Last year, via this post, we estimated $500 billion in business would move from non-sustainable to sustainable businesses in 2024.

The expectation is 2025 will see an even larger transfer, as more consumers (B2B and B2C) move their purchases to sustainable businesses.

This McKinsey study looks at growth potential tied to decarbonization and suggests capital and consumer demand shift to a low-carbon economy will produce $9t – $12t in annual sales by 2030.

Further, failure to decarbonize could, on average, risk up to 20% in economic profit for those companies that fail to act.

If you prefer to act rather than just watch others act, read this on what you want in a sustainability program, watch this master class, and contact us.

Recently, we posted these eight things you want in a sustainability program.

Years ago, our CEO worked in the HBA industry and was responsible for marketing fragrances, cosmetics and toiletries. 

Kristy Doolan interviewed our CEO for this article in Cosmetics Design Europe.

In the article, Kristy highlights the following points, which are consistent with statements we have also made in recent articles and posts –

• Green claims are held under a microscope – Greenwashing is being pursued by regulatory agencies and consumers

• Go Green or go home – If you are not able to prove you are a sustainable company, you are in trouble

• Purchase influence – The majority of consumers are considering sustainability when making a purchase

• Sustainability is growing in importance – As we posted recently, sustainability is already the #1 issue in the world….yet it continues to grow

• Greenwashing is out – Following on the point above, they are going to investigate if you are certified via a reputable program and if not, the reaction is not going to be good for your brand

• Reduction of carbon footprint is also important – Make sure your sustainability program includes the ability to also certify you for carbon neutrality

• The 8 things you want in a sustainability program – Kristy then presents our list of 8 things you should look for in a sustainability program

If you feel Kristy makes a good point, watch this master class and contact us.

Sad as it is to say, we are all sheep.

Per the study discussed in this article, if you want to convince someone to do something, don’t use logic on them (ie, “It’s the right thing to do”).

You can try the Lemming Approach and play off a person’s need to follow others.  To do this, say something like, “Everybody is doing it!”

• In the study, this generated a 70% increase in success

Or play off the fact that they don’t want to work very hard at reaching their decision.  To do this, simply put your suggested action in front of the alternative.

• In the study, this generated a 654% increase (yes, 6x) in success

Clearly, we are not terribly bright at Edenark Group.  For the past few years, we have been trying to convince you that a plant-based diet is ‘the right thing to do’ for you and the planet.

We were fools!

We were not wrong about the benefit of a plant-based diet being good for you and the planet.

We were wrong in using “it’s the right thing to do” as our argument.

So, how about this –

“For your meals, you have a choice – you can eat PLANT BASED FOOD, LIKE MANY OTHER PEOPLE…….

….or you can eat meat.”

This article touches on many of the points we regularly make

• Sustainability is a differentiator that people are looking for

• If done correctly, sustainability can change from being a roadblock to being a powerful marketing tool for an organization

• Besides being a differentiator, it drives growth, efficiency and reliability and becomes a foundation to a company’s continuous improvement

• Further, being sustainable is key in the war to attract/retain top talent

• Then, involving suppliers/partners in being sustainable allows you to co-promote and further differentiate

• And, being sustainable allows a company to better serve the community it resides in

• This all translates into a company being able to promote being ‘Best of Class’, which further differentiates

How can competitors counter this?  They can keep dropping their price.

Which side do you have your money on?

This article, titled “Why sustainability is crucial for corporate strategy” is directed to you, as manager of your company.

Most of us run our businesses with our heads down, thinking, “That (fill in the product/service) idea might be fine for some other companies, but we are not ready for it, not big enough, not able to afford it, not staffed for it, not able to benefit from it.”

However:

• 90% of your peers believe sustainability is important.

– How many things in this divided world do 9 out of 10 people believe in?

• 70% of your competitor’s clients will leave your competitor if they find a certified sustainable company as an option.

– This is why certified sustainable companies are taking market share.

• 85% of the investors who might invest in you, want you to be certified sustainable.

– If you want an equity investor, or someday hope to sell, being certified sustainable will help.

• 91% of the banks that you may seek a loan from will look at sustainability.

– If you want a lower interest rate, being certified sustainable will help.

• 73% of Gen-Z consumers (the largest buying group / 26% of global population) will pay more for a product from a sustainable company.

– Your margin will be fatter.

• Government regulations are increasing demand for you to be sustainable.

– If you want a good relationship with regulatory bodies, being certified sustainable will help.

• 51% of future workers will take less money to work for a certified sustainable company. You will be able to hire better talent, they will be happier and they will stay longer.

– So, your cost of labor will be lower if you are certified sustainable.

• +22% employee productivity if you are a certified sustainable company.

– Think about the impact of that on your bottom line.

• +60% increase in operating profits if you become certified sustainable.

– This is why we work, right?

If you still think it would be too hard for your company, consider this – we have clients as small as 1 full time employee.  If they can do it, you can do it.

This PPP lists the 8 things you should consider in a sustainability program for your company.  If you follow this, you will be happy.

Given that we are all trying to achieve our 2025 plans, this article, showing a study using AI on 10,000 companies over 12 years, might be worth considering

• Using the S&P 500 as a base

• The portfolio study group that focused on sustainability-related R&D / new products, outperformed peers by 92%

• The portfolio group that focused on financial donations or communications campaigns (ie, the sizzle without the steak) underperformed peers by 70%

If you would prefer to outperform peers rather than underperform peers, watch this master class and contact us.

Climate physical risk is your company’s financial exposure to extreme weather.  This does not include any other environmental impacts.   

If we extrapolate the data from the study in this article, we arrive at the following:

• Climate risk (ie, financial hurt due to extreme weather) is currently taking 1% off the top (from your sales number)
• In five years, it will grow to approximately 1.5% off the top
• Unchecked, it will continue to grow

Not counting the positive ROI benefits of being certified sustainable, if we just look at the out-of-pocket cost to you of becoming a certified sustainable company and being able to say you are part of the solution, unless you are a micro-company, the cost is lower than the climate risk. 

You have two choices:

• Do nothing and continue to bleed out.  
• Fight back, be part of the solution, and gain all the benefits of same.

If you would like to fight back and gain the benefits of same, watch this master class and contact us.

The Edenark Group ISO 14001 is the world’s best environmental sustainability certification program for small to mid-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Why should an organization become certified sustainable?

There are many reasons.  We list 10 –

https://edenark.com/why-becoming-a-certified-sustainable-organization-makes-sense/

Per this article, the Corporate Knights Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations have outperformed their non-sustainable peers:

– 19% since 2005

– 22% since Covid (spring 2020)

If you want to make more money, and don’t mind doing something good while making that money, becoming a certified sustainable company might be worth considering.

Watch this master class and contact us.

At #28 (up from #31 last year) among ALL corporate blogs and websites, including Microsoft, Apple, HP and Cisco, Edenark Group is the top sustainability/environmental/Green blog on Feedspot – link

Think about the impact on your brand, of having Edenark Group helping you promote your sustainability certification to a world looking for certified sustainable companies.

This is one of the reasons we enjoy a 100% client renewal rate – we help our clients promote their certification, which helps them grow their brand and business.

You will not find a more cost-effective, and positive-ROI, way to differentiate your company.

Oh, and by the way, you would also be doing something good.