Amoxicillin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic, which is usually prescribed most often for ENT diseases and urinary tract infections. Well, it is also good for other infections; it helps well, especially if a person is allergic to other types of antibiotics. It should also be noted at https://www.pittsburgheyeassociates.com/amoxil-treat-infections/ that the pills are very affordable; they are sold without prescription in any pharmacy and are inexpensive.

Women and girls constitute half of the population and they have the same human rights as men. We cannot actually talk about a sustainable world when women and girls continue to suffer. Gender equality is the basis and essence of a prosperous future for all. Women are entitled to equal opportunities concerning their education, healthcare and work.

For more information on essential sustainability issues and for you to become part of the solution, you can take a look at Sustainability Academy’s online courses.

 

Leveraging Community and Skills in the quickly expanding Sustainability Sector

CSE  and our Business Network of Affiliates help companies and organizations improve business performance while promoting social, economic and environmental values.

The Sustainability sector is one of the fastest growing business opportunities available.  Start-ups and corporations are looking to install sustainable practices at every level from foreman to financier.  Sustainability Reporting is a trend reaching every major corporation, domestic and international, and many smaller businesses looking to grow and compete.

CSE welcomes Sustainability freelancers and small consulting companies to join our Affiliate program.  CSE selectively partners with creative and engaged sustainability professionals who can teach sustainability principles and lead sustainability programs as consultants.

Joining the CSE network provides:

  • Opportunity to become a Certified Sustainability Consultant
    • Discount on certification courses
    • Free materials and webinars
    • Access to original CSE research
  • Ongoing opportunities to expand your resources, knowledge and marketing capacity
    • CSE Affiliate logo for your website and presence on CSE website
    • Supplement your expertise with CSE resources for joint projects or RFPs
  • Increased revenue
    • Conducting CSE Sustainability Trainings in your community and networks
    • 15% commission for referring clients outside your expertise to CSE
  • Increased professional visibility
    • Offer clients discounts on External Assurance
    • Offer online courses in a wide variety of Sustainability topics and skills, using your brand as point of reference

CSE certified practitioners span the globe with Affiliates in Canada, Central America, Hong Kong, Japan, Oman Qatar, Romania, the UK and, of course, the USA.  Current expansion is focused on North America.  CSE is vetting applications to join our award-winning family.  Visit the CSE website for more information and to apply.

What do Nestlé, Adidas Group and Heinz have in common? For starters they are all successful, green, profitable companies. Looking closer one finds out that they are quite active in the CSR field, they have solid Sustainability strategies and they communicate it.

Nestle’s Corporate Responsibility strategy focuses on three goals: (1) To help people live healthier and happier lives, (2) to build up prosperous, resilient communities and to (3) conserve resources for generations to come.

Adidas’ partnership with Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus’s micro-finance organization, Grameen Bank helped the organization materialize a very thoughtful project: to manufacture a low-cost and low-budget shoe for the poor in Bangladesh, which they were able to afford.

Heinz’s “micronutrient campaign” aimed to battle iron-deficiency anemia and malnutrition of children in 15 developing countries. Approximately 5 million children received sachets of vitamin and mineral powders approved by UNICEF and the World Health Organization, costing only two cents a sachet.

One might say that these companies’ corporate responsibility strategies are effective, period. However, the secret lies deeper.

In 2006 researchers and business strategists Michael Porter and Mark Kramer first introduced Shared Value. Creating Shared Value (CSV) is the simultaneous creation of positive social and environmental impact and positive financial results. According to CSV, financial, societal and environmental benefits can be achieved at the same time. “Shared Value is not social responsibility, philanthropy, or sustainability, but a new way for companies to achieve economic success.” It has been adopted by a wide range of companies all over the world and in essence these companies make good use of these societal and environmental problems: they see them as opportunities to build profitable Shared Value business cases.

Basically, society faces many problems: malnutrition, water shortage, climate change, deforestation and many others. The role of business’ in all these has traditionally been perceived as negative, that companies caused great problems in their effort to make profits and made the existing problems worse.

