The 8 Essential Components of an Effective Environmental Sustainability Program

In today’s business landscape, environmental responsibility is more than just a buzzword—it’s a vital part of a company’s success and reputation. Customers, investors, and employees are increasingly looking to engage with organizations that demonstrate a genuine commitment to sustainability.

But how do you find the right program and what to look for in an environmental sustainability program?

At Edenark Group, we specialize in not only helping you develop your commitment to sustainability via providing the top environmental sustainability certification program; but also helping you use and promote that certification, to stand out and grow.

As part of our service, we recommend everyone read this guide on what to look for in an environmental sustainability program.

You want to find a program, by us or someone else, that has the below eight key elements.  These eight elements, in combination, form an effective sustainability certification program.  If you find a program with these eight elements, we believe you will be happy and your business will be greatly enhanced.

1. The Program Must Prioritize Employee Well-Being and Performance

Sustainability starts with your team.

Your employees are your most valuable asset. Focusing on their health, happiness and performance not only boosts morale but also enhances productivity and reduces costs associated with illness, medical insurance, Worker’s Comp, absenteeism and turnover. Every company suffers from the Big 5 – worker insomnia, stress, anxiety, physical pain and mental acuity.  The combined damage from the Big 5 on your profits is roughly 5% per year.

Benefits:

• A sustainability program that has a ‘people piece’ that addresses the Big 5 will help your team become happier, healthier and more productive.
• This will help your company become more profitable.

As to the Edenark Group Program:

• The Big 5: Our program has a people-piece that addresses the Big 5 and helps  your employees become happier, healthier and more productive.
• Training and Development: We help you train your team on both sustainability and wellness programs.
• Profit: We help you develop and maintain a healthy work environment that will reduce the Big 5 and improve overall well-being; leading to increased profits.

2. The Program Must Certify Your Business, Not the Building

Focus on what the market is demanding; and what can positively impact your brand.

While the energy-efficiency of your building is critical to an overall environmental sustainability program, and our program includes it, it is not what consumers or governments, or any of your stakeholders, are wanting to hear from you on.  They want to hear what your business is doing; they do not want to hear you talk about what the building you have space in is doing.

Benefits:

• Compliance:  The various compliance programs that governments are turning into law will focus on your business, not the building you are in.
• Client Mandates:  Your B2B clients will be demanding, via their Scope 3 requirements, that your business be sustainable.  Their mandates will not tie directly to the building you have space in.
• Brand Enhancement: Position your company as a leader in environmental responsibility by focusing on your brand, not a building you are in.
• Customer Trust: Consumers want to hear directly from your company about what it is doing.
• Competitive Advantage: This allows your company to stand out in your industry by showcasing your efforts, not the efforts of the building you are in.
• Foundation for Other Programs:  You may ultimately want to pursue carbon neutrality, net zero and ESG.  If you want the flexibility to expand with these, you want to certify your business.

As to the Edenark Group Program:

• Business Certification:  We certify your business.
• Compliances and Mandates:  The program is designed to satisfy compliances and mandates, maximizing your benefit.
• Business-Wide Assessment: As part of your business certification, we evaluate all aspects of your operations, including the space you are in.
• Promotion of your Brand/Business:  We help you use the certification to promote your business, not the building you are in.

3. The Program Must Include Independent Third-Party Verification Audits

Satisfy compliances and mandates; and build trust through transparency.

An effective sustainability certification must involve verification by an independent third party to ensure credibility. This process validates your efforts and assures stakeholders that your commitments are genuine.

Benefits:

• Greenwashing:  Many companies, looking to cash in on consumer demand, are exaggerating their environmental sustainability claims (ie, greenwashing).  You want to be removed from this.
• Compliance and Mandates:  As your corporate clients and governments demand proof of your claims, 3^rd party verification of your sustainability certification provides same.
• Brand Integrity:  You want to project strength in your sustainability certification claims and 3^rd party verification provides same.
• Marketing:  Combining your certification with 3^rd party verification provides you defined parameters of what you can comfortably state in your marketing.
• Internal comfort:  Having a 3^rd party verify your sustainability certification actions and claims provides internal comfort that all is well.
• Stakeholder Confidence: 3^rd party verification demonstrates not only your dedication to the standard but the confidence you have in your program.  This gives your stakeholders confidence in your claims and how your company is run.

As to the Edenark Group Program:

• 3^rd Party Audit Verification:  The Edenark Group ISO 14001 is required to have a 3^rd party auditor validate/verify your certification.
• Transparent Reporting: The 3^rd party auditor provides a letter that you can share with stakeholders, if you wish.

