Page 33 – Sustainability Academy

According to the new report by the Imperial College London, Britain is now among the top 10 of a global low-carbon electricity league table.

What is even more striking is that Britain has made the fastest ascent of any country, with a 13 place leap in just four years! It climbed from a 2012 ranking of 20th out of 33 industrialised countries to 7th on the low-carbon electricity league table.

This happened because the carbon price and lower gas prices have forced coal off the system – the amount of coal-fired power generation in Britain has fallen 80% between 2012 and 2016.

The top 3 of the table include Norway, Sweden and France, which have the cleanest power systems among large and industrialised countries due to their mountainous terrain allowing for substantial hydropower resources.

The Netherlands moved eight places down the leaders’ table as a result of building new coal-fired power stations.

According to the report, India and South Africa have the dirtiest power sectors on the list, with 75-90% of their power generated by coal.

From a business point of view, more and more corporate initiatives address the issue of carbon reduction, also because this represents a growing stakeholder concern for the environment.
CSE is proud to help corporations, with advanced training programs and specialized consulting services, to incorporate environmentally responsible practices.

CSE’s next UK presentation of their Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Program, Advanced Edition 2018, will be held in London, 1-2 March 2018.

Sweden has topped a list of 56 countries ranking the efforts that have been made to avoid dangerous climate change. The Climate Change Performance Index 2018 charts the various countries’ current efforts regarding the implementation of the Paris Agreement, but no nation meets the Goals. Environmental and Sustainability Professionals need to keep up with and thrive in a rapidly changing business regulatory and policy environment, in order to make an impact and contribute to the implementation of Paris Climate Goals. Towards this goal, the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) will deliver its Certified Sustainability (CSE) Practitioner Program in London on March 1-2, 2018, in order to enhance the most important skills of environmental/sustainability professionals, help them progress their career and respond successfully to current and future challenges regarding the implementation of green finance.

The Report points out that “two (2) years after agreeing to limit global warming to well below 2°C, and to pursue efforts to even aim for a 1.5°C limit, we still see a huge ambition gap in the countries‘ greenhouse gas reduction targets and their progress regarding a sufficient implementation of the Paris agreement in national legislation.”

Evaluating trends and ambitions

Driven in particular by a comparably high performance in the index’ emissions category, Sweden is leading the 2018 list of 56 countries worldwide. Lithuania, Morocco, Norway and the UK join Sweden and come at the top five best performing countries on the list. Saudi Arabia is bottom of the pile, followed by Iran, Korea, Australia and the US, while New Zealand, the Netherlands and Austria are classified as low performers in the overall rating.

Being evaluated in the CCPI for the first time, the European Union lands at place 21 in the ranking. As the union consists of 28 nations, there are wide differences in the performance of individual member states. Germany for example lands in the group of medium-performing countries consisting of countries like Brazil, Mexico and Ukraine. Current discussions on the new clean energy policies and the EU budget offer excellent opportunities to increase ambition of the bloc’s climate action.” EU experts emphasize the union‘s constructive role in international climate diplomacy but criticize the slow progress in putting in place new and more ambitious policies and targets. Disagreements about the future of the European project would lead to weak agreements based on decision making outputs of the lowest common denominators.

The UK dropped to rank eight in the list and lost some ground in its overall score, while on CCPI 2017 ranked number six. A strongly decreasing emissions trend over the last years, mainly driven by a shift from a production-based to a service-oriented economy, has resulted in a high performance in the index emissions category. After weakened climate policy in the past years and cutbacks especially on the promotion of renewables, the newly passed clean growth strategy includes a commitment to offshore wind, and to coal phase-out. If consistently implemented, national experts see the country’s power sector on the way to getting back on track. The plan also includes policy on clean vehicles which could be effective in further driving decarbonisation, experts claim.

Within the UK the level of ambition varies: While Scotland, for example, has gone for a 2032 petrol and diesel car ban, the UK aims for 2040. Yet, the country’s long-term 2030 targets for emissions and renewable energy are not ambitious enough for a well-below-2°C pathway. From 2016, the United Kingdom has been continuously enhancing its placement in the CCPI as the country kept expanding its renewable energies and has been rewarded with an improvement of twelve places in this category. If no significant policy changes are forthcoming next year, we can expect the UK’s downward trajectory in the CCPI to accelerate.

