Fortune 500 - Sustainability Academy

What happens when you bring together students, young people, activists, and allies rallying to prevent climate change? Throughout Canada and the US, young people, their parents, employers, colleges and universities are holding strikes to illuminate the looming climate crisis.

Through Climate Strike Canada and Climate Strike sponsored by 350.org in the US, participants are united to empower, train, and equip participants to create climate justice in their communities. The effort is non-partisan and inclusive. Its most recognizable actions are school strikes. Other climate actions include lawsuits, education and wellness discussions, and calling for the declaration of climate emergencies in towns and cities.

For example, San Francisco’s Climate Strike community is confronting the crisis by representing youth throughout the region. Climate justice is about more than greenhouse gas emissions. It addresses the same considerations found under the Sustainability umbrella: workers’ rights and economic justice, the rights of Indigenous peoples and migrants, anti-racism and social justice. Sustainability practitioners must understand how to address each issue in a unified manner.

Employees at multinational corporations are as involved as their daughters and sons. For the first time in Amazon’s 25-year history, workers at Amazon headquarters plan to strike. Over 900 Amazon employees signed an internal petition pledging to walk out over their employer’s lack of action on climate change. The move will highlight the United Nations Climate Action Summit on September 23. Demands range from ending donations to politicians who deny Anthropocene climate change to achieving zero carbon emissions by 2030.

Tech workers have walked out to protest specific issues such as Google employees on sexual harassment issues and Wayfair staff on immigration. Can Amazon employees get the company to stop using fossil fuels entirely? Transportation logistics aside, Amazon is known for being ambitious and can certainly address climate change in a meaningful way.

With a company as large as Amazon, even a fraction of the workforce on strike can drive Amazon to greater efforts. The key is leadership from a trusted brand. Fortunately, the very effort of a sustainability strategy affects customers, peers, supply chain and the next generation. Google and Apple claim to power their operations with 100 percent clean energy, and Facebook has set the same goal.

The technology world is one of many sectors with an important role to play, whether San Francisco’s Silicon Valley, Microsoft up the coast in Redmond, Washington, companies with a large presence in Canada (Shopify, SAP, Telus) and Canada’s own Silicon Valley in the Ketchener-Waterloo, Ontario area.

An important CSE strategy is to meet corporations where they are. CSE has developed meaningful relationships with both SMEs and large international corporations. We’ve provided education on Sustainability to leading companies throughout North America.

We have added San Francisco, October 15, 2019, and Seattle to our rotation of trainings. Others include Houston, New York, Atlanta and Toronto. Senior managers and VPs from more than 90% of the FORTUNE 500 have attended our programs. They join over 1500 Certified Sustainability Practitioners from over 50 countries all over the world.

Many start-ups and companies focused on sustainability call San Francisco home. Now the rest have to catch up! For new sustainability practitioners, this is good news. There are ground floor opportunities. For established practitioners – also good news. Leadership, management and executive roles are expanding.

Trainings

CSE offers advanced certified education on Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility, Sustainable Development and Circular Economy for professionals. Trainings maximize a company’s impact and help professionals become qualified in the field. They provide the latest practical tools and resources to implement or upscale corporate sustainability and ESG ratings to drive initiatives, generate value and create effective strategies.

We have added San Francisco, October 15, 2019, to our rotation of trainings. Senior managers and VPs from more than 90% of the FORTUNE 500 have attended our programs. They join over 1500 Certified Sustainability Practitioners from over 50 countries all over the world.

Research

CSE has completed its second exploration of sustainability strategies and reporting in Silicon Valley (report forthcoming in September). CSE’s 2016 report uncovered the disturbing news that Silicon Valley companies lag other sectors in sustainability practices. The 2019 research indicates significant improvements. Still, there is plenty of room to raise standards and increase ESG Ratings relied upon by investors. The same year Google won the Silicon Valley Community Foundation award for its corporate social responsibility (CSR), CSE president Nikos Avlonas received their CSR Practitioner of the Year award.

West Coast issues include Climate Change and sea-level rise, water resources, city growth and management and applying ESG (environment, social, governance) principles to the region. An important CSE strategy is to meet corporations where they are. From construction to Silicon Valley (Workday, Netgear), CSE has developed meaningful relationships with both SMEs and large international corporations. We’ve provided education on Sustainability to leading companies such as Google, T-Mobile, Sandia National Laboratories and other companies based in California and Washington.

Because of its leadership in sustainability, San Francisco is an ideal location for our Certified CSR-P Training, Oct. 15-16, 2019. Other upcoming trainings include Toronto, Oct. 31-Nov.1, 2019 and Miami, Jan. 16-17, 2020.