4. The Program Must Align with Global Sustainability Standards

Ensure your efforts satisfy the broadest expectations possible.

If you decide to spend time and money on becoming environmentally certified sustainable, and you are also trying to grow your company, you want a program that meets your current needs and your future needs.  You do not want to spend time and money today and later learn the program is not able to satisfy your needs tomorrow.  Select a large, globally respected, program that is recognized and accepted wherever you might go.

Benefits:

• Credibility:  You want a program that is recognized and credible wherever you might go.
• Brand enhancement:  You want a program that enhances your brand wherever you might go.
• Regulatory Compliance: You want a program that stays ahead of all the global requirements, not just local requirements.
• Foundation for Other Programs: You want a program that provides the foundation for you to add other programs (carbon neutrality, net zero and ESG), should you wish.

As to the Edenark Group Program:

• Our Standard: We use the ISO 14001, which is the largest and most respected standard in the world.
• Foundation for Other Programs:  Should you wish to expand into other programs, we can also deliver carbon neutrality certification, net zero certification and ESG design and planning, using the Edenark Group ISO 14001 as a foundation.  This is the most cost effective and powerful way to expand into those other programs.
• Ongoing Updates: Our program continues to adjust to global changes.

5. The Program Must Help You Promote Your Sustainability Certification

Your Program Provider Must Help You Promote Your Achievements.

Consumers are demanding companies prove their environmental commitment.  It is the #1 thing they look for when they visit your website and marketing materials.  Studies show 7 out of 10 consumers will leave their existing vendor if they find a vendor they believe is sustainable.  This is why so many companies are greenwashing.  If you spend the time and money to become environmentally certified sustainable, you want to align with a program provider that also helps you craft and deliver messages to the market about your certification and actions as a certified sustainable company.  The market does not know what you have done if you do not talk about it, so you want an expert to help you say the right things and deliver them to the market.

Benefits:

• Growth:  Certified sustainable companies are growing up to 20x faster due to market demand.   You want to talk about it.
• B2B Clients and Prospects: Your B2B clients and prospects need certified sustainable vendors.  Promoting your sustainability certification will help you maintain and grow your existing accounts and win new accounts.
• B2C Clients and Prospects:  Consumers will move their business if they find a certified sustainable option. You want to promote your sustainability certification via all your media and messaging.
• Hiring and Retention:  Your ability to hire and retain employees improves when you can promote that you are a certified sustainable business.
• Cost of Money:  Your cost of debt and equity can go down when you can prove you are a certified sustainable company.  You want to be able to promote your sustainability certification to your money sources.
• Community:  You want to promote your sustainability certification to your community to show the kind of company you are.
•  Market Differentiation: You want to set yourself apart from competitors who are not certified sustainable.  Incorporating your sustainability certification into all your marketing and advertising will help you differentiate and take market share.

As to the Edenark Group Program:

• Pre-Certification:  The first thing we do after you sign your contract, well before you are certified, is start the promotion of your pursuit of the certification.  We write it, you edit/approve it, and we both publish it.  This generates market interest and excitement even before you are certified.  Further, it has advertising financial value that helps you achieve a positive ROI.
• During Certification Process:  We continue proposing, writing and publishing (after you have edited and approved) articles and posts about your actions.
• Certification:  When you become certified, we write an article that you edit/approve, and we both publish it.
• Post-Certification:  For as long as you are a client, we help you talk about your sustainability certification and actions.
• Marketing Materials: We will review and provide guidance on all your external documents to ensure they maximize the promotion of your sustainability certification.
• Your Team:  We will have video meetings with your team, explaining how to discuss and explain your sustainability certification to the clients, vendors and community they interact with.
• Success Stories: Whenever you have an environmental story you want to highlight, we will help you write and publish it on your media and our media.

6. The Program Must Commit to Continuous Improvement 

You want a program that lets you be you.

Every company is different in what its needs are; and every company starts from a different point in its sustainability journey.  You want a sustainability program that recognizes this and lets you start from where you are and grow with actions that are important to your company and its needs and goals.  You do not want a program that establishes the same bar for everyone.  A program that follows the concept of ‘continuous improvement’ allows you to start from wherever you are and continually improve from that starting point.

Benefits:

• Customized to you:  Continuous improvement allows you to start and progress with a program that is designed for your company and needs.
• Team Commitment:  This allows your team to establish projects that are important to them.
• Enhanced Performance: Customized programs and a committed team usually leads to enhanced performance.
• Innovation: When you focus on things that the team has interest in and experience with you have a higher likelihood of an innovation breakthrough.
• Long-Term Success: A happy, engaged team seeing positive results typically translates to a team that wants to continue a program.