Ireland is the worst performing country in Europe when it comes to taking action to combat climate change, the report has revealed, as it has fallen 28 places to 49th out of the total countries ranked. The country is nowhere close to being on track concerning its well-below-2°C compatible pathway with both its current level as well as its 2030 target.

A new mindset of long-term thinking

Climate Action Network director, Wendel Trio, said: “The EU vows commitment to the Paris Agreement, but avoids real climate action at home. It needs to translate words into action.” The ongoing structural transformation of the European energy system is coupled with a parallel structural transformation of the policy framework. In changing times Environmental and Sustainability Professionals need to stay updated, increase their confidence, credibility and effectiveness and deliver results.

CSE’s next UK presentation of their Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Program, Advanced Edition 2018, will be held in London, 1-2 March 2018.

As countries are tasked to incorporate the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their legislative and policy frameworks, businesses must respond. Several of the SDGs focus specifically on the environment, including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, life on land and underwater, and energy consumption.

The UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is working with the World Resources Institute (WRI) on ‘Climate Watch,’ an interactive platform providing data and visualizations on countries’ efforts towards achieving their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Data includes current and historic GHG emissions and country progress on meeting climate pledges.

The effect on corporations is demonstrated by CSE client Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), the UK’s leading health and beauty retailer. Each WBA corporate social responsibility goal maps to one or more SDG. Because the goals relate to and interconnect with the business and its community outreach globally, WBA addresses many SDGs, focusing on areas where it can have significant impact. For example, Boots UK committed to reducing CO2 emissions by 30% between 2005 and 2020, responding to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales’ 2007 challenge and is on track to reach this emissions reduction target at Boots stores.

To meet SDG mandates is fostering changes in regulations around environmental disclosure, according to Scott McClurg, head of energy and sustainability at HSBC, another of CSE’s clients. And, in addition to growing regulatory pressure to engage with the environmental agenda, there is a strong pull from government and stakeholders for corporations to report their sustainability efforts.

“It comes down to economics,” McClurg says. He believes that businesses looking for opportunities to outperform competitors see innovation around sustainability and environment as areas they can use to improve their competitive advantage.

HSBC and Walgreens demonstrate what many CSE clients, representing most of the Fortune Global 500, are facing. As taught in CSE’s Sustainability Practitioner Program, aligning corporate initiatives with the SDGs is an effective way of addressing stakeholder concerns for the environment. Reporting those efforts, as CSE research has demonstrated, links closely to improved financial performance. CSE is proud to help corporations, with trainings and consulting, to incorporate the SDGs in a socially and fiscally responsible manner.

CSE’s next UK presentation of their Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Program, Advanced Edition 2018, will be held in London, 1-2 March 2018.

CSE’s research Sustainability (CSR) Reporting Trends in North America 2017 was recently presented in New York City, Toronto and Tokyo during CSE’s Global Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program and will be presented next in Dubai on the 26^th & 27^th of November.

The research has identified for the first time direct correlations between Sustainability Reporting and contribution to financial results. CSE’s unique research brought the attention of North American media with several publications. CSE’s Sustainability (CSR) Reporting Trends in North America 2017, along with last year’s findings on Silicon Valley, represent an ongoing commitment to provide timely and relevant sustainability content for C-level and upper management to corporations around the world.

Findings were presented for first time in New York City at the end of September 2017 during CSE’s Global Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program. The encouraging findings were welcomed by CSR Executives from companies and organizations as diverse as Xylem, Coca-Cola, L’Oréal, HD Supply,Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Tridel, Microsoft.

If you want to find out more information on CSE’s Research, the 5 emerging trends on CSR Reporting and on our Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Program that we will host in Dubai, November 26-27, kindly contact us at: [email protected].

Important insights include:

* Those companies with the highest sustainability rankings had better financial performance than companies with lower sustainability rankings based on CSRhub ratings

* Poor adoption of the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs). Only 6.2% of the companies in the study integrated SDGs in their sustainability reports.