NGOs, social organizations and the government on the other hand were perceived as the solution. Still, the resources available from these entities under no circumstances were adequate to address societal problems effectively. And here is where companies come in.

Organizations create wealth when they make profits. And in reality they make these profits when they meet needs, not by causing more social or environmental problems. Consumers nowadays more than ever raise these social issues and they demand from companies to be environmentally and socially responsible. In fact companies benefit from solving social problems: e.g. it may be expensive to host a safer working environment but healthier happier employees come to work more often. There is a trade-off among social and economic performance.

Companies that authentically and essentially prioritize these social issues in their corporate agenda meet the needs of their consumers and make more profits, therefore they Create Shared Value.

CSE’s next Global Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Program will be held in Bucharest, Romania June 21-22 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.

 

CSE’s President honored as Corporate Responsibility Impact Practitioner of the Year for 2018 by Silicon Valley Community Foundation for leadership with the Sustainability Academy.

The Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF), the largest community foundation in US and globally, has honored Nikos Avlonas, President of CSE, as 2018 Practitioner of the Year for Corporate Responsibility, together with Google, Inc.

The Practitioner of the Year Award honors an individual and company who sets the gold-standard example for efforts in Corporate Responsibility. SVCF recognizes outstanding contributions and commitment to creating positive social impact in communities.  Winners are nominated for the Corporate Responsibility Impact Awards as truly inspiring representatives of global corporate responsibility.

The Sustainability Academy represents that Gold Standard. The Academy is a unique online platform dedicated to educating 100,000 professionals, social entrepreneurs and graduates in Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility by 2020!

Avlonas is President and Founder of the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE), a global Sustainability strategic advisory, research and training leader.  In addition to creating CSE, with accolades from Fortune Global 500 companies – showing CSE’s reach and impact, Avlonas created the online Sustainability Academy.   Avlonas’ vision: to train a critical mass of sustainability practitioners and help them have a positive impact to the planet.

“I’m honored to receive this recognition from SVCF, an organization engaging Silicon Valley, the country and the globe to make the world better for all,” says Avlonas.  “SVCF is passionate about helping people and organizations worldwide achieve sustainable outcomes – a passion I wholeheartedly share!”

The unique certified courses are priced to facilitate the farthest reach possible yet cover expenses.  In 2016-2017, 2 new online courses were designed and launched – now being among the most popular courses.  The Sustainability Return on Investment (SROI) Course and the Online Diploma on Social Entrepreneurship.

Group online courses for corporations – flexible and customized to fit specific needs

The Sustainability Academy is also offering its online courses as a group/in-house training opportunity for corporations to efficiently reach global workforces.

In 2017, the Academy landed a major contract from a Silicon Valley corporation to train employees across departments and, today, Fortune 500 companies trust its specialized courses to educate their staff and reach communities with targeted sustainability interests such as supply chain, NGOs and startups.

Workday, the Coca-Cola Foundation, the United Nations and many other organizations have already taken advantage of the Academy’s group programs.

A common language in sustainability among all departments of the organization, increased productivity, increased market share, increased morale, improved carbon footprint, improved ESG performance are only some of the benefits.

The Sustainability Academy would like to thank Sustainability professionals for their trust and will continue its commitment to providing top-quality sustainability education.

For more information on group training programs, please contact [email protected]

 

Two-thirds of smaller Canadian companies acknowledge that sustainable business practices will improve their growth and profitability, according to data from HSBC. However, only 25% are prioritizing investment to become a more sustainable business.

“Smart sustainable business practices deliver real prosperity for everyone,” says Linda Seymour, Executive Vice-President and Head of Commercial Banking at HSBC Bank Canada.  “However, while many smaller companies are trying to do the right thing, they face intense competition, tight profit margins and the costs of meeting existing responsibilities.

