Food & Beverage - Sustainability Academy

Bosses across industries are increasingly tasked by long-term ESG (environment, social, governance) concerns. Atlanta business leaders are no different. College grads or corporate managers growing as leaders are finding opportunities around sustainability. In a world driven to find short-term gains, are you prepared for long-term challenges?

CSE’s 2018 research Sustainability (ESG) Reporting Trends North America focuses on the influence of Sustainability on Financial Results. We find confirmation of the link between Sustainability Reporting and Financial Performance. Paying attention to long-term concerns pays off in annual profits.

CSE research highlights findings from key sectors including:

Media and Telecommunications
Transportation
Energy & Energy Utilities
Construction
Agriculture
Food & Beverage
Financial Services
IT and Security

These industries are key drivers in Greater Atlanta, in Georgia and throughout the South. Warner Media, AT&T, Coca-Cola, Delta, Home Depot, (many of whose execs we’ve trained), face serious and growing need to produce and implement a strong sustainability strategy.

Through consulting, research and training, we break down CSR (corporate social responsibility) data by sector. Drawing from the telecom industry, the issues which keep telecom CEOs on edge include:

Sustainable product design,
inclusion and diversity,
talent management,
customer service and transparency,
privacy and security,
waste and recycling,
energy and emissions.

Whether you are an engineer, from HR, client relations, IT or operations, CEOs need sustainability experts.

Another example from telecommunications:

only 15 of the 600 sustainability reports in North America were from the telecom industry – more are needed!
27% of those reporting are externally assured – higher than average but room for growth
60% of the top-10 telecom companies (based on revenues) conduct sustainability reports – key to a pattern of success!

Be among those driving successes. Indeed.com lists thousands of well-paying Atlanta jobs which omit “sustainability” from the job title but includes it prominently in the job description. For example, ZipRecruiter reports that telecom jobs in Atlanta range from $39,000-$70,000, with many reaching even higher.

CSE’s Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program (Advanced Edition 2019) offers trainings on these key topics and many others. The first 2019 programs in North America are in Atlanta, Feb. 21-22; Toronto, April 11-12; and Seattle, April 15-16, 2019.

CEOs are plagued with sustainability demands — noisy headlines which keep them awake at night.

CSE’s 2018 research Sustainability (ESG) Reporting Trends North America 2018 focuses on the influence of Sustainability on Financial Results. We break down the data by sector. Taking an example from telecom, the most material issues which keep telecom CEOs on edge include:

Sustainable product design
Inclusion and diversity
Ethical Governance
Privacy and Security
Customer service and transparency
Talent management
Waste and recycling
Energy and emissions

What do these issues have in common? They all manifest as long-term risk.

One of the most challenging long-term risks, particularly from investors’ viewpoint, is climate change. With PG&E;s bankruptcy attributed to climate change by the Wall Street Journal, financial analysts are taking heed. Climate change risks affect volatile markets, supply chains, the urban centers where companies place factories and draw employees, not to mention the hazards to shipping and distribution conduits.

As we posted in Step Aside Fortune 500: ESG Rankings Are Key to Corporate Growth, investment rankings are influenced by sustainability considerations. Fitch Ratings integrated scoring system includes ESG criteria. According to Fitch, about 3 percent of a rating’s derivation is directly attributed to an ESG issue, and 19 percent is influenced by at least one ESG concern.

Companies with sustainability reports and an actively implemented sustainability strategy can mitigate long-term risks such as climate change. Sustainability can be a driver for stakeholder engagement, innovation and organizational change.

Are CEOs putting their resources in the right place? CSE’s experience can help C-suite leaders answer this question. CSE research highlights findings from many sectors including:

Energy & Energy Utilities
Mining & Construction
Food & Beverage
Healthcare
Transportation
Financial Services

There is a link between Sustainability Reporting and Financial Performance at the corporate level. No longer is financial performance based solely on quarterly returns. CEOs, CFOs, COOs, and management at all levels must be alert to long-term sustainability on near-term decision making.

Want to learn more about how you can leverage your sustainability efforts to mitigate long-term risk? Attend the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) Sustainability (ESG) Leadership Training Workshop for C-Suite Executives, in NYC on Monday September 30^th – Tuesday October 1^st, 2019. CSE specializes in global sustainability consulting, research and training. Clients include governments, NGOs and Fortune 500 companies. CSE is accredited by CMI and is a GRI organizational stakeholder.