Sustainability Reporting Research presented to Sustainability Professionals in Toronto. Latest research findings: Corporate secrecy is old school. Transparency and Sustainability Reporting are new drivers of business profitability.

Chicago, IL (Oct. 30, 2017) – The Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) has found definitive evidence supporting the benefits of transparency in Corporate Sustainability Reporting. CSE research identifies positive links between Sustainability Strategies and Reporting with financial results.

These new findings were presented in Toronto, this October, during CSE’s Global Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program. The encouraging findings were welcomed by executives from companies and organizations as diverse as Microsoft, P&G, Tridel and Sanofi.

CSE closely tracks sustainability reporting trends in Canada and the USA. CSE’s Sustainability Reporting Trends in North America 2017 research, along with last year’s findings on Silicon Valley, represent an ongoing commitment to provide timely and relevant sustainability content for C-level and upper management to corporations around the world.

CSE has identified important correlations between enablers, tools and outcomes which contribute to financial success. Enablers include a culture of transparency and comprehensive strategic goals that respond to stakeholders expectations. Transparency does not only refer to putting out a sustainability report, but to including material metrics which are verified. The information distribution tools are sustainability reporting and stakeholder communication.

As a result, companies gain high sustainability ratings (ESG), and stakeholder perceptions are positively influenced. Positive financial performance was demonstrated in two-thirds of companies linking transparency to strong communications.

Other Important research emerging trends revealed in Toronto:

* companies with the highest sustainability rankings had better financial performance than companies with lower sustainability rankings based on CSRHub ratings.

* poor adoption of the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs). Only 6.2% of the companies in the study integrated SDGs in their sustainability reports.

* sectors with the highest reporting presence in Canada — Mining, Energy and Energy Utilities and Financial Services.

* Most companies use the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines.

* Carbon footprint reduction is a priority, with many companies having well-stated and measured targets.

CSE’s Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program (Advanced Edition 2018) offers corporate trainings on these key topics and many others. Click here for the program agenda. The first 2018 programs in North America are in Atlanta, March 8-9; returning to Toronto, April 26-27; and New York City, June 7-8, 2018. Visit www.CSE-net.org for a full schedule of global trainings.

The number of studies in sustainability doubles every 8 years. The green chemistry industry is set to grow to $100 billion by 2020. Over 43% of executives expect their companies to align sustainability goals with their corporate image. The International Society of Sustainability Professionals lists a dozen job boards geared toward sustainability professionals. Yes, the field of sustainability is growing.

And so are career opportunities. Careers in sustainability range from the highly technical to the administrative, with lots of room in between. In demand jobs include sustainability consultant, campus directors and managers, CSR professionals, green building professionals and investment advisors. Chief sustainability executives average over $165,000 in annual salaries. Even entry level managers earn over $40,000 with a median salary for managers of $72,000.

While campus sustainability director may be the hot career, opportunities are unlimited. Just as sustainability requires a systems approach, sustainability professionals can fit anywhere in the system. In the most recent Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program led by the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE), professionals in Human Resources, HSE, real estate, NGOs, manufacturing, apparel, food and beverage and environmental consulting attended. Energy companies, government agencies, NGOs and most of the Fortune 500 have been represented.

Why would seasoned professionals and those new to the workforce take on more education? Improving credentials can lead to a pay boost, facilitate upward mobility, ensure job security, and increase an employee’s value to their company.

Most importantly, those acquiring skills in sustainability have an overriding love of and concern for humanity. Whether the concern be directed toward water or food, waste or energy, human rights, employee satisfaction, livability or prosperity, sustainability practitioners work toward a better world.

With legislation increasing year after year, stakeholders demanding attention to environment, social and governance factors, with the triple bottom line at stake (people, planet, profit), corporations and organizations need professionals ready to handle the nuances of intertwined systems. They need employees trained to see the value-added of a sustainable supply chain and the pitfalls of greenwashing.

