This article gives the following 10 reasons why you should steer your small company to lead, not follow, when it comes to sustainability:

• If you are part of a supply chain – As we have said, if you are part of a supply chain, you are part of your client’s Scope 3. You can retain that client and win new clients if you become certified sustainable.
• Government work – Many governments are already using sustainability as a gating item in the selection of vendors. You can win business if you are certified sustainable.
• Efficiency – You cannot become certified under our program without our helping you lower your energy usage and cost.
• Lower cost of money – Debt and equity providers are rewarding certified sustainable companies with lower cost of money on both the debt and equity side.
• Competitive advantage – The #1 thing on the minds of consumers is the environment and they are rewarding certified sustainable companies with their purchases. 7 out of 10 consumers will move their loyalty if they find a certified sustainable alternative.
• Impact investment – a certified sustainable company can become an Impact Company, improving its attractiveness to charity donors and impact investors.
• Hiring and retaining staff – You can hire for less and retain staff longer if you are a certified sustainable company.
• Marketing and PR – Due to what consumers want to hear, your ad spend will be seen, remembered and responded to, materially better if you include being a certified sustainable company.
• Leading the way – Showing that you are a leader, not a follower, differentiates you from the pack, on the #1 issue.
• The best you can be – Being environmentally certified sustainable shows you are at the top of your game and separates you from your peers.

Your choice – you can lead or follow.  But….if you choose to lead, besides doing the right thing, certified sustainable companies are growing up to 20x faster than their non-certified peers.  That’s not a bad side benefit.

If you don’t mind being seen as a leader that is helping the environment, and also want to grow your business, read this on what you want in a sustainability program, watch this master class, and contact us.

As we have stated in the past, and as this article discusses, larger companies need their vendors to be able to prove their environmental sustainability.  This is due to:

• Vendors are part of the client’s Carbon Emission Scope 3

• Any organization that already has a sustainability program (which +97% of large companies do) is mandated by its Scope 3 obligations to use vendors that can prove they are sustainable and have a carbon emissions program

• Any organization that has made a Net Zero claim is required by its Scope 3 obligations to use vendors that can prove they are sustainable and have a carbon emissions program

• Any organization that operates within a government that has carbon emission reporting requirements are required by their Scope 3 reporting obligations to use vendors that can prove they are sustainable and have a carbon emissions program

Many of you have received Scope 3 letters from your clients.  The rest of you, who are selling B2B, will receive a Scope 3 letter.  This is the initial notification from your client that you will need to ‘get on board’ with sustainability and emissions reporting, if you wish to retain their business.

For those of you saying, “We have not heard anything about this.  We don’t think it is real,” now that governments are mandating climate reporting, the process has begun. 

This can be viewed as a curse or as an opportunity.  For those of you who see it as a curse, you will wait until you are forced to comply.  At that point, the cost of becoming certified and the cost of protecting or recovering market share will be high.

For those who see this as an opportunity, you realize your prospects and clients MUST have vendors that can prove their sustainability commitment…..and they are out of time.  They are desperate to find vendors that are certified sustainable.  All you need to do is become certified and market that certification documentation to your prospects and clients. 

If you don’t mind doing something good, are a proactive leader, and also want to take market share, 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.

Do your performance contracts with vendors/clients include environmental language?

Do they include corporate social responsibility language?

Per this article, environmental aspects are present in 30% of all arbitrations and corporate social responsibility is present in 26%.

Prior to 2025 it was common for investors to sue governments over things like financial programs (when a government did not invest in a sector due to environmental concerns).

But in July 2025 the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (ICtHR) issued an advisory opinion regarding the obligations of governments to take measures to mitigate the effects of climate change, saying that: “in cases of conflict between international investment obligations and the duty to protect the climate system, the latter must prevail…”

Then, later in July 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a landmark advisory opinion, concluding that international law requires governments to prevent significant harm due to climate.

Read together, these two opinions significantly strengthen the position of governments to bring claims against investors and business operators.

This brings us back to your performance contracts and the need for them to include language balancing your performance duties against the greater societal duties of sustainability and social responsibility.

Contact us with questions.