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Nikos Avlonas

Founder and President -CSE

Adjunct Professor Sustainability, DePaul University (Chicago)

Over the last few years we’ve seen sustainability and corporate responsibility climb the corporate ladder, to the point where many companies have put it at the heart of their business strategy.

Here are several global sustainability trends to watch out for in 2017 for Gulf Countries:

  1. Gulf region pledges to COP21

Climate change has been on the agenda for many decades, with awareness steadily growing but with no significant commitments. Yet in 2015 a bold new agreement was signed in Paris, which sets out a global action plan to put the world on track to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2°C. Paris agreement (COP21) was adopted and signed by 195 countries, including USA and China – the world’s biggest polluters and two countries traditionally reluctant to make commitments on the climate change front. Six Gulf countries (Qatar, Kuweit, UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain) are among the world’s top 10 per capita emitters. 16 MENA countries have submitted their pledges. Most countries have two targets: an unconditional target (to be reached by a country on its own with domestic resources) and a conditional target (contingent on outside financial and technological assistance). For example, UAE has pledged a 24% clean energy by 2021, Oman has pledged a 2% decrease unconditionally by 2030, and Saudi Arabia a decrease of 130MtCO2 annual by 2030.

  1. Sustainability Reporting in the Gulf Region

As the importance of sustainability continues to rise for companies around the world, demands for accountability are growing stronger.  According to a survey by KPMG (2015), in UAE about 30% of the largest 100 companies produce sustainability report, an increase of more than 10% in the last two years. In Oman about 35% of the 100 largest companies produce an annual sustainability report. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) has published an analysis paper titled ‘Sustainability and Reporting Trends in 2025: Preparing for the Future’.  The paper, which is the first to be published as part of GRI’s 2025 Reporting Project, examines future trends in sustainability and corporate reporting and disclosure. GRI’s Reporting 2025 paper identifies several trends that indicate how disclosure will evolve in the next decade. Some of these trends include:

  • Companies will be held accountable, more than ever before
  • Business decision makers will take sustainability issues into account more profoundly
  • Stakeholders will have more access to data, which will require organizations to align real-time decision-making processes with their communication on issues such as climate change
  • New data technology will lead to greater transparency with corporate reporting moving fully into the digital realm and occurring in real-time instead of annually. etc
  1. The rise of CFO’s role in sustainability

Historically, Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) were not deeply or directly engaged in sustainability efforts, viewing them as too soft or not in their purview. In a survey conducted by Ernst&Young and GreenBiz Group, 65 % of companies stated their CFO has become involved in sustainability. One key reason for growing CFO involvement is the growing scrutiny of company sustainability issues by equity analysts. The growth of integrated corporate reports, in which sustainability data is reported alongside traditional financial reporting data emerging trend in business, will further engage CFOs in sustainability.

  1. Measuring Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility

The member countries of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) are expected to post robust growth over the next decade both in terms of population and GDP. Although the economic forecast is positive, it carries a risk: that un managed growth will bring negative side-effects such as power shortages and soaring prices, in particular for food. Therefore the key measures for ensuring long-term sustainable growth are:

  • Introducing energy-efficiency measures
  • Investing in clean fuel and renewable energy supplies
  • Improving energy efficiency
  • Investing in new water desalination capacity
  • Buying or leasing agricultural land abroad
  1. Green Buildings

GCC countries spend more than $35 billion in green real estate projects that are free from all the polluting elements and based on the rationalization of electricity consumption and water with maximum use of renewable energy sources as well as low cost of construction and operating works. Dubai acquires 40% of the total green buildings in addition to implementing all the green building requirements by Dubai Municipality on all government buildings and private enterprises after being optional. The Saudi Green Building Forum pointed out the Kingdom now owns 15% of the total green buildings in the Middle East, where their budget reached $26 billion distributed among 76 projects.

