Well….

• Per our current consumption rate, we need 1.7 Earths to survive
• 2023 was the hottest year on record, and we are heating faster than any time in Earth’s history
• Because of the above, Climate is the #1 issue concerning all of us
• 25% of us stopped doing business with a company in 2023 due to its lack of social/environmental action and $500 Billion is expected to move from non-sustainable to sustainable companies in 2024

If you accept that our current approach is not working, that consumers are voicing their concerns via their wallets, and that it is time to be a leader not a follower, maybe a change is in order.

If you want to be part of the solution and rewarded for same, read this on what you want in a sustainability program, watch this master class, and contact us.

Given that Gen X and Gen Z account for 64% of the world’s population, these two demographic groups are the future of your company.

We recently posted about a study by YouGov, saying that 70% of all consumers view sustainability as more important than your brand. 

This post is on a different study and focuses on Gen X and Z.

A key point to take from the study in this article is that 75% of Gen X and Z consumers say sustainability is more important than your brand name.  This is a bit higher than the other study, but this is just two demographic groups, not the entire population.

• Think about your current marketing and advertising efforts, given the above statement. If 75% of the two largest global demographic groups, accounting for the majority of the world’s population, care more about your sustainability status than your brand name, what are you spending your advertising budget saying, in your attempt to differentiate and stand out?  Are you using a cute jingle or phrase to promote your brand name; or are you talking about being a sustainable company?

A second key point is that upwards of 40% of brands, trying to win those consumers, are misrepresenting their sustainability status.

• Therefore, if you decide to use sustainability as a talking point, do it right – become certified sustainable via a globally-recognized and respected program, as these consumers will do their research and the governments of the world are stepping up compliance.

A third key point is that a sustainable supply chain is critical.

• These consumers, and the government compliance agencies, are expecting your vendors to be sustainable; and presenting you with the opportunity, as a vendor, to differentiate and take market share by being certified sustainable.

If you would like your advertising spend to be relevant to the largest buying groups, read this on what you want in a sustainability program, watch this master class, and contact us.

April is Stress Awareness Month and April 7 is World Health Day.

With these as a backdrop, what is your company doing to improve employee health?

In your company, the impact of the Big 5 (insomnia, stress, anxiety, physical pain and mental acuity) on your employees drain your company of roughly 5% of your GDP, every year.  In the US, this translates to roughly $10,000/employee/yr.

For your company, run the math on 5% of your sales.  That’s your hit…..every year….from your employees suffering from the Big 5.  That’s a big bite out of your profits every year.

So, how do you address it?

If you ask your employees to raise their hands if they have stress or mental acuity problems, how many do you think will raise their hands?  Probably none, as nobody wants to be labeled as a weak, or ‘problem’ employee.

But what if you ask your employees to raise their hands if they want to win next month’s sales contest?  For this, you would probably get a big response.

Make it about performance enhancement, not about fixing a problem.  Help them become a more valuable employee, not an outcast.

Find an organization like Edenark Group‘s A Better World Starts With Me and Gym For The Brain, which will help you address the Big 5, but via performance enhancement, happiness and health.

Employee response will be higher, your employees will be happier and healthier, and your financial performance will go up.

Those of us in the United States mostly know New York Attorney General Letitia James from her winning a fraud suit against Donald Trump, et al.

However, a more important action on her part, for all of us on this planet, is this lawsuit against JBS USA Food Company et al. 

The key difference in this suit versus most greenwashing suits is that it is preemptive, in that it anticipates a future failure to deliver and is pursuing action today against that assumption. 

In effect, without conducting a carbon footprint baseline assessment (to determine what its carbon emissions levels are), JBS has made claims that it will become Net Zero by 2040, sixteen years from now.  Further, again, without knowing where they are today, they claim they will reduce their carbon emissions by 30% by 2030, six years from now. 

Just like if I would say I am going to lose 10 pounds before summer, I would need to know how much I weigh today, the James suit states that the JBS claims have no foundational starting point and are therefore pure greenwashing. 

That’s an amazingly aggressive position to take and should send a cold chill through thousands of other companies that have, likewise, made Net Zero claims with no foundational basis.

In the suit, James says

“Consumers worldwide are increasingly concerned about their impact on the environment and put greater trust in companies and brands that pledge to be sustainable or climate conscious. Recent studies have shown that people are influenced by a company’s environmental reputation and are willing to change their habits to switch to more environmentally friendly products: more than two-thirds of American adults are willing to pay more for sustainable products. JBS Group and JBS USA have used greenwashing and misleading statements to capitalize on consumers’ increasing desire to make environmentally friendly choices, claiming:

• “Agriculture can be part of the climate solution. Bacon, chicken wings, and steak with net zero emissions. It’s possible.”
• “We will cut our own emissions by 30% in 2030 and eliminate Amazon deforestation from our supply chain within five years.”
• “JBS will achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions, reducing its direct and indirect emissions and offsetting all residual emissions.”

JBS Group and JBS USA repeatedly misled consumers with these claims while the company’s executives told their industry peers that they needed to use messaging targeted to climate-conscious consumers in order to remain competitive. In reality, when making these promises, JBS Group and JBS USA had not calculated the company’s total greenhouse gas emissions, and therefore had no way of knowing whether they could successfully reduce those emissions to net zero by 2040.”

If James wins this suit, the impact across the world will be significant, as many organizations have done what JBS has done.

This will be one to watch.

If you are interested in the benefits that sustainable companies gain, but don’t want Letitia James coming after you for greenwashing, read this on what you want in a sustainability program, watch this master class, and contact us.

