In The News

Safran Oil Systems, a 36,250 SF manufacturer of commercial engine oil tanks, located in Fort Myers, FL, and operating as a subsidiary of Safran Aero Boosters, a $1B, Belgian-based global leader in jet engine low compressors, lubrication units, oil tanks, heat exchangers, and space valves, has chosen to become certified sustainable under the Edenark Group ISO 14001 environmental sustainability certification program.

“The Safran Oil Systems team has been excited about the program since we decided to pursue the certification.  But in recent weeks, after seeing the new IPCC report on global warming, we felt even more committed to being part of the solution, rather than being a company that looks the other way.  We have formed our Green Team and are reviewing project options that will reduce our carbon footprint, improve operations and benefit all our stakeholders.  Some are operational and have no cost.  Most look easy to administer and fun to execute.  We realize there are many things we can do, with little to no personal or organizational hardship that will have a positive impact on the environment.  We’re looking forward to having fun, doing good, and holding our heads high as an organization that is on the right side of tackling this problem,” said Jean-Pierre Posset, of Safran Oil Systems.

The Edenark Group ISO 14001 is the world’s premier environmental sustainability certification program and allows SMEs (small to mid-sized enterprises) the ability to attain the world’s most respected and popular environmental certification standard via a program designed and priced specifically for them.   Edenark Group also helps clients pursue carbon neutrality and ESG compliance, using the Edenark Group ISO 14001 as a foundation for long term compliance.

The program, which allows companies to progressively improve at a pace that works for their needs, helps the organization define how it interacts internally, externally, and with the environment.  It incorporates energy/waste/water, employee health and performance enhancement, community involvement, procurement and suppliers, compliance and regulations, emergency/security, and stakeholder engagement.  Benefits include creating a culture of continual improvement, stakeholder engagement, lower costs, higher revenues and profits, improved employee performance, and…… doing the right thing for the environment and current and future generations.

“When an organization pursues, and attains, the Edenark Group ISO 14001 sustainability certification, they are not just doing it to see their costs go down and revenues and profits go up.  They are setting a higher bar for their organization and sending a signal to all those around them,” says David Goodman, CEO of Edenark Group.  “They are agreeing to adhere to the world’s Gold standard for sustainability certification; are choosing to be a leader and part of the solution, not the problem; and are joining an elite fraternity of over 300,000 organizations, in over 150 countries, that have committed to continually improving in every way.”

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Per this CNN article, the past 7 years have been the warmest on record.

If you run a company and you know:

– Becoming certified sustainable is the right thing to do

– Consumers are demanding it and moving their purchases to certified sustainable organizations

– Employees are demanding it

– Certified sustainable organizations make more money

– Governments are creating standards and laws that will require sustainability and penalize false claims

– If you choose the right program, you can become certified sustainable via a globally-recognized program at a fraction of the historical cost and time investment

Why not make more money by doing the right thing?

Per this article, in March 2021, the SEC has formed a Climate and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Task Force (the ESG Task Force) that will identify and investigate ESG-related violations.

Per Kelly Gibson, the Director of the SECs Philadelphia Regional Office, the ESG Task Force effort in 2022 will be concentrated on detecting and bringing enforcement actions for “greenwashing,” which she defined as “exaggerating” a “commitment to, or achievement of climate . .  . related goals.”

This ties to Bill HR1187, which has passed the US House of Representatives and is with the US Senate.  HR1187 will require US governments (ie, city, county, state and federal), public companies, and any private companies that serve same, to have a sustainability program and ESG plan.

At some point in the near future, ALL organizations will need to research what it takes to have a legitimate sustainability program and ESG plan.  This PPP gives guidance on what an organization should look for in a program.

This Forbes article discusses the following

Sustainability is Profitable

– No matter how big, or what you make/sell, sustainability is proven to be profitable for you.

There is an ‘eco-awakening’ that businesses cannot ignore

–  You should not ignore the consumer trend for companies to be legitimately (ie, certified) sustainable.

Making a profit while also proving you are doing good is the consumer demand of you

– This ties to our tag line “Doing the Right Thing can lead to a Good Thing”

Any business, of any size, can now become an environmental leader

– This takes us to this PPP on what a small to mid-sized business should look for in a program

These 5 trends are showing consumers are demanding companies make good on sustainability and human rights claims.

DEMAND FOR AUTHENTIC/CERTIFIED CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY ACTION

– Over 50% of consumers have moved their purchases within the past year to make a difference on ESG (environmental, social, governance) issues.

– +25% of consumers now say they base their purchases on sustainability, an increase of 19% since the start of Covid.

HUMAN RIGHTS AND FAIR WAGES

– 73% of consumers are willing to pay more for products from companies that are sustainable and pay a fair wage

ONLINE SHOPPING WILL REMAIN THE NORM

– Driven by Covid, online shopping has increased 32%.

– And what is the #1 tool consumers are using to pick between companies online?  Proof (ie, certification) of sustainability.

CONSUMERS WILL LOOK FOR AND SUPPORT COMPANIES THAT PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY

– They are looking for certifications, to show the company is certified sustainable and supports gender equality.

PURPOSE + BRAND TRANSPARENCY = CONSUMER LOYALTY

– Consumers are 6x more likely to buy from companies that can prove (ie, being certified) they maintain a strong purpose with the above points.

These 5 points tie back to a company having a sustainability certification program that is globally recognized, promoted, and that incorporates employee performance and wellness enhancement.

Gym For The Brain (https://www.gymforthebrain.com/) a Florida-based EWOT (exercise with oxygen training) facility, has become certified sustainable under the Edenark Group ISO 14001 environmental sustainability program.