In times of volatility, Corporate Sustainability Leadership guides legislation and successfully manages internal and external risks. Sustainable profitability, the rule of law, cooperation between enterprises, civil society and governments are the greatest assets to respond to the public concerns for Europe’s future.

As Europe is in turbulent waters business leaders and sustainability professionals have already focused on trust-building dialogues, the creation of collaborative platforms and finance models to implement a sustainable circular and digital economy.

Just as the Center for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) research shows , companies with the highest rankings on sustainability ratings have better financial performance than companies with lower rankings. “These companies recognize the importance of a comprehensive sustainability strategy and reporting that includes goals, and externally assured performance data. Transparency and comprehensive sustainability goals are great business enablers and support the success of corporate strategies. Stakeholders, including investors, shareholders and clients see more opportunities and have more trust in these companies”, says the president and founder of CSE, Nikos Avlonas (Sustainable Reporting: Lessons From The Fortune 500, Forbes interview).

Also, Investors are connecting Climate Change to SDGs. Chief Financial Officers are plagued with sustainability demands. Investors are calling for robust corporate sustainability reporting (CSR). Investment rankings are influenced by sustainability considerations. Companies with sustainability reports and an actively implemented sustainability strategy can mitigate long-term risks such as climate change.

Meanwhile, Stakeholders are pressing companies to go beyond the standard ESG (environment, social, governance) approach. Incorporating the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can guide companies toward areas of positive, measurable impacts which stakeholders desire.

Weaknesses in the finance sector can have an important impact to SDGs 7, 8, 9, 11 and 13 covering affordable energy, decent work and economic growth, industry, innovation and infrastructure, sustainable cities and communities and climate action.

The need for practitioners is urgent, leading CSE to offer their Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program, Advanced Edition 2019, in Brussels, this June 20-21. CSE has incorporated the SDGs into its research, consulting and certification programs. Urban centers need an enormous influx of sustainability-trained experts. Whether it’s accounting, auditing or research, trained sustainability practitioners are needed in every field and every discipline – banking, investment houses.

Key topics to the European circular economy package will be the focus of CSE’s training in Brussels, June 20-21, 2019. For more information on registration, Early Bird and Group Discounts, contact [email protected]

CSE will deliver in NYC the exclusive Sustainability (ESG) Leadership Training Workshop for C-Suite Executives, September 30 – October 1, 2019. This Fast-Track workshop will address key sustainability leadership challenges and equip business leaders with updated knowledge and practical tools to develop a sustainability strategy, improve branding and ESG ratings, reduce stakeholder related risks and lead sustainable companies to deliver economic returns. For more information on registration and super early bird discount please contact [email protected]

In times of volatility, Corporate Sustainability Leadership guides legislation and successfully manages internal risks.

In this age of globalization, CEOs and the entire C-suite must focus beyond their office buildings, factories and retail outlets. To protect their interests, employees, suppliers and vendors, they must and do affect policy, regionally, nationally and globally.

Recently, a group of companies including GlaxoSmithKline, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Interface and United Technologies signed a statement encouraging the EU to set the stage for a climate-neutral economy by 2050. While there is certainly a component of altruism to their request, their motives have a basis in economics. Long-term certainty makes for economic prosperity.

If you doubt that companies believe this, look at what happens to the markets whenever there is extreme volatility. Investors want certainty, even if that certainty may lead to increased oversight, legislative restrictions and even taxes.

Just as the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) research shows increased profitability among those companies with a strong sustainability strategy, multinational corporations have run the numbers. They believe the economic value of achieving a net zero economy by 2050 is greater than the economic benefits of less ambitious goals.

Companies know their factories are in threatened coastal zones. They know their employees are at risk of poor health from air pollution, hunger, increased costs of living. At a corporate level, wielding the power of the purse, corporations can influence policy for the good of their revenue stream and the good of the communities which drive their profitability.

Larry Fink, CEO of Blackrock, wrote in his annual letter to the companies in which Blackrock invests, “the world needs your leadership.” He said purpose and profit are inextricably linked. “Stakeholders are pushing companies to wade into sensitive social and political issues,” he wrote, “especially as they see governments failing to do so.”

CEOs and the whole C-suite need to be sustainability experts. They must address geopolitics, talent acquisition and retention, international supply chains, national legislation and global commitments not only from their countries of incorporation but from the countries in which they have holdings, factories, and employees.

What they need to know should not be left to “on the job” training nor delegated down the ranks. Corporate heads need to come together as a cohort of leaders, learning from each other and driving changes outside their domains which are inextricably linked to their own success.

Want to learn how to leverage sustainability efforts to demonstrate global leadership and impact? Attend the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence Sustainability (ESG) Leadership Training Workshop for C-Suite Executives, in NYC on Monday September 30^th – Tuesday October 1^st, 2019, an exclusive limited gathering of corporate leaders. CSE specializes in global sustainability consulting, research and training. Participants include governments, NGOs and Fortune 500 companies. CSE is accredited by CMI, Green Business and is a GRI organizational stakeholder.

