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.

What does it say about a program that has a 100% client renewal rate?

– In our business, every year, every client needs to renew

– Every year, they have a go/no decision to make…and every year, 100% of them renew.  Example.

What does it say about a program that delivers the top tool to help your company differentiate?

– The #1 thing all companies need is to differentiate (to convince the consumer to buy from you versus the other guy)

– The #1 thing consumers are looking for, when deciding between brands, is if one is legitimately (ie, certified) sustainable

– If we marry those two points, what do we get?  7 out of 10 consumers will move their business to a certified sustainable company

– And, what does that mean for certified sustainable companies?  7x – 20x growth versus their non-certified competitive peers

– Here is one of many articles showing global studies

What does it say about a program that, once it gives you the top tool,  helps you promote it, to grow your business?

– An average cost per click across social media for your advertising is $3.00/click

– We are rated as the top voice/influencer for sustainability on social media (ie, when we post, a lot of people see it)

– As part of our service to our clients, we provide an average of 3x the cost of the client’s certification cost in free advertising

– Here is an example.

– Net, in just advertising alone, our clients receive a postive ROI on the cost of their certification

– This does not include the cost-reduction benefits to your operation or the brand/revenue-side benefits that the advertising delivers to your sales effort

What does it say about a program that helps you with the elephant in the room – employees?

– It takes a lot of LEDs to make up for one workplace violence event

– Your employees are probably your biggest cost, your biggest time commitment, your biggest opportunity and your biggest risk

– The cost to you, every year, from the Big 5 (insomnia, stress, anxiety, physical pain and mental acuity) is roughly $10,000/yr/employee

– We help your employees become happier, healthier and more productive – A Better World Starts With Me – which helps you

What does it say about a program that provides you a roadmap for selecting the right sustainability program for your company?

– If you follow this PPP you will be happy.

It says the program is the best game in town for you to do the right thing for future generations, make your employees happy, lower your costs, and also differentiate and grow your business.

If you care about the environment and want to differentiate from your peers with the top thing consumers are looking for, contact us.

Per this article, global ocean temperatures started breaking daily records in mid-March 2023 and have set a new record every day….and continue as of this writing.

• This will impact the coral reefs – We have already lost +80% of our coral reefs. This will negatively impact the balance.  25% of all marine life depend on the coral reefs.
• This will impact the fish population – We have already lost over 70%. The balance is at risk.
• This will impact the currents – see here.
• This will accelerate the thaw of ice on both poles – Raising sea levels and reducing our reflective barrier against the warming rays of the sun.

Our global warming is speeding up. 

Ignore or act. 

We continue to chase Microsoft, Apple and Facebook, but at #34, Edenark Group remains the top sustainability voice and is ahead of Coca Cola, Intel and Cisco on the top corporate blogs list of 2024.

The quick answer – No!

Per this article, another company lost a court case in which it was unable to support its sustainability claims.

We all know climate concerns are the #1 thing on consumer’s minds.

We all know consumers want your business to show it is a Good Corporate Citizen by showing you are sustainable.

We all know that consumers are speaking with their wallets and moving their support to companies they can verify as sustainable.

We all know companies that can prove they are sustainable are making more money and growing faster than their non-sustainable peers.

The question – Do you ignore all of this and let your competitors take market share from you; or do you exaggerate your sustainability achievements in order to take advantage of consumer demand and risk getting caught; or do you do it right and get certified as sustainable?

If you ultimately decide to do it the right way, read this on what you want in a sustainability program, watch this master class, and contact us.

The world needs all the environmentally-supportive programs it can get.

That said, this article on the struggles of a small program (approximately 1% as large as our standard) is a good backdrop for us to re-state what we believe in and deliver.

