Per this article, the sustainability rules in the CSRD, that we have been talking about for some time in our posts, are expected to impact small companies along with large companies. 

As the article states, at Cannes LIONS this year, there was a ‘responsibility hall’ that included sustainability initiatives, and each award asked for information on the ad entry’s sustainability.  This is putting more pressure on companies to exaggerate. 

The Green Claims Directive (GCD), a proposed new EU law, will impose penalties on companies making claims they cannot support.

The Directive on Empowering the Consumers for Green Transition is another such bill.

Simply put, we all know consumers want our businesses to be sustainable, governments are establishing sustainability laws and your B2B clients are in need of sustainable vendors. 

We also know sustainable businesses make more money. 

The pressure to show you are a sustainable business is only going to grow and the penalties for greenwashing will also grow.

The question – Do you ignore and let others lead; do you greenwash until caught; or become certified sustainable and take market share while also doing the right thing? 

Becoming certified sustainable does not have to be hard or expensive.  Watch this master class and contact us with questions.

Recently, our CEO was shown the website of a lighting contractor that had purchased one of those vanity awards (where you pay money and they give you a fictitious title). In this case, the company had purchased a sustainability award and was proudly displaying it on their website.

It is only a matter of time before that lighting contractor is exposed for greenwashing. When it happens, the negative impact on their brand will be significant.

An ironic part of this is that, in their desire to capitalize on consumer demand for companies that are sustainable, they actually paid about as much for the fictitious award as they would have paid for a legitimate certification.

If you think all this talk about risk is overstated, ask the airlines. Per this article, there are greenwashing lawsuits against airlines on three continents – North America, Europe and Australia.

The electrical contractor and the airlines knew what you know – there is money to be made by saying you are sustainable.

Should you wish to do it the right way, watch this master class and contact us.

Most of us are beginning 2024 budget season….and will be trying to find a way to achieve next year’s growth goals.

Per an 8 country (US, Germany, Italy, France, Japan, China, India and Brazil) study by Boston Consulting Group, discussed in this article….

• 80% of participants reported considering sustainability when making a purchase
• 70% are suspicious of potential greenwashing activity by businesses
• 20-43% are ‘silent stakeholders’, which are defined as consumers willing to be persuaded to choose a product that makes a credible and compelling sustainable statement

When you are planning for 2024 and looking for low hanging fruit, think about the combination of these three points – the vast majority of consumers are looking for sustainable companies but are wary of those that falsely claim they are sustainable; and 20 – 43% of them are ‘up for grabs’ in that they are willing to be convinced to choose your product if you can convince them