  1. Energy

The GCC counties approximately have 40% of the world’s oil reserves and 22%% of the world’s gas reserves. Thus in the past decade a 74% increase in energy consumption has been observed, with a projected further increase until 2020 of 10-15%. At the same time, GCC countries have made a general commitment to reduce GHG emissions, embracing the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In Qatar, the Qatar Solar Energy was inaugurated in 2014 as one of the vertically integrated photovoltaic module production facilities in the region (300MW). Also, since 2008 a joint clean energy investment fund of $400 million was established between Qatar and the UK in order to attract investments. In UAE, the fastest rate of photovoltaic electricity generation can be observed including large and small scale production units. Abu Dhabi plans to produce 7% of its energy from renewable energy resources by 2020 and Dubai is committed to producing 5% of its energy from renewable resources by 2030.

  1. Legislation – Government Strategy

Governments around the Gulf region have taken significant steps towards sustainability. For example, The Government of the UAE, both at a federal and Emirate level, intends to become “sustainable” from a social, environmental and economic perspective and these perspectives all overlap and impact the other. Efforts focus on the sustainable use of its resources (such as water and agricultural land), to diversify its economy (such as moving away from reliance on oil) and protect the quality of life of its inhabitants. This has included making sustainable development one of the key goals of UAE Vision 2021, the introduction of new green building legislation and new sustainable policies.

 Sustainability was an influential topic of the past few decades and it remains so today.

The trends will only increase over the coming years, with more companies taking their own path when it comes to sustainability and, increasingly, using sustainability as a way to differentiate themselves from their competitors.

Three Scenarios Sustainability in 2017 | Centre for Sustainability and Excellence -CSEBy Rosalinda Sanquiche, CSE North America

Whether good or bad for sustainability, 2017 will not be business as usual.  With the Donald Trump administration, increasing acceptance that climate change is real and the Paris Agreement from COP21 being ratified in record time, this year we’ll have to answer key questions:  How do we implement voluntary restrictions on carbon emissions?  What does the US electorate’s “vote for change” mean for sustainability efforts going forward?

One might gain insight to 2017 and beyond by watching how the COP21 agreement is managed.  Findings from CSE research, particularly of companies in Silicon Valley (watch the free webinar), indicate that much of sustainability is driven by legislation and compliance.  Much is motivated by the low-hanging fruit of efficiency.  All need to continue making a profit as they look toward their own sustainability strategies in meeting the COP21 goals.

So, let’s imagine three scenarios:

The US actively works to negate COP21

Donald Trump has both promised to withdraw from US commitments and said he’ll keep an “open mind”.  Key appointees could dismantle legislative, regulatory and physical infrastructure conducive to COP21.  Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson, ExxonMobil CEO, has controversial views toward climate change, as does EPA nominee Scott Pruitt, with stated preference for state’s authority.  Energy Secretary nominee Rick Perry, former governor of Texas, advocated abolishing the Department of Energy.  These appointments could allocate resources away from renewables in favor of fossil fuels, minimize pollution prevention and ignore other externalities.  The US may set the tone for global leaders, political and corporate, to revert to a “me first” mentality.  Collaboration goes by the wayside and instead short-termism, competition, and Industrial Era industries and economics continue unabated.

COP21 gets piecemeal implementation

Certain aspects of COP21 are clearly beneficial to countries and businesses both near and long term.  Increasingly shareholders and stakeholders demand action to counter climate change as risk management for physical threats, ratings, prices, reputation, production and regulation (McKinsey&Co, July 2015).  Even Goldman Sachs is aware of the threat of stranded assets (The New Oil Order).  Corporate and political leaders such as Steve Munchin, Gary Cohn and Steve Bannon (all with probable roles in the Trump administration) could base decisions to protect balance sheets for automotive, battery, insurance companies and the like.  Whether we’re globally unable or unwilling to take a systems thinking approach, at least some aspects of COP21 will be accepted to meet specific goals.

COP21 begins meeting its goals!

Many in the UK and abroad were horrified with Brexit, predicting doom for the British economy.  Yet, the UK’s economy slowed less than predicted, and in fact grew.  Might US election results be more globally benign than doomsayers anticipate?  The US and China came together to make the Paris Agreement work, a rare and important point of accord.  Both will want to maintain their role as leaders. China in particular will maintain its dominance among developing countries, not to be magnanimous but because it serves China’s interests to continue improving fuel efficiency, pollution reduction, consolidating a lead in sustainable technology manufacturing for itself and the rest of the world.

