Per this article, due to “the expectation of competitive advantage derived from an image of sustainability has opened the door to green and social washing”…and created an environment where risks and damages are growing.

Last year, greenwashing accounted for 1 in 5 cases of corporate risk incidents tied to ESG, but this year, it is 1 in 4.

Companies know sustainability = money, so many are happy to mislead/greenwash.  Look for ‘self-audits’ and ‘self-certifications’ as an easy giveaway. 

However, it is getting harder to get away with the lie.  Per the article, “in recent years, symbolic sustainability has backfired for many, as media, public, and regulators criticize unfounded claims”…doing more damage to the brand than the sales gains had won.

Simple rule – An organization that promotes any green-related action without a valid, legitimate 3^rd party certification/verification is greenwashing.

Prediction – Watch for those that are currently greenwashing to go to the next level of misinformation – ie, getting 3^rd party certified by their Uncle Vinnie or some non-globally-respected organization. So, when they say they are certified/verified, as for the name of the certifier/verifier. 

If you want the benefit they are trying to gain, but don’t want the risk of getting caught for greenwashing, watch this master class and contact us.

On September 8, 2023, the United Nations published its first Global Stocktake report (link) on the progress made by nations in addressing climate change.

The UN outlines in the report that the world is rapidly approaching a critical juncture in the fight against climate change, and immediate action is imperative.

Quick Summary

Stated simply, we continue to move in the wrong direction.

Who can solve this?

There is no central world government, so there is no Big Brother riding to the rescue.

The world economy is driven by small to mid-sized enterprises.  If you run a SME, the ball is in your hands and it is your game to win or lose.

If you would like to be part of the solution, watch this master class and contact us.

As we have been saying for over a year and as this article repeats, mandatory corporate sustainability reporting is here.

Are you ready?

Do you know how to turn this into a victory?

If you want to benefit from the inevitable, watch this master class and contact us.

Do you care as much as the six young people in this article?

They are trying to protect their future and are demanding climate action in Court.

If you want your company to align with the views of your future customer, watch this master class and contact us.

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….and help the planet….and make more money.

Why not make more money by doing the right thing?

Given the demand of consumers, employees, investors, clients and government regulators, many companies are jumping on the “Let’s Say We are Sustainable” bandwagon…..then becoming frustrated they are not seeing the benefits they are hearing others are receiving.

This article lists five reasons your sustainability program is not generating impact:

• Your report is annual – The article talks about timeliness, but our experience is, if you only do an annual report, you have not integrated sustainability into your operation and, like all things, you are not going to gain benefit if you are not focused on it. If you are just checking a box, you will not benefit from your sustainability effort, or any effort, for that matter.  We recommend our client Green Teams meet monthly to discuss the projects and action items and we participate in our client Green Teams, to help them stay on task.  If you don’t talk about it, people will not know you did it.

• Your report is on a six-month reporting cycle – The article talks about the potential to be overwhelmed with data collection and analysis, causing a long life-cycles between reporting. We solve this via monthly meetings that are short, concise and action-oriented.  Less overall time is committed, updates are easier, the team is engaged, performance is easier to analyze, and operational improvement remains the key goal.

• You spend all your time collecting data and not using it – The article talks about organizations forgetting that the goal is not to produce a report but to improve the organization. Simply stated, this problem occurs when there is too big of a gap between the sustainability team and the leadership team.  Having a CEO letter is not going to solve this problem.  Active, engaged, company leadership is critical to ensuring your sustainability program benefits the company, rather than simply being a document on the shelf.  We require members of our client leadership teams to be involved in the Green Team, to ensure focus is on performance and operational enhancement.

• You are not certified under a standard – Many companies try to custom-build their own sustainability programs. This provides great job security for those who custom-built the program, but it seldom works well or stands the test of time.  Further, +70% of consumers disbelieve a company’s sustainability claims if not backed up by being part of a legitimate, respected global standard.  Next, that custom program is going to have trouble with meeting compliance without a 3rd party validation.  Net, if you choose to build from scratch, and you are not aligned with a global standard, expect to always be out of step, always be questioned and always be under-performing versus your peers who are certified under a global standard.  We follow the world’s top sustainability standard to ensure our clients benefit from being part of the top program and gain from the scalability and credibility of same.

• You are not providing enough context – The article talks about the need for truth. Companies that make claims like “carbon neutral by 2040” without detailed back up, are damaging their reputations.  Our program requires a 3^rd party audit to ensure accuracy.  This protects all parties.  We also help our clients develop and publish their regular and supportable sustainability posts / releases, to ensure the narrative ties to supportable actions.

Basically, this is all common sense.  Consumers, employees, investors, clients and government regulators want your company to be legitimately and supportably (ie, certified) sustainable.  The benefit in doing so is significant to your company; and you can do it cost-effectively, both in time and money, if you follow the proper program.

Edenark Group helps companies all over the world cost-effectively benefit from becoming environmentally certified sustainable.  Watch this master class, then contact us.

Per this article a KPMG survey shows that 75% of companies surveyed do not believe they are prepared for the upcoming sustainability reporting requirements that countries are putting in place.

Is your company part of that majority?

What’s the plan?  Are you going to cover your eyes and ignore the pending rules?

Would you like to turn this into a win?

Watch this master class and contact us.

Per this article, the California Attorney General filed a lawsuit against five of the world’s largest oil and gas companies, as well as the American Petroleum Institute, alleging they misled consumers about the impact of fossil fuels on climate change and the planet.

Taking the point further, this article talks about 16 Montana young people who successfully sued the State of Montana, claiming the state’s fossil fuel-based energy system contributes to climate change, in violation of their constitutional rights.

The Montana suit is the first successful North American climate litigation that upheld claims on environmental rights. 

Now, think about your company and how it is operating.  Are you confident you would prevail if employees or the community sued you for not acting to protect their environmental rights?

The Actionable Knowledge Foundational Institute (AKFI) interviewed David Goodman, CEO of Edenark Group, in this podcast, and discussed the following

• What are the sustainability certification trends?
• What to look for in a sustainability program for your company. This master class was offered.
• The value of a sustainability certification and 3^rd party audit, to avoid penalties and fees.
• The reasons a company would pursue sustainability certification – consumer demand, corporate demand, Net Zero Scope 3, and government compliance
• Opportunity v risk
• Benefits of following a global standard that includes a 3^rd party audit
• Scope 3 opportunity for small to mid-sized organizations
• Advice to students looking to pursue a career in sustainability

In everything we do, that first step is hard!

This article does a great job of explaining corporate sustainability and the fact that it is faaaaaaaar broader than simply being green.  The article talks about the definition of sustainability and talks about the different industry phrases, such as ESG (ie Environment, Social and Governance) and SDGs (ie, the 17 United Nations Sustainability Development Goals).

However, the article exposes one of the problems with corporate sustainability and, sustainability in general – the quantity of things you can focus on.  In point of fact, many organizations choose not to start due to feeling overwhelmed.

To that end, a key message in the above article is – “…companies don’t always need to start anew, but can build and improve what they already have in place.”  In other words, you are probably already doing much of what you need to do and if matched with the right sustainability program, your normal reporting structure will probably serve you well in gaining the benefits of being a certified sustainable company.  Don’t over-think it or try to do too much.  Start small.

Another point in the article is – If you decide you want to pursue sustainability, where do you start?

We tell all organizations to start with a review of what to look for in a sustainability program and we use this master class to give 8 things to look for.

Find one that will address those 8 things and allow you to start from where you are.

Then……take that first step!

You will be happy you did.