Per this master class, there are 8 components of a sustainability program that will be successful and make you happy:

• It MUST include Employee Performance / Health
  • Sustainability is not just about energy savings or ‘Greening Up’, it is about people
  • For most businesses, the employees are one of the biggest costs, one of the biggest risks (mistakes, insurance, law suits) and one of the biggest opportunities (new ideas, collaboration, product knowledge)
  • Every organization suffers from the Big 5 – insomnia, stress, anxiety, physical pain, mental acuity
  • You are losing 5% of your corporate profit/year to the Big 5
  • It takes a lot of LEDs to make up for one worker comp or workplace violence case
  • Make sure your program has a ‘people piece’ that addresses employee performance, health and happiness

• It MUST certify the business not the box
  • People care about things that involve people
  • Most building (ie, ‘Box’) certifications only care about building energy
  • Building certifications are expensive and hard to market (poor ROI)
  • You want to say, “Buy more of my product because we are a certified sustainable business”
  • You do not get much value from, “Buy more of my product because we are in an energy efficient building”
  • You want the certification on your business, not the building your business is in

• It MUST have a 3^rd party audit component
  • Oversight delivers credibility and trust
  • From passing your driving test, to getting your college diploma, to passing a bar exam, we use 3^rd parties to ensure compliance
  • There are many sustainability programs that deliver a certification based on your ‘word’…..and your payment
  • Don’t do it!
  • Make sure the program you choose uses a 3^rd party to validate your work

• It MUST follow a respected and integrated global standard
  • The sustainability industry is maturing and coalescing around few standards
  • The UN has created its SDGs (17 sustainability development goals)
  • 50% of the world’s economies require sustainability reporting
  • Greenwashing lawsuits are growing
  • Don’t pick a program that is not globally respected by, and integrated with, the world leadership groups; and that does not have the ability to integrate the other three legs of the stool – carbon neutrality, ESG and net zero
  • No reason to spend the time and money, then find you are not following the same programs and protocols that the leadership groups have adopted

• It MUST include promotion of the certification
  • Historically, sustainability has been a cost-side play
  • Most programs and providers have been 100% trained and focused on cost-side measures – energy reduction, carbon reduction, waste reduction, water reduction, travel reduction (ie, engineering)
  • But we know consumers are searching for certified sustainable companies
  • If you don’t talk about being certified sustainable they will never know you are (ie, marketing)
  • You want a program provider that is built to do the cost-side work AND the revenue-side work; and helps you promote your certification

• It MUST pursue continual improvement
  • Sustainability is not finite. It requires long-term commitment
  • But…change is hard for all of us
  • If the bar is set too high, we can get frustrated and give up
  • You want a program that lets you come as you are and allows you to continually improve
  • This will keep everyone happy and committed year after year

• It MUST require annual updates
  • Current = credible
  • Sustainability is not finite; we need to continually improve
  • You don’t want a program that does not have a date attached to its certification
  • You want to continually improve, see your success, and annually update your certification to show you are current and credible in your actions

• It MUST be at a price you can afford and produce a positive ROI
  • We could have started with cost but you need the above seven components at a price you can afford
  • It needs to show a positive and rapid ROI
  • The cost includes both money and time and covers everything – the certification, the 3^rd party audit and your work to become certified

As stated, we deliver all eight components mentioned above to our clients.

We enjoy a 100% client renewal rate – every year, every client has a decision to make and every year, every client has renewed.

If you use a program that delivers all of the above, you will probably be happy too.

Zalando, a publically-traded online fashion retailer with over 50 million active users, has agreed to remove misleading sustainability flags and icons that suggest products are more environmentally friendly than they are.

Why do companies overstep on their sustainability claims?  Because consumers are demanding sustainability and exaggerating is the easiest and fastest solution.

But it is clearly not the best long term solution.

Given that we know environment/climate is the top concern consumers have.

Given that we know consumers want to support companies that can prove they are sustainable.

Given that we know certified sustainable companies are growing materially faster than their non-sustainable peers.

Given that we know environmental activists are exposing greenwashers.

Given that we know government compliance is going to require 3^rd party verification.

Being able to prove your sustainability claims is going to benefit you.

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