Regardless the outcome for 2017, CSE’s role in training sustainability practitioners helps ensure corporate strategies are based on understanding the global politics.  CSE’s research and reporting furthers its commitment to systems thinking in sustainability training for corporate executives and sustainability managers worldwide.

To cultivate sustainability within your organization, one that includes understanding the fluid, global political context, attend one of our Certified Sustainability Practitioner (CSR) Programs offered this year:

 

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Sustainability Trends in Silicon Valley

Are Silicon Valley corporations role models for sustainability?  Given the high concentrations of Millennials, many believe Silicon Valley veers toward sustainability.  Yet the likes of Google and Apple are noticeably absent from the top of sustainability indices such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Corporate Knights Global 100.

Our December 15, 2016, webinar presents analysis of sustainability and corporate social responsibility reporting by Silicon Valley-based companies and organizations from CSE’s report Sustainability Trends in Silicon Valley.

While many companies researched are leaders in their field, they are not necessarily leaders in sustainability.  See where leading brands such as Adobe, AMD, Apple, Cisco, eBay, Facebook, FICO, Google, Intel, LinkedIn, PayPal, Oracle, SunPower, Tesla, and Zynga land on the sustainability spectrum.  Find out about the overall corporate climate toward sustainability in Silicon Valley.

CSE’s research furthers its commitment to high caliber training in sustainability for corporate executives and sustainability managers worldwide.  Its Sustainability Academy (a global initiative to train 100,000 sustainability professionals by 2020!) provides rigorous education to sustainability professionals, entrepreneurs and graduates needing the latest resources to advance in this ever evolving field.

The expert webinar will be led by Nikos Avlonas, president and founder of CSE, and Rosalinda Sanquiche, executive manager, CSE-North America.  Join us on Thursday, December 15, 2016 at 11am ET.  (REGISTER)

To learn more on how these findings can improve sustainability within your organization, attend one of our  Certified Sustainability Practitioner (CSR) Programs.(Advanced Version)

Many companies in the EU are already required by national laws in the country where they operate to regularly disclose financial and non-financial information.  However, as there are very different laws on national level, the existing requirements regarding non-financial information are often regarded as unclear and ineffective. Given the situation, the European Union Council decided to adopt its new Directive in October 2014, as an amendment to the Accounting Directive which was released in June 2013. The Directive 2014/95/EU (or the “2014 Directive”) establishes new environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) reporting requirements for covered enterprises, including companies based in the United States.

To be more specific, the directive targets “large” companies, defined by reference to the number of employees, balance sheet total, and net turnover. It is applicable to all companies incorporated in EU Member States as well as U.S. companies that are EU exchange-listed, and have a significant presence in an individual Member State.

The European Union Council defines “large” companies as those that:

  • Have more than 500 employees;
  • Are “public-interest” organizations, which are defined to include EU exchange-listed companies as well as some unlisted companies, such as credit institutions, insurance undertakings, and other businesses selected by Member States, based on size, number of employees, and/or activities.
  • Have a balance sheet total of at least EUR$20 million (approximately USD$25 million) or a net turnover of at least EUR$40 million (approximately USD$50 million).

There are some facts that each large company should know about EU 2014 Directive Reporting requirements. To begin with, companies are required to submit ESG disclosures (“non-financial statements”) either within the annual corporate report or as a separate filing. In case a separate filing is made, it should either be published with the management report or be made publicly available on the company’s website (within six months of the balance sheet date) and referred to within the management report. The non-financial statement can be filed by the group/parent company, rather than individually by all affiliate companies.

Furthermore, covered companies are required to prepare and provide information about:

  1. Environmental matters (e.g. current and foreseeable impacts on environment, health, and safety issues, the use of renewable and/or non-renewable energy, greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and air pollution)
  2. Social and employee-related aspects (e.g. gender equality, implementing fundamental conventions of the International Labor Organization, trade union rights, health and safety at work, and engagement with local communities)
  3. Human rights
  4. Corruption and anti-bribery issues
  5. Diversity in the company’s board of directors

Fortunately, the Directive gives companies significant flexibility to disclose relevant information in the way that they consider most useful. Companies may use international, European or national guidelines which they consider appropriate (e.g. the UN Global Compact, ISO 26000, or the German Sustainability Code).