Sustainability skills can come from an expensive degree or “on the job” (with inevitable mistakes and time-consuming trial and error). CSE offers an in-person Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program, held around the world, next in Dubai, Nov. 26-27, 2017, and Atlanta, March 8-9, 2018. The Sustainability Academy offers online, affordable, self-paced courses that range from the fundamentals to specialized topics such as Social Return On Investment. CSE has over 10 years of experience, and Nikos Avlonas, president and founder of CSE, was recognized as a CSR Professional of the Year by PR News in 2017.

However, you choose to secure your sustainability education, with global crises manifesting daily and increased consumer concern, you know there is and will be an endless demand for your sustainability skills.

CSR professionals and Social Responsibility

The CSR field in the UAE is gradually gaining increased importance and priority among the governmental, social and business communities. However, a CSR professional needs to be constantly alert regarding the latest trends and legislation, and to effectively perform his objective: to create and implement an organization’s social responsibility strategy. Among the Sustainability professional’s tasks is the responsibility to approach consumers/clients through PR and Marketing and convey the message of the organization’s ethical standards and their commitment to them.

Ethical standards and the “Hypocrisy”

However, ethics have been regurgitated over the years and are taking different forms each time and according to the latest trends. Turning on your TV or the internet you come across numerous examples of unethical behavior which are perceived as “normal” nowadays.

At the same time, social media have made a dynamic entrance in our lives. It is very common for people to try and paint a picture about themselves which is not entirely true. In a similar way this “hypocrisy” has knocked the door of organizations – which are after all a human construction – and has encouraged them to go with the flow and portray themselves as socially responsible, sensitive and environmentally virtuous. More and more companies tout how they reduce carbon emissions, or use natural ingredients, friendly to the environment, respect their employees or try to eliminate poverty. That is why we are coming across “blue washing” and “green washing” more and more.

Authenticity and CSR

Still, people and organizations that genuinely care for the environment and the society still exist. Perhaps they are not as unconditionally righteous as most companies try to appear, but they are authentically moral and environmentally and socially-conscious. The difficult part is for them to stand out. However, castles built on the sand will eventually perish. Consumers may be eager to be fooled at times; still their insight in the end is impressive. There is actually a way to do sustainable business and still increase profitability, CSE’s Certified CSR Practitioner program in Dubai covers all chapters of Sustainability and shows organizations the way to be authentically sustainable.

From the organization’s part, sincerity, not exaggerating about your undertakings, even coming out and saying you made a mistake, will be greatly appreciated. Authenticity is a timeless value; it gives birth to great developments and speaks to the essence of us all. CSR professionals owe to be authentic, to be genuinely interested in what they stand for and to give their best to their cause. They may be working for a company; still they are, after all, somewhat of the social workers of the entire world.

The UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #6 is to ensure access to water and sanitation for all. The good news: Between 1990 and 2015, the global population using an improved drinking water source increased from 76% to 91%.

In part, we can thank sustainability practitioners. The Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) follows trends and helps train sustainability practitioners to understand the complex interrelated issues surrounding water.

The bad news: we need many more people addressing these issues. Poor water management still accounts for millions of deaths a year with almost 1,000 children dying due to preventable water and sanitation-related diarrheal diseases – EACH DAY!

Materiality issues surrounding water range from access to clean water infrastructure, to pollution of water sources, to depletion of natural water supplies. Corporations, organizations and local governments each must address water concerns within their manufacturing processes and supply chains.

After Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico, a tropical island with tremendous rainfall, is suffering water shortages. But it’s not the water delivery system; it’s the damaged electricity infrastructure needed to power delivery. For every direct link to water there are indirect considerations. The Louisiana waters of Lake Pontchartrain and its wildlife are threatened by an oil rig on fire miles from its shores.

While progress has been made, in the UK in 2016, sewage water plant failures increased for the first time since 2012 while the WWF standard of “good” ecological status for UK waterways went down from 2010 status.

With rising populations, increasing urbanization and climate change, water concerns will affect every community, every manufacturer, all agriculture and even energy. Hydropower is the most widely-used renewable energy and represents 16% of total electricity production worldwide.