Most businesses hope to become sustainable, but for many, reaching that goal is problematic. The road to the finish is filled with obstacles. Below are some practical steps that firms can take to put sustainability at the heart of their business:

  • Looking for efficiencies in their supply chainthat can be both green and cost-effective. For example, solutions which mean that raw materials travel shorter distance can help cut emissions and save transport costs
  • Incorporating a social license to operate into business strategy refers to community members’ tacit willingness to let a company operate in their region. Finding ways of systematically incorporating the community into all strategic decisions is imperative.
  • Adapting to customers’ changing preferences by changing their business model. Environmentally-conscious consumers may respond well to products sourced and produced in a sustainable way, which could boost revenues
  • Creating conditions that support sustainability-related innovations. Smart companies treat sustainability as innovation’s new frontier.
  • Investing in renewable sources of energy such as wind turbines and other in order to manage their environmental footprint.
  • Introducing and enforcing codes of conduct and policieson issues such as human rights and relationships with local communities.
  • Embedding Sustainability in Corporate Culture. Businesses need to embed sustainability into their culture, so that sustainability strategies do not lose momentum with a new CEO.
  • Reporting on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance. Transparency can be an important first step in winning consumers and investors’ trust

All in all, successful companies have realized that sustainability is a key element of strategy, and are profiting from it. When sustainability is tightly integrated with the business, it is possible to achieve financial success without burdening the environment.

Sources:

http://www.hsbc.ca/1/2/personal

https://www.greenbiz.com/research/report/2009/09/30/12-steps-sustainability

 

Increasingly, Sustainability Training originates WITHIN companies and organizations, using flexible online education to improve corporate-wide sustainability and financial performance.

 

Online training is well-established for individuals to improve employment prospects.  With this in mind, the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) started the Sustainability Academy to provide flexible, affordable, certified sustainability practitioner training.  In 2017, CSE began work on president and founder Nikos Avlonas’ pledge to reach 100,000 sustainability practitioners by 2010!

In 2018, CSE is happy to announce a far-reaching effort to meet this goal.  CSE has launched the Sustainability Academy as an in-house training opportunity for corporations to efficiently reach global workforces, providing a uniform language to pursue corporate sustainability strategy and goals.

Workday, the Coca-Cola Foundation, the United Nations and many other organizations have already taken advantage of CSE’s program.

The ROI is indisputable:

Shareholders – the American Society for Training and Development found that an increase of $680 in training per employee generates nearly a 6% improvement in shareholder return.  Firms investing the most in training and development yielded a 45% higher return than the market average, along with higher profit margins and higher income per employee.

Increase market share – a Nielsen survey in 2015 found that 72% of Millennials “are willing to pay more for products and services that come from companies who are committed to positive social and environmental impact.”

Increased efficiency – after training, an HSBC “Climate Champion” activated software to automatically shut down computers along with an awareness program which together saved 4 million kilowatts per year of electricity and nearly 900 metric tons of carbon dioxide, saving $332,000 on energy bills.

Satisfied employees – research has found that a 2% increase in productivity can net a 100% return on investment in training (CompTIA and Prometric).  For every dollar on training, Motorola found an almost 30% gain in productivity over three years, reduced costs by over $3 billion and a 47% increase in profits.

Employee retention – Louis Harris & Associates found that 41% of employees without training opportunities plan to leave within one year versus only 12% of those with excellent training opportunities.  AON found that employees rank “opportunities for personal growth” ahead of salary!

Companies are looking for ways to bring sustainability training to their employees and out into the community as part of their social commitment.  US and multinational corporations and organizations alike need a critical mass who understand sustainability and all its components.  Increased productivity, increased morale and improved carbon footprint is only the start.

The Sustainability Academy helps corporations and organizations improve the skills and update the knowledge-base of the staff and volunteers on whom they rely.  Courses offer practical information on the business case for sustainability; stakeholder engagement; the use of standards and guidelines to implement successful sustainability strategies organization-wide, and more.  Courses include:

The online Sustainability Academy is proud to scale its offerings, partnering with companies to meet organizational needs, increase public appeal and improve lives.

For more information, contact [email protected].

 

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]

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