By the end of 2016, the EU 2014 Directive will be transformed into national law which then applies to fiscal years beginning in January 2017 and thereafter. Therefore, companies concerned will have significant time to adapt to the new requirements, and will start reporting as of their financial year 2017.

houstonTo learn all about successful sustainability reporting, GRI Guidelines, current global and local legislationrecent trends and external assurance, join now the Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program, Advanced Edition 2016 in Houston, February 23-24

Learn more and book online here

Contact us: marketing@cse-net.org

Minimizing a company’s impact to society has long been considered to be at odds with maximizing stakeholder returns.  Better informed customers, as well as liability averse investors are now requiring companies to do better.  Companies are responding, and a bottom line benefit is emerging.

In the last 50 years sustainability has primarily been seen in Socially Responsible Investing (SRI), which avoids investment in companies with unethical or risky practices.  While a positive development for society, this exclusionary practice has generally been associated with at best average investor returns.

Today corporate sustainability has evolved to where it is possible, even advantageous, to operate in a manner that is a win win for an organization, its partners and society.  There is strong evidence that companies with their “Triple Bottom Line” – Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) – ducks in a row are rewarded with a lower cost of capital and frequently outperform.  These “best in class” companies are not only reducing their impact on others, but reducing waste and mitigating liabilities in their operations.

While a new concept for many, ESG is coming on strong.  After nearly zero a decade ago, ESG related assets under management at the end of 2015 were over $21 trillion.  Morningstar now has 120 analysts covering ESG issues.  It’s both carrot and stick – recent financial crises have convinced regulators and investors that more information is needed from companies.  And companies have recognized that being a good citizen is a point of positive product differentiation.

Much of the impact of ESG falls on the CFO’s desk.  For the Social component – the S in ESG, companies that treat employees and suppliers fairly reap rewards of increased productivity plus less turnover and litigation.

Recent data breaches at companies like Target have shown that companies have hard to manage vulnerabilities  in their supply chain that can threaten their sustainability. New companies like ThirdPartyTrust have emerged to address the issue as companies scramble to identify and manage this risk.  For suppliers, demonstrating data security has become a necessary requirement to win contracts as well as a potential competitive advantage.

Strong corporate governance (the G in ESG) creates transparency and stability, encouraging investment.

Most early adopters are large multinationals, particular those in Europe with regulatory requirements from public exchanges.  Companies such as Mitsubishi,  Apple, and Cummins are providing ESG disclosure in an annual report like format.  Goldman Sachs is a solid example of ESG reporting.

Standards for ESG measurement and reporting are evolving.  Unlike standard GAAP financial principles with a well defined one way dissemination of information,  ESG measurement is still both an art and a science.  Communicating this sometimes hard to measure information is ideally a two way conversation with stakeholders.  Just as GAAP represents a standardization of best practices over time, initiatives such as SASB and GRI aim for the same consistency and eventually auditability.

Driving change at an organization begins with measurement and communication of the relevant drivers. Sustainability Academy’s Online Certificate in ESG Performance for Investors and Sustainability Professionals gives professionals a good background into ESG reporting and the opportunities and challenges of this rapidly changing field.

What gets measured, gets managed. Making markets and companies more transparent will benefit both the environment and the economy.

——————-

Bio:

Michael Hines is a financial executive, consultant and entrepreneur.  He specializes in change management, business metrics, supply chain risk, and sustainability.  His experience includes large and small companies, restructurings, startups and acquisitions.

houstonTo learn all about successful sustainability reporting, GRI Guidelines,  current global and local legislationrecent trends and external assurance, join now the Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program, Advanced Edition 2016 in Houston, February 23-24.

Learn more and book online here

Contact us: marketing@cse-net.org

The trends that dominated in 2016 in learning behavior, tools and devices show that
E-learning is here to stay

Elearning is rapidly changing the way we learn, our access to information, the place or time of learning, the reasons we choose to learn or the tools and devices we select.