Questions addressing water metrics, best practices and role in sustainability reporting will surely arise in the next CSE program in Atlanta next March. In July 2017, there was a citywide boil water advisory. The city is home to water dependent Coca-Cola. And, Atlanta is currently embroiled in a US Supreme Court case on water rights.

With 70% of our bodies and 70% of our planet composed of water, its protection is literally a matter of life and death. Good corporate citizens need to know how to measure their own impact and set goals to improve sustainability within companies and their communities.

The Atlanta Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program (Advanced Edition 2017) in March 2018, the Sustainability Academy and CSE clients such as Heineken are addressing these concerns to improve reporting and hence planning, rain or shine.

Voluntary Implementation of CSR for private companies

According to a recent announcement by the Ministry of Economy, implementation of CSR will be on a voluntary basis for companies. UAE’s National Strategy has the objective to boost companies to reinforce their philanthropic and charitable contribution, using six main chapters. This CSR program is part of this strategy and is expected to awaken companies into caring for their environmental and social footprint in the country.

The Steps Towards Sustainable Mobilization

The ministry is going to determine a minimum percentage per year allocated to CSR by companies. Additionally, the use of a National CSR Index will allow the ranking of the country’s bodies according to the percentage of their charities and projects. The results from the National CSR index and the CSR Annual Report will be publicized on Zayed Humanitarian Day in June 2018. Relevant awards are expected to be granted to companies standing out for their special contributions.

A Smart CSR platform will help the implementation of the country’s companies CSR initiatives. Companies will be able to register, browse through the multiple fields of CSR initiatives and use the various guides and tools to help them in the implementation of their CSR strategy.

The Prominent Need for Companies’ CSR Strategy

The ultimate goal of this movement is to create a shared platform for companies to materialize their CSR programs, to form partnerships among the public and the private sector and to generate a general interest and attention towards Corporate Social Responsibility. To that end, the need becomes prominent for organizations to be motivated concerning CSR and to be able to create and implement Sustainability strategies.

CSE’s Certified CSR Practitioner program in Dubai provides all the latest practical tools and resources required to implement or upscale corporate sustainability in order to drive organizations’ initiatives to the next level by generating value and creating effective strategies. Organizations need to equip themselves with the necessary skills and resources concerning CSR in order not only to stand out in the crowd but to survive as well.

Canada specific findings to be presented next in Toronto to mining, pharmaceutical and energy sector executives

CHICAGO, Oct. 04 /CSRwire/ – Research from the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) has identified positive links between having a sustainability strategy, goals and reports to having improved financial performance. CSE closely tracks sustainability reporting trends in Canada and the USA. CSE’s Sustainability Reporting Trends in North America 2017, along with last year’s findings on Silicon Valley, represent an ongoing commitment to provide timely and relevant sustainability content for C-level and upper management to corporations around the world.

Findings of the new CSE research were presented for the first time in New York City during CSE’s Global Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program. The encouraging findings were welcomed by VPs from companies and organizations as diverse as Xylem, Coca-Cola, L’Oréal, HD Supply and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Next, CSE will present findings specific to Canada this October in Toronto.

Important insights include:

most significantly, that companies with the highest sustainability rankings had better financial performance than companies with lower sustainability rankings based on CSRhub ratings, and
poor adoption of the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs). Only 6.2% of the companies in the study integrated SDGs in their sustainability reports.

Other key trends include:

Sectors with the highest reporting presence— Energy and Energy Utilities, Financial Services, Food & Beverage, and Mining.
Most companies publishing a sustainability report are public companies whose global presence makes reporting a necessity to abide by international legislation.
Most companies use the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines.
Most reports did not have external assurance.
Carbon footprint reduction has become a priority with many companies having well-stated and measured goals and targets.

CSE’s Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program (Advanced Edition 2017) offers corporate trainings on these key topics and many others. Click here for agenda. The next 2017 program is in Toronto, October 26-27, where research focused on Canada will be presented. Other North America trainings will be held in San Diego, Oct. 31-Nov. 1, 2017, and Atlanta in 2018.

Voluntary Implementation of CSR for private companies

The Steps Towards Sustainable Mobilization

The Prominent Need for Companies’ CSR Strategy

Group registration form