We are transitioning to where sustainability is a baseline requirement for purchase.

Per this Harvard Business Review article, there are three things for you to consider

• Trust drives behavior and ultimately business outcomes – Highly trusted companies outperform others by up to 400%

• Sustainability promotes trust, particularly among younger generations – sustainability stands out as a critical driver of intent, especially in young people, who care about a brand’s positive intent

• Younger generations will soon have most of the purchasing power – We are seeing this play out today, but it will progressively increase as Millennials and Gen Z will surpass Boomers in purchasing power by 2030

We are already seeing the impact, as certified sustainable businesses are dramatically outperforming their non-certified peers. 

As consumers become more demanding, as corporate mandates become more demanding and as government compliance becomes more demanding, expect sustainability to be even more important; becoming a baseline requirement for your business. 

Per the attached article, “Companies should prepare now.”  Those that are already certified are taking market share as you read this article.  

If interested in learning more, watch this master class and contact us.

This article asks if your board is an ESG leader or follower?

As most privately owned companies do not have a board of directors, let’s broaden the statement to say…

-“Are those that you turn for advice knowledgeable on sustainability/ESG, and capable of providing you with sound guidance?”

We know:

• Consumers, B2C clients, workers, governments, lenders, your community, your family and investors, are all expecting you to demonstrate the steps you are taking to show you are environmentally sustainable and promote diversity and equality;
• If not already faced with this, your company will soon be required to report on its Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions;
• Lenders are incorporating sustainability into their pricing and you will pay more if you are not certified sustainable;
• Prospective employees may take a job with you short term, but the majority of them will continue looking if you are not certified sustainable and have an acceptable ESG program;
• Clients will move their business from you to certified sustainable options when they find them;
• Insurance carriers can rate you as a higher risk if you are not certified sustainable;
• Potential buyers/investors in your company will value you higher if you are certified sustainable;
• Companies that are certified sustainable via a globally-respected program are growing 75% – 20x faster than their non-certified peers;
• Companies that are certified sustainable via a globally-respected program are enjoying +24% Net Income and +11% EBITDA versus their non-certified competitive peers.

Are your advisors able to help you understand and navigate these matters?

If not, consider adding an advisor that has this knowledge and can counsel you on same.

As a follow up to our post of a few days ago, per this article, California has passed Senate Bill 253 and it is not headed for Governor Newsom’s desk. 

As this article states, if Newsom approves, California will usher in a new era of corporate transparency at a time when sustainability and carbon emissions are top of mind for many people.

If Newsom approves, large organizations will be required to report their carbon emissions in 2026 and their vendors will be required to report in 2027.

For those of you who are vendors to California companies and think you have three years to not worry about this, think again – we are already seeing the letters to vendors, sent by companies who realize they are going to have to sort through their existing vendors and decide which ones to keep and which ones to replace.

If you are looking for a way to take market share, look no further than to become a certified sustainable company.

Watch this master class and contact us.

Per this article, a SAP survey of 6,669 business leaders across 29 industries and 40 countries report

• Businesses are seeing the link between planet, profit and competitiveness

• +60% of business leaders recognize that sustainability has a moderate/strong effect on their long-term competitiveness and profitability

• Customer demand that businesses show they are sustainable has increased 7x between 2021 and 2022

• Investing in environmental projects has increased 5x between 2021 and 2022

Remember, all consumer age groups, combined, disbelieve +70% of sustainability claims that are not supported by a valid/legitimate 3^rd party certification.  The Under 40 consumer, which is the largest buying group and the future of your company, disbelieves +90% of a company’s sustainability claims that are not supported by a valid/legitimate 3^rd party certification.  Net, if you want to help the environment, implement internal sustainability projects.  If you also want to be rewarded for same, impacting the ROI of those projects and the revenue side of your P&L, you need to be certified via a valid/legitimate program. 

Watch this master class and contact us. 

Consistent with dozens upon dozens of other studies, an EY Study reports that companies that act on climate change are enjoying higher revenue growth and earnings.  Some of the key findings:

• Value of opportunity for businesses due to their sustainability effort (US$2.1t) is 7x the cost (US$311b).
• Let’s say that again – Besides helping the planet, sustainability initiatives are delivering a 7x ROI. Regardless of the planetary value, what other program does your company have that is delivering a 7x ROI?