Recent studies have shown 8 global learning trends:

  • Gamification
  • Mobile learning
  • Video-based learning
  • Social Media learning
  • blended learning
  • Micro-learning
  • Augmented reality
  • Big data and learner analytics

 

For the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE), keeping a close eye on the trends is important in order to provide top professional knowledge through its Certified Online Courses on Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility issues.

Click here to view the Online Courses of the Sustainability Academy or contact us at marketing@cse-net.org

 

Source: https://www.exultcorp.com/top-8-e-learning-trends-infographic/ 

Much has been made about whether Silicon Valley corporations are or are trying to be role models for sustainability.  There is a perception that Silicon Valley corporations, many with high concentrations of Millennials, are inherently sustainable.  Yet the likes of Google and Apple are noticeably absent from the top of sustainability indices such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Corporate Knights Global 100.  Given the disconnect, the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) has undertaken the first systematic research on the true picture of sustainability efforts in Silicon Valley by analyzing sustainability and corporate sustainability strategies by Silicon Valley-based  companies. The findings are available in CSE’s report Sustainability Trends in Silicon Valley upon request.

Providing insight for investors, business leaders, company boards, Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability professionals, NGOs, customers and other stakeholders, this research examines 100 companies ranging from small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to large businesses with 1000 to over 100,000 employees. The research tracks if organizations follow best practices for sustainability, breaking down sustainability practices into six specific categories (Community, Environment, Ethics, Employees, Supply Chain and Philanthropy).

It outlines trends in these focus areas, evaluating if some are emphasized more heavily than others.  The report also describes which types of companies generally produce the highest number of comprehensive sustainability practices, have the highest percentage of sustainability and Corporate Responsibility professionals or have thorough sustainability reporting, if any.

Companies examined include global leaders in their sector such as Adobe, AMD, Apple, Cisco, eBay, Facebook, FICO, Google, Intel, PayPal, Oracle, SunPower, Tesla, and Zynga.  Industries covered include automotive, computer and internet, entertainment, financial services, medical, renewables and telecommunications.

Surprisingly, the report DID NOT find Silicon Valley companies overwhelmingly sustainable, based on their self-reporting.  Of the 100 companies reviewed, only 63% of large companies employ sustainability professional and only 33% of SMBs.  Only 29% have sustainability reporting, defined as having issued a sustainability report in a “clear report format”,  omitting reports that are strictly online or web-based presentations of quick facts, brief overviews or vague goals.  With the exception of those strongest companies at the top of the scale such as Adobe, Applied Materials and Cisco, corporate strategy seems to focus on one or two elements of sustainability, rather than a strategic and systems approach.

With a proliferation of vague displays of sustainability practices, often with slick online promotion, only 21% of the companies studied address all six practices – community, environment, employee, ethics, supply chain and philanthropy.  Of the companies studied, 95% report practicing ethical governance, with numbers falling precipitously to 64% for supply chain and 63% for environmental.  While the reporting on ethics deserves greater analysis, one can surmise interest in supply chain and the environment reflect current awareness and concern for carbon foot printing.

While many of the companies examined are leaders in their field, they are not necessarily leaders in corporate sustainability, negating the popular perception reported by the likes of Forbes and Environmental Leader.  Finding Google on the short list of 23 companies addressing all six sustainability categories is no surprise, while Apple is notably absent.  One would expect industry leaders to also lead in sustainability, following best practices in all focus areas to maximize their impact and stakeholder value. Yet, leading brands such as LinkedIn and PayPal did not provide easily accessible evidence of comprehensive sustainability practices and reporting.  On the other hand, Adobe, Intel and Oracle have both comprehensive and extensive reporting on a myriad of programs addressing all six practices.  The ability and potential certainly exists, but the corporate climate toward sustainability is not pervasive.

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This report is the first of its kind to delve into corporate behavior in Silicon Valley related to Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility.  Presumably, this would be the most complete representation of a company’s efforts given how fashionable corporate responsibility has become in the wake of constant reports of corporate misbehavior. Is such a lack of evidence a  missed marketing and branding opportunity or is it a true indication that Silicon Valley is not ready to lead?