A New Year always brings with it, a new perspective either in business or personal. In terms of business, 2019 brought a shift towards Corporate Sustainability.

Corporate Sustainability means that individuals and companies have a duty to act in the best interests of their environments and society as a whole. Lately, businesses have developed sustainability strategies where social responsibility is an integral part of their business model.

More than 80% of Millennials say that their favorite companies have identified their values, according to Forbes. Research shows that Corporate Sustainability produces transparency and can increase brand awareness, trust and an overall advantage to companies. CSE’s unique research findings have been picked up by Forbes.

Businesses large and small get a competitive advantage in regards to sales and also talent recruitment by not only supporting social responsibility but also by walking the walk and demonstrating it. Social responsibility should be organic, dynamic and proactive.

A challenging two-day training offered by CSE provides the latest practical tools and resources required to implement or upscale corporate sustainability. Executives from Fortune 500 companies, local governments and academia trust CSE’s advanced training to become Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioners and earn a unique recognition in the Corporate Sustainability field.

The Practitioner Program in London focuses on key challenges, many of which were faced by hosting the Super Bowl. Topics include:

Integrating SDGs into a Sustainability Plan
New trends and how to gain a competitive advantage
Maximizing stakeholder engagement
How to influence C-Suite Executives and get support for a Sustainability Plan
The role of Investors and maximizing corporate performance in ESG ratings

The course includes a chance to complete a two-year sustainability plan that will qualify you to earn the globally recognized CSR-P Certification and become Certified Sustainability Practitioner. The final assignment helps participants implement practical tools.

The course provides a free CMI membership (a $200 value). You also receive Certified Learning materials (hard copy) and a training guide (electronic copy). During the two days of instruction, students learn from updated case studies from companies such as Apple, Ikea, and Unilever; informative videos from leading sustainable organizations; participant-specific sector CSR reports.

Best among the many values of the course is the friends made and networks built. You learn from fellow participants and they learn from you. The instructors listen to each individual’s challenges and offer pro bono advising services.

Among the engineers, facilities managers and tech specialists, Marketing, Public Relations, Communications, General Management and Human Resources this CSR training is not only for those working in CSR and Environmental Management. CSE’s training offers added skills to all professionals engaged in the field of CSR, small business, major corporation and mega-events included.

The first 2019 Certified Sustainability Practitioner Programs in Europe is in London 14-15 March, 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.

We are sincerely grateful for our success in 2018. The corporate community is awake to the many opportunities for a better world by engaging in sustainable practices. The Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) is pleased to be part of this inevitable shift!

We are thankful for the many newly trained sustainability (CSR) practitioners certified with our CSR-P designation. We held trainings with participants from five continents and 30 countries. The networks and friendships built among energy companies, food producers, major retailers and emerging entrepreneurs are invaluable.

We celebrate the growth of our Sustainability Academy. Under Nikos Avlonas’ leadership, it led to his being named Corporate Responsibility Impact Practitioner of the Year for 2018 by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

We are proud of our 3^rd annual research, Sustainability (ESG) Reporting Trends: North America 2018. Our team found positive connections between Sustainability Reporting and financial performance among the Fortune 500 and other top companies in North America.

We welcome our new affiliates around the world, growing our family, training new practitioners and helping companies reach their potential. They are key to our vision of a sustainable future.

As we look to the future, we hope to build on our Sustainable Development Goals Champions campaign. In support of SDG Goal 4 for Quality Education, we entered a UN Partnership to increase awareness and promote education among professionals, corporations and entrepreneurs on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Thank you to all our friends, colleagues, practitioners, to those of you who read our newsletters, follow our social media and refer us throughout your networks. We perform at our best because of your insights, endorsements and support.

Happy Holidays from our CSE Family to yours!

CSE’s second 2018 Toronto training brought together industry leaders for Sustainability Practitioner training and a first look at CSE’s latest research.

CSE welcomed attendees from around the world to its second Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program (Advanced Edition 2018) held in Toronto in 2018. Participants benefited from insights into managing sustainability at their organizations and lessons from CSE’s research. CSE’s April training sold out, requiring a second event to meet demand.

Practitioners met to advance their skills in sustainability management. Participants benefited from sector interactions among Construction, Education, Energy, Government, Media, Mining, and Retail. Each brought a unique take on sustainability and its application in the real world.