The Edenark Group ISO 14001 is the world’s premier environmental sustainability certification program and allows SMEs (small to mid-sized enterprises) a program designed and priced specifically for them.

The program, which allows companies to progressively improve at a pace that works for their needs, helps the organization define how it interacts internally, externally, and with the environment.  It incorporates energy/waste/water, employee health and performance enhancement, community involvement, procurement and suppliers, compliance and regulations, emergency/security, and stakeholder engagement.  Benefits include creating a culture of continual improvement, stakeholder engagement, lower costs, higher revenues and profits, improved employee performance, and…… doing the right thing for the environment and current and future generations.

“People suffer from toxins ingested from the air, from food, from things they touch.  Disease is due to a deficiency in the oxidation process to remove these toxins.  Gym For The Brain helps its clients remove the toxins their bodies take in.  But, when they leave our facility, they are going back into a toxic would.  We care about the people we serve and the rest of the people on the planet; and want to be part of the global solution to reduce and remove those external toxins while also reducing energy consumption,” said Michael Cohen, Co-Founder of Gym For The Brain.

“Gym For The Brain is doing wonderful work by helping people remove toxins, reduce inflammation, increase body and brain strength, and improve health.  Sending those people back out into a toxic world is frustrating.  The Edenark Group ISO 14001 sustainability certification program allows Gym For The Brain to not only help people while at the Gym, but also when they leave the Gym, by proactively participating in improving the environment via internal and external environmental sustainability actions,” says David Goodman, CEO of Edenark Group.  “They are agreeing to adhere to the world’s Gold standard for sustainability certification; and are joining an elite fraternity of over 300,000 organizations, in over 150 countries, that have committed to continually improving in every way.”

Gym For The Brain (https://www.gymforthebrain.com/ )can be reached at 561-408-6890

Edenark Group (https://edenark.com ) can be reached at +1 561.512.2257

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Via an article in Sustainability Magazine, a whitepaper by London studio PLAY shows 77% of workers want employers to be transparent about their environmental impact and hardly any feel they are.

With the climate emergency firmly in the public psyche, the study found that employees are skeptical about their employer’s sustainability initiatives. Overall, only 14% of those surveyed believed that companies’ sustainability initiatives were ‘always’ impactful or genuine. This fell to under one in 10 (9%) for general employees, compared with over a third (34%) of business leaders, suggesting business leaders may be overestimating the impact and value of their existing environmental initiatives for employees.

This takes us to the need for companies to turn to a valid globally-recognized 3rd party certification, like this one, that meets all company needs.  If company leaders continue to simply say the company is sustainable, without following a recognized global standard, the employees (and customers) will continue to reject the effort as Greenwashing.

Marcus Thornley, CEO and founder of PLAY, says “our research shows the need for business leaders to take sustainability initiatives seriously. There’s a strong desire from employees to get involved in their company’s sustainability projects, but these initiatives currently lack transparency and credibility. Businesses need to support employees with valuable and measurable sustainability goals and approaches; if not they will continue to see these projects delivering little success.

Per the UN, the planet is on a ‘catastrophic’ global warming path – article.

Is your company doing something about it?

As to large companies that believe the UN is right and are doing something about it, here are the 37 most engaged large organizations in 2021, who are participating in the world’s largest sustainability initiative, per the UN Global Compact.

If you are not a large company, but are part of the 99% of all businesses that are defined as a SME – small to mid-sized organization that are under US$1B in annual sales – and you want to be part of the solution, what do you do?

Start by reading this PPP on the reasons why a SME should become certified sustainable; then what to look for in a sustainability certification program.  If you follow this guide, you will be doing the right thing for the environment and also helping your company grow faster.

On 23 February, 2022, the European Commission published its corporate sustainability Draft Directive.

The Draft Directive sets out a proposed EU standard for human rights and environmental due diligence (HREDD) which, importantly, would apply to any global company and its subsidiaries if those group companies have aggregate annual net turnover in the EU of:

• more than EUR 150 million (Group 1); or

• more than EUR 40 million with at least 50% of net worldwide turnover generated in a “high-risk” sector which includes textiles, clothing and footwear, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, food & extractives (Group 2).

Notably, the HREDD applies even if the non-EU-based companies and their subsidiaries do not have a physical presence in the EU, if the above net turnover threshold is met.

The Draft Directive requires both Group 1 and Group 2 companies to take appropriate measures to identify, and mitigate, actual and potential adverse human rights and environmental impacts arising from their own operations anywhere in the world (not just in the EU) and, where related to their value chains, from their “established business relationships”.

Key Takeaway

The Draft Directive would require Group 1 and Group 2 companies to implement HREDD measures that cover their entire value chains, looking beyond Tier 1 suppliers to include “established business relationships” throughout the value chain. This includes vendors, sub-vendors, contractors, subcontractors and other entities in the supply chain, wherever they may be. This will impact small to mid-sized companies located in non-EU countries, including the U.S., Canada, et cetera. 

Per this article, titled “IBM Study:  Sustainability Ranks Among Highest Priorities on CEO Agendas, Yet Lack of Data Insights Hinders Progress,” the following points were made:

• Sustainability is increasing in importance – CEOs say sustainability is climbing higher on their agendas and believe it can help drive business performance. This has increased 37% from 2021 to 2022.
• Sustainability is profitable – Over 80% of CEOs believe their sustainability investment will produce improved business results.
• Pressure is mounting to do more – Board members, investors, ecosystem partners, regulators and governments are pushing for more, but the CEOs are struggling with how their teams are developing and delivering the data in a usable form.
• Most have started; but few have fully developed programs – 95% have at least started a sustainability program but only 23% have sustainability strategies across the entire organization.