As recently published in 3BL Media, the Sustainability Academy is CSE’s global initiative to offer affordable, specialized, online education in the field of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility.

Of particular relevance is the Certificate on Carbon Reduction Strategy. The IPCC’s latest report finds that if greenhouse gas emissions increase by 1.5C by 2040 (down from the previous fear of 2C), the world can expect inundating coastlines and intensifying droughts and poverty.

The Sustainability Academy has set the ambitious goal to train 100,000 sustainability professionals by 2020, in time to make a positive impact. It is designed to help professionals, entrepreneurs and graduates keep up to date with current legislation, global trends and best practices.

Based on his work with the Sustainability Academy, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the largest community foundation in US and globally, honored Nikos Avlonas, president of CSE, as 2018 Practitioner of the Year for Corporate Responsibility, together with Google, Inc., winner of the corporate award.

Training is critical to corporate and organizational success as detailed in Sustainability Magic Bullet: Invest in Training!. Already, more than 5,000 learners from 30 countries and various sectors have taken part in CSE certified trainings. With a critical mass of Sustainability Practitioners, CSE envisions deep change, enabling corporations, municipal and community organizations to apply principles such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Instilling a common language and understanding helps integrate Sustainability in all aspects of corporate and institutional functions. Other specialized online programs include:

For more information about the Sustainability Academy and special offers for group programs, contact [email protected].

2018 Houston training start of partnerships and friendships!

The Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) is constantly growing its network of certified sustainability practitioners. Why do we make such an effort? UN Sustainable Development Goal #17 encourages us to “strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.” We’re thrilled the UN has codified what we’ve done for over 15 years!

In Houston, we celebrated 10 years of sustainability (ESG) training. We had participants from North and South America. Sectors included Food & Beverage, Energy, Utilities, Infrastructure, Facilities Management, Government and Environmental Consulting. When the city of Plano, Texas, NASA, Sandia and the US Forest Service share ideas, successes, challenges and meals with ExxonMobil, Shell, Aegion, and Vulcan Materials, the conversations are forward reaching.

The training hosted three sustainability consulting professionals and three returning practitioners. This speaks to the relevancy of the CSE research and the degree to which we stay ahead of trends. You don’t come to our training to catch-up. You come to be a leader!

Of the many insightful conversations, the most valuable ranged around the sharing of ideas. One conversation connected an energy company with biomimicry inspired solar cell coatings. Another shared favorite authors and pioneers in the field of sustainability. We mentioned Donella Meadows for systems thinking and Allan Savory for herd management. And, of course, our own award-winning president and sustainability pioneer, Nikos Avlonas.

What partnerships will emerge? Which networks will grow? Too soon to tell. But, when Jack Link’s beef jerky talks to Treaty Oak whiskey distillery, who knows what sustainable foodie innovations will emerge?

CSE is a leading boutique firm specializing in maximizing social, economic and environmental impact. We help professionals advance their careers through our certified on-site, online and group training services globally. We support Fortune 500 companies and other organizations grow and excel through our specialized consulting services. Our next North America Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Programs, updated for 2019, will be held in Atlanta, USA, Feb. 21-22, 2018, and Toronto, Canada, April 11-12, 2018.

CSE research highlights findings from key sectors including:

Media and Telecommunications
Transportation
Energy & Energy Utilities
Construction
Agriculture
Food & Beverage
Financial Services
IT and Security

Through consulting, research and training, we break down CSR (corporate social responsibility) data by sector. Drawing from the telecom industry, the issues which keep telecom CEOs on edge include:

Sustainable product design,
inclusion and diversity,
talent management,
customer service and transparency,
privacy and security,
waste and recycling,
energy and emissions.

Whether you are an engineer, from HR, client relations, IT or operations, CEOs need sustainability experts.

Another example from telecommunications:

only 15 of the 600 sustainability reports in North America were from the telecom industry – more are needed!
27% of those reporting are externally assured – higher than average but room for growth
60% of the top-10 telecom companies (based on revenues) conduct sustainability reports – key to a pattern of success!