Publicly traded companies such as Home Depot, and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation join CSE’s leading program that has qualified over 1600 Sustainability and CSR professionals

CSE announced its third annual report on Sustainability (ESG) Reporting Trends: North America 2018. Attendees received hints about the latest findings. This research provides a useful and convenient representation of the current state of Sustainability Reporting. It focuses on companies and organizations based in the U.S. and Canada. For the first time, the research examines how artificial intelligence (AI) and Blockchain are applied to Corporate Sustainability.

CSE training focuses on a comprehensive methodology. It simplifies managing the complexities of sustainability within an organization. The training covers assessment, legislation, communications, reporting and much more. It includes the RoS framework developed by CSE from its body of knowledge and research. The Return on Sustainability (RoS) framework supports business. It helps assess the impact of their Sustainability Strategies and Reporting on their bottom line.

The erection was a bit of a strange feeling – so weird. But it could just have been my imaginary. After we had changed the position, this fancy was gone. Great thing! I bought Priligy at www.papsociety.org/priligy-dapoxetine/, by the way.

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. Fortune 500 companies and other organizations grow and excel using 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; Toronto, Canada, April 11-12, 2019; and New York City, USA, June 6-7, 2019.

Corporate Sustainability (CSR) is a growing industry that is taking the world by storm. Although often confused with the idea of environmental science, this definition does not represent the diversity of the field today. The main reason why Sustainability (CSR) is more and more positioned as a central element of corporate strategy is because it can bring value to Marketing, Supplier and HR functions of an organization in a measurable way.

And like with any rapidly rising business field, it requires well trained and updated professionals with the necessary skills to perform a variety of different functions, ranging from engineering to industrial management and including the design and execution of activities related to environmental, economic and social aspects. Research from various sources has shown that since the introduction of the term of sustainable development in the late 1980s, there has been a constant growth to the number of companies with full-time sustainability managers. Especially since 2000 the number of such companies has increased by 400%. This is evident also in the fact that more than 60% of sustainability professionals have been in the field for less than 10 years.

Many Sustainability (CSR) job opportunities are also focused on helping organizations and companies run more efficiently, thereby increasing profits, pleasing their customer base, and creating a sense of comfort and security among the community.

So, are CSR professionals something like a modern superhero? Are Sustainability jobs too difficult to acquire?

Research has shown that there are the 5 steps that will help you ensure you a job in Sustainability (CSR):

Get a globally recognized certification in the field of CSR
Acquire cutting edge knowledge (CSR Reporting, legislation, CSR trends, carbon reduction strategy)
Address key sustainability (CSR) challenges (GRI standards, UN SDG’s) and learn how to improve an organizations financial performance
Access a Global Business Network of sustainability (CSR) leaders
Get the skills to meet Stakeholder expectations in today’s world of increasing demand for transparency

The Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE), after London, Toronto, NYC and Houston, will be back in Dubai to deliver its annual CSR Practitioner Program.

The two-day program builds on from module to module and whether you are starting your CSR career or are excelling in it, you will benefit from attending.

This is the most successful program in the field of CSR since we have certified over 1700 CSR Managers and 90% of the Fortune 500 firms from 50 countries so far. CSE has been approved by CMI (Chartered Management Institute of the United Kingdom), in offering certified trainings for CSR Managers, Communication Directors, HSE Managers and other executives. CSE is also Green America certified business.

Visit the following web page Dubai Certified CSR Practitioner Program, Advanced Edition 2018 and get the opportunity to land your dream job in sustainability.

Love or hate them, Google (Alphabet, Inc., actually) has money to spend. Google has agreed to invest $50 million into planning Sidewalk Toronto. The waterfront project envisions a high-tech community, prioritizing sustainability, safety, and affordability. Innovative technologies include: self-driving vehicles, underground garbage collection, green energy, snow-melting sidewalks, modular construction, and a lot of data collection.

This is where the hate comes to play. Many local leaders have privacy concerns. Built “from the Internet up”, connected sensors will enable extensive data collection. People will share personal information to access customized programs and services.

Is the privacy trade-off worth the promised increased sustainability, efficiency, and responsiveness? The Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) recently reported on how companies must deal with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The GDPR mandates transparency around information gathering and sharing. The EU’s move has raised awareness and concern.

These concerns are wrapped around sustainability concepts and practices. The waterfront community may ultimately reach over $1 billion invested. That’s not counting the $300 million Toronto green bond and dozens of companies based in Toronto focused on sustainability.

Toronto boasts over 800 sustainability-related jobs with over 3000 throughout Canada (Indeed). Sustainability experts are required who understand finance, government, and law. Companies in play will face ever-changing regulations, reporting requirements and CSR expectations.

Sustainability practitioners will be best positioned to meet these needs. Among many disciplines, CSE has trained real estate developers, NGO leaders, investment professionals and executives from the Fortune 500. CSE will deliver its Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Program, Advanced Edition 2018, for a second time this year in Toronto, October 25-26, 2018.