Has sustainability certification become table stakes for your business? If you are selling to larger companies, the answer is – probably so.
This GreenBiz article, titled “Carrot, stick, or scissors: Is it time to leave suppliers behind?” makes these points:
- “Pressure is increasing for (large) companies to start to seriously act on reducing carbon emissions from their supply chains…..In March, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proposed a rule that would require companies to report emissions including Scope 3.”
- “SMEs need….to realize that these sustainability commitments will become table stakes to continue working with larger companies leading the push to net-zero operations.”
- “…we’re going to walk away from suppliers who, once that analysis is done, aren’t meeting what our standards are to get to net zero by 2030, which in some ways feels like it’s tomorrow.”
If the larger companies are going to start demanding their SME suppliers become certified sustainable in order for the larger client organization to meet its sustainability commitments:
- Are there cost-effective sustainability certification programs available to these SMEs?
- Are SMEs using these programs to become certified sustainable?
- Are SMEs partnering with other SMEs in the supply chain and successfully promoting their combined sustainability to clients and prospects, to take market share?
The answer to all these questions is “Yes”.
This Master Class offers what SMEs should look for in a sustainability certification program; and the below are examples of three small companies, all in the same supply chain, all certified sustainable, and all cross-promoting their combined services to present a powerful supply chain option for for organizations who need their suppliers to be certified sustainable.