• Companies with sustainability programs are 240% more likely to report higher-than-expected financial value….driven by their climate initiatives
• 69% of these companies are even exceeding their own expectations on financial value derived from their climate initiatives
• 71% of these companies are exceeding their own expectations on societal value
• 67% of these companies are exceeding their own expectations on employee value
• 65% of these companies are exceeding their own expectations on customer value
• And, 69% of these companies are exceeding their own expectations on planetary value

• 68% of sustainable companies are demanding their vendors be sustainable. So, regardless of if you lead or follow, you will have a choice to make.

• 74% of institutional investors are likely to divest a company with poor ESG performance.

No matter what your company does, no matter how small it is, no matter how little you have done so far, starting now is better than starting tomorrow; both for the planet and for your bottom line.   Watch this master class and contact us.

At #31 among all corporate blogs and websites, including Microsoft, Apple, HP and Cisco, Edenark Group is the top sustainability/environmental/Green blog on Feedspot – link

Think about the impact on your brand, of having Edenark Group helping you promote your sustainability certification to a world looking for certified sustainable companies.

This is one of the reasons we enjoy a 100% client renewal rate – we help our clients promote their certification, which helps them grow their brand and business.

You will not find a more cost-effective, and positive-ROI, way to differentiate your company.

Per this article, Mark Carney, Governor of Bank of England, makes these predictions:

• Companies and industries that are not moving towards zero-carbon emissions will be punished by investors and go bankrupt – “Companies that don’t adapt will go bankrupt without question”

• There will be industries, sectors and firms that do very well during this process because they will be part of the solution…..but there will also be ones that lag behind and they will be punished

• The transition to Net Zero will change the value of every asset (ie, business)

• However….great fortunes could be made by those working to end greenhouse gas emissions

In business, opportunity exists for those who see a trend and are early to adjust to it.  This is an opportunity to do the right thing and be rewarded for it now and later.  Watch this master class and contact us.

The next 50 days will be very interesting for climate bills in both California and the US. 

Per this article, in California, voting will need to occur this week (by 14 September 2023) for SB 253 (“The Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act”) and SB 261 (which adds a requirement to post climate risks on your company’s website).  If they pass, they go to the desk of Governor Newsom, with yes/no on signature by mid-October.

These two bills mirror the new rule expected out of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, also due in October.

Per the author of the attached article, many companies believe climate laws are inevitable in the US, as it needs to have a program that can match up with other global programs, such as those in the EU.

If your company would like to get ahead of this and use it to your brand’s benefit, watch this master class and contact us.

Per this article, this summer was the hottest on record

• June was the hottest June
• July was the hottest July
• August was the hottest August

All told, Summer 2023 in the Northern Hemisphere beat the prior record by 0.3 degrees Celsius.  For those of you who either remember or have watched the video, this is a beat down like what Secretariat did to the field in the Belmont Stakes.

If you look at the chart, 2023 is “all alone” up there at the top….and, unlike Secretariat, this is not a good thing.

If you don’t like being burnt out with being burnt up, watch this master class and contact us.

How much do you spend on all your advertising and marketing?

How are you differentiating your business from your peers in those ads, your website and your marketing brochures?

Are your points of difference what consumers are looking for?

Are you getting your money’s worth out of those ads by connecting with your audience?

Are you enjoying a positive ROi from your advertising, like this organization?

Per this article, titled “The growing role of sustainability in small business marketing”, the following points are made:

• 81% of respondents across all generations, genders and backgrounds, want you to show them you are helping improve the environment

                Is your advertising speaking to this 81% or to the other 19%?

• 81% expect to buy more from environmentally friendly organizations over the next five years

Are you targeting this 81% or to the other 19%?

• 66% of prospective employees will not consider working for a company that does not have strong social values

               Are you looking for employees from the full pool of talent or just the 34% that does not care?

• 83% of employees will be more loyal to a company making positive environmental/social impact

               After you spend the money to hire/train, are you looking to keep all of them, or just the 17%?

Besides providing a talking point that will make your advertising more effective, the article goes on to explain that companies with a strong environmental, social and governance program are enjoying

• Top line growth (Unilever says their sustainability studies show a +20% gain)
• Cost reduction (McKinsey says it will impact your operating profits up to 60%)
• Reduced regulatory and legal intervention (impacting 25 – 60% of your profits)
• Employee productivity (translating to higher organizational performance)
• Investment and asset optimization (more efficient and effective use of the money you reinvest)

              Is your company enjoying these benefits…while also doing the right thing for the environment?

If not, watch this master class and contact us.