You spend a lot of time and money trying to convince people to buy from you versus the other guy. 

But are you saying what they want to hear?

75% of Gen X and Gen Z (which combine for 64% of the world’s population and is the future of your business) say sustainability is more important than your brand name.

Similarly, 70% of all consumers will move their purchases to a certified sustainable company when they find one.  

This is why certified sustainable companies are growing 75% – 20x faster than their non-certified competitive peers and why so many companies are greenwashing (saying they are sustainable when they are not).  

So, next time you look at the invoices for your marketing program, think about what they are wanting to hear you say versus what you are saying.

If this makes sense, read this on what you want in a sustainability program, watch this master class, and contact us.

Per this JLL article, soaring demand for sustainable / low carbon offices will outstrip supply.

– Green-certified buildings enjoy the following premiums

+7.1% in North America

+11.6% in London

+9.9% in Asia

So, the question – Is your building certified sustainable?

Answer – Probably not.

Reason – You have run the numbers and the cost of most building-certifications produce a negative ROI, even with the above increases in rent.

What if we told you that those building-centric certifications are energy-efficiency certifications, not sustainability certifications?  And, what if we told you there is a better way?

Discussion:

How many entities can be certified in a 100-tenant building via a building certification?

Answer: 1 (the building)

How many entities can be certified in a 100-tenant building via a business certification?

Answer – 101 (the building and every tenant)

Who pays for the building certification?

Answer – You

Who pays for the business certification?

The business (ie, your tenants)

What is more impactful for a business to say?

• “I lease space in a certified energy efficient building” – nope
• “My company is a certified sustainable business” – yep

What is going to motivate a tenant to renew?

• Having a lease in your certified energy efficient building – nope
• Having a certified sustainable business that was certified in the space in your building – yep

What is going to meet Scope 3 mandates and government regulations?

• Leasing space in a certified energy efficient building – nope
• Being a certified sustainable company – yep

What is the more respected and also the larger standard?

• The building-centric energy-efficient program – nope
• The business-centric sustainability program – yep

What is less expensive?

• The building-centric energy-efficient program – nope
• The business-centric sustainability program – yep

What delivers the greatest ROI to both landlord and tenant?

• The building-centric energy-efficient program – nope
• The business-centric sustainability program – yep

If you would like to learn more, watch this master class, then contact us.

For those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere, summer is a few months away.  If you have a teenager, how will they spend the summer?  Will they get a job?  Will the job be career-benefitting? 

If you are struggling to find something that your teenager can get excited about, here are some questions for you

• Do you care about the environment?
• Are you looking for a new talking point that will differentiate your company from its competition?
• Did you know that besides helping the environment, certified sustainable companies make more money than their non-certified peers?

• Will your child get a career-enhancing job this summer?
• If not, does your child care about the environment?
• Would your child enjoy championing an environmental cause?

• Did you know Edenark Group has an internship program that helps young people enhance their resumes while doing something they can get excited about (and receive commission pay for)?
• Did you know the Edenark Group internship would allow your child to be the point person for your company (and others) to become certified sustainable?
• Did you know sustainability is a huge job-growth area?

If any of this sounds interesting, contact us.

 ARE YOU FISHING WITH BAIT THAT ONLY ATTRACTS HALF THE FISH?

Per Deloitte, 9 out of 10 Under 40 job candidates want to work for a certified sustainable company and will take less money to do so.

Per HP, 46% of job candidates will not work for a company that is not certified sustainable (A Fast Company study says it is 64%).

WHAT DOES THIS TELL US?

Certified sustainable companies, which are less numerous, are able to pursue all the potential candidates; while non-certified sustainable companies, which are more numerous, are fighting over, and paying more for, roughly 50% of the candidates.

WHY DO CANDIDATES LIKE CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE COMPANIES?

Per Greenbiz, sustainability attracts job seekers because

Sustainability is a source of employee pride

Sustainability implies the company cares about its employees

Sustainability helps job seekers connect company values with their personal values

WILL THEY STAY?

Per Fast Company, nearly 70% of employees said they will stay with a company that has a strong sustainability program.  But if their company does not have a strong sustainability program, they will seek a company that is certified sustainable.

WE CAN HELP

Edenark Group has the world’s top environmental sustainability certification program.

Designed and priced for small to mid-sized enterprises.

You get to do the right thing for the environment and differentiate from your peers. 

If you are interested, read this on what you want in a sustainability program, watch this master class, and contact us.

Per a Deloitte study on purchasing, reported via this 2023 article, 67% of consumers are looking to purchase sustainable products.

This is consistent with other studies we have reported on.

This is not a prediction of future events.  This is now. 

Actually, given that it is a 2023 article, odds are the percentage is higher today (most current studies we see put the number at +70%).

These consumers don’t want Greenwashed efforts.  They want legitimately (ie, certified) sustainable companies to purchase from.

How is your company serving these consumers this month?

Who will be serving these consumers next month; you or your competitor?

If you are interested, read this on what you want in a sustainability program, watch this master class, and contact us.

YouDecide, a voluntary benefits company that provides premium products and services to employees of large organizations, is offering the following services on its platform, to some of its clients:

• Edenark Group environmental sustainability certification services to corporations
• Edenark Group carbon neutrality certification services to individuals, families and corporations
• A Better World Starts With Me products and services
• Gym For The Brain products and services

If you are a YouDecide client and would like to have access to these products and services though their platform and pricing, please reach out to your YouDecide representative.