The Edenark Group Program:

• Program Design: We follow continuous improvement with all our clients.
• Client Selects Projects:  You will select projects that are most important to you.
• Success:  Our clients are happy with the process and see the success it brings.

7. The Program Must Require Annual Certification Updates

Current = Credible.

Sustainability is not static.  It requires continual effort.  You do not want a program that does not have an annual date attached to its certification.  Annual updates to your certification ensure that your sustainability actions are continuing. This process demonstrates your ongoing commitment and keeps your business aligned with evolving standards.

Benefits:

• Accountability: Regular reviews encourage consistent effort.
• Compliance and Mandate Adaptability: Annual recertification provides proof of being current with regulations and market expectations.
• Stakeholder Assurance: It shows investors and customers that your program is legitimate. 

The Edenark Group Program:

• Annual Review:  At the end of every year, we audit the projects of that year and work with our client to schedule projects for the next year.
• Annual Certification:  Based on the annual review and go-forward project list, the client is re-certified for the next year.

8. The Program Must be Affordable and Deliver a Positive Return on Investment

Enjoy a Positive ROI on Your Efforts.

Sustainability must make sense for your bottom line. A sustainability program must be affordable and provide tangible financial benefits for you to continue with it.

Benefits:

• Cost Savings: Reduced expenses through reduced resource use.
• Revenue Growth: Attract customers that are willing to move their business to a certified sustainable company.
• Risk Reduction: Avoid costs associated with environmental fines or reputational damage.
• Growth in Profit:  By driving lower costs and higher revenues, your sustainability program should be profitable for the company and pay for itself many times over.

The Edenark Group Program:

• Designed for SMEs:  The Edenark Group ISO 14001 program is designed for SMEs, with sensitivity on time investment, cost and ROI.
• Revenue-side Focus:  A unique aspect of the Edenark Group program is the revenue-side promotional support that helps highlight the differentiation your sustainability certification provides.  This helps drive new business.

Contact us for more information.

Summary of the Above

Pick a program that provides the above and you will be happy.

The Edenark Group team would love to work with you.  But even if you do not work with us, select a program that has the above eight elements, and you will be happy.

In this article we explained: “What to look for in an environmental sustainability program.”  We are available, to answer your questions and help you better understand the benefits of being an environmentally certified sustainable company.

We are confident you will be happy with the decision.

We appreciate Kyle Alexander of Car Wash Magazine interviewing our CEO on the topic of when to consider becoming environmentally certified sustainable.

Professional Car Wash & Detailing Weekend Update highlighted Edenark Group and Unlimited Auto Wash (from 1:40 – 2:50) in this video segment.

Greenwashing is rampant as companies try to cash in on consumer demand.

As we have been reporting and as this article discusses, the EU is finalizing its Green Claims Directive (the GCD) and the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (the ECGT) to commence at the beginning of 2025. 

These laws serve as the foundation of other EU laws and standards (including ISO standards that we deliver).

In short – Explicit environmental claims will need to be verified under certification schemes – before being made publicly available or displayed. More specifically, an independent third-party which is not engaged in any activity that may conflict with their judgement or integrity – would need to verify the claim. 

Other governments have passed similar laws that connect certification + 3^rd party verification. 

In effect, if you are making green or environmental or sustainable or eco claims and are not certified and 3^rd party verified under a globally-respected standard, you are deemed to be greenwashing and at risk of lawsuits and fines.

If you want to satisfy consumer demand but not be called out for greenwashing, read this on what you want in a sustainability program, watch this master class, and contact us.

Leading Peers asked Edenark Group CEO, David Goodman, to give this masterclass webinar on Using Sustainability Certification to Differentiate.

We hope you find it beneficial for future decisions for your organization.

Should you have questions, please contact us here.

As we have reported for some time, and as this article explains, if you are part of a supply chain, prepare for your clients to conduct due diligence audits to confirm your environmental sustainability commitment and compliance.

Just saying you are sustainable is not going to satisfy the compliance audits by your clients, as they have their own reporting obligations.  You will need to be verified/certified under a program that is accepted/respected.

Follow the recommendations in this webinar and you will be happy.

97% of large companies have sustainability departments; but many have internally-constructed, non-global-standard-aligned, non-scalable, non-3^rd-party-audited, sustainability programs.  Many of these programs were created to ‘look good’ but not designed to survive the stress test of external accountability.

SMEs have it worse.  Less than 1% of SMEs have sustainability programs of any kind.