For more info on the research please contact me at avlonas@cse-net.org

To learn all about successful sustainability reporting, Guidelines,  current global and local legislationrecent trends and sustainability practices, join now the Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program, Advanced Edition 2016 in Toronto, March 27-28

Learn more and book online here

Contact us: marketing@cse-net.org

Since the 1990s, the number of companies disclosing information on their environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance has grown significantly. According to The State of Play in Sustainability Reporting in the European Union, Sustainability Reporting is growing in numbers (around 4,000 reports are registered globally and 2,000 in Europe). The KPMG Survey of Corporate Responsibility Reporting 2013 indicates that among the largest 250 companies listed in the Fortune Global 500 ranking (G250), 93% issue sustainability reports.

Today, we can observe companies issuing such reports as a part of their annual reports or as stand-alone CSR reports. Despite the increase in the number of CSR reports their quality is different. The reports do not always provide complete data that reader’s desire, which in turn intensifies the problem with the evaluation and comparison of the organization’s results, achieved in this scope.

Instances of non-credible communication, the misuse of CSR for marketing exercises, and corporate scandals with large environmental and social impact have sparked skepticism and mistrust toward CSR reports. As a result, companies and stakeholders are trapped in the “credibility gap” of CSR reporting, which is harmful for both: stakeholders cannot satisfy their information needs regarding CSR and companies can hardly convey their CSR activities in a credible manner?

The issue of credibility in CSR communication has given rise to external verification, stakeholder engagement and integrated reporting. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) recognizes the importance of the external assurance for sustainability reports since 2002. In its G3/G3.1/G4 Guidelines, GRI recommends the use of external assurance for sustainability reports in addition to any internal support, such as internal audit team involvement. A report conducted by the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence indicates that the GRI Reporting Guidelines (G3,G3.1,G4) were the most frequently used by companies (66%) in 2014. The report also highlights some non-GRI reporting guidelines and standards, like OECD, UNGC, CDP, IFC and ISO 26000.

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) reflects in its Sustainability Disclosure Database the following three, generally accepted types of external assurance providers:

  • Accounting firms
  • Engineering firms
  • Small consultancies/boutique firms

According to AICPA report, assuring sustainability reporting can in turn result in key competitive benefits such as:

  • Increased stakeholder confidence in the information
  • Improved decision-making by the organization
  • Higher rankings among leading sustainability raters and rankers like CDP (formerly, the Carbon Disclosure Project) and Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI)
  • Enhanced brand reputation
  • Improved ability to attract and retain employees
  • Stronger performance and efficiencies
  • Cost savings
  • Improved risk management

Instituting a solid and credible CSR reporting process takes a tremendous amount of effort. Yet it is effort that is well worth the time and resources involved because of the payoff it produces in the form of risk reduction and enhanced business value.

To learn all about successful sustainability reporting, GRI Guidelines,  current global and local legislationrecent trends and external assurance, join now the Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program, Advanced Edition 2016 in Houston, February 23-24

Learn more and book online here

Contact us: marketing@cse-net.org

New legislative transparency rules are in place, with the 2014 European Committee Directive going into effect starting 2017.  Organizations with more than 500 employees are required to report on environmental, social and employee-related, human rights, anti-corruption and bribery matters and describe their business model relying on recognized frameworks such as GRI’s Sustainability Reporting Guidelines and the United Nations Global Compact.

In fact, EU CSR Strategy 2015-2019 goes from Compliance to Innovation.European CSR Strategy 2020 should not only focus on a common understanding of CSR to minimise risk, compliance and transparency but also to support companies to take advantage of opportunities to innovate of products and services that create shared value and sustainable living for all” said Étienne Davignon, Minister for State and CSR Europe President.

CSR Professionals who want to get a recognized qualification and learn more on related legislation, the benefits of reporting for an organization, the GRI standards that are used globally, the process of materiality assessment, data collection, and stakeholder mapping and engagement, can benefit from the world’s top Online Certificate on Sustainability (CSR) Reporting.
Global case studies will provide you with even more in-depth knowledge.

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