As consumer/client (B2B and B2C) demand for sustainability grows, corporations see the financial opportunity and feel the pressure to say they are sustainable.  The more sustainability claims they make, the greater the risk of exaggeration (ie, Greenwashing).

This has caused a rise in the number of greenwashing watchdog agencies, with more staff, to investigate corporate sustainability claims. 

Consumers, also seeing companies greenwashing in response to their demands, are upping their expectations and demanding 3^rd party validation and alignment with globally-recognized programs, to prove a company is doing what it claims. 

Governments, bringing teeth via fines, are creating new laws that require valid proof of sustainability compliance.

That leads us to the question – Is your company greenwashing?  

Per this article, odds are, the answer is ‘yes.’  A survey of 1500 executives in 16 countries around the world, were asked about their sustainability programs –

• 85% reported clients/customers becoming more vocal about sustainability, causing these executives to greenwash in an attempt to capitalize on the demand.
• 72% believe most of their sector peers are greenwashing.

Given the incredible increase in greenwashing (driven by the desire of companies to cash in on consumer demand), the world is taking a more rigid view of claims.

Stated simply, if your company is making a sustainability claim and you are not certified via a globally-respected standard and 3rd party verified, you are greenwashing.

If you are making claims and are not certified/verified, and you wish to correct the problem before you are exposed, watch this webinar and give us a call.

Remember when you were in school and a teacher would let you grade your own test?  The eraser would come out and a C-grade effort became an A-grade score.

Studies show that +70% of CEOs admit their companies are greenwashing in order to mislead you into purchasing their product or service.  If +70% admit to greenwashing, what is the real number – 80%, 90%? 

Some of these companies even self-certify (ie, grade their own test) in order to attempt to justify their environmental claims.  Their argument is that the country they are in has yet to FORCE them to become certified and 3^rd party verified under a recognized global standard….and until forced, why be a leader?  Why not just grade your own test and make whatever claims you want to make?

On the other end of that spectrum are companies like Unlimited Auto Wash that became certified and 3^rd party verified under a globally-respected standard in 2024 and, per this release, has started work on its 2025 renewal.

Is it harder for Unlimited Auto Wash than for those that grade their own tests?  Sure.  But who do you want to buy from?

Most companies have these departmental responsibilities:

• Operations / Finance – Seeks profitability, efficiency, cost reduction
• Marketing / Sales – Seeks differentiation from competition, a talking point that resonates
• HR / Admin – Seeks employee performance, health, happiness

Studies from Nielsen, Harvard Business Review, HP, Deloitte, Fast Company, MIT, BAR, Symbola, NYU/Stern, Forbes, et cetera, tell us:

• The #1 thing your company is seeking is a way to differentiate from the competition, yet your marketing and sales efforts struggle to find a talking point consumers want to hear. Net, you are not maximizing your advertising spend or messaging opportunity;
• Further to your messaging challenge, 75% of Gen X and Gen Y consumers (64% of the world’s population and the future of your business) say sustainability is more important to them than even your brand name. Net, if you want to resonate with the largest buying groups, you need to talk about being sustainable….but don’t Greenwash;
• Further, as to loyalty, 70% of all consumers will move their loyalty and purchases if they find a certified sustainable company offering a similar product. Net, the clock is ticking, as a competitor might start using sustainability against you;
• As to government work, government regulators are adding sustainability to their requirements. Net, being certified sustainable is a powerful advantage to bidding government work and will become a gating item.  You may not directly serve them, but as a sub-vendor, you will be impacted;
• As to serving large organizations, they are replacing existing vendors with certified sustainable vendor options in order to meet their own internal sustainability obligations. Net, same as with government bids, being certified sustainable is a way to take market share;
• As to saturation, +97% of all large organizations have sustainability programs; yet less than 1% of SMEs (small to mid-sized enterprises, under US$1b) have sustainability programs. Net, the opportunity to stand out by becoming certified sustainable is greater for SMEs;
• As to your future staff, 9 out of 10 under 40 job candidates want to work for a certified sustainable company and will take less money to do so. Net, being sustainable is a key component to finding and retaining talent;
• As to the performance, health and happiness of your existing staff, every company loses an average of 5% profit per year due to employee insomnia, stress, anxiety, physical pain and mental acuity. If you do not have a program that addresses these, improving the performance, health and happiness of your employees, you are losing an average of $10,000 per full time employee per year.

Is your company addressing all the above?

If not, watch this webinar,as it:

• Helps Operations / Finance enjoy higher profitability, improved efficiency, cost reductions
• Helps Marketing / Sales enjoy differentiation via a talking point the majority of consumers want
• Helps HR / Admin achieve higher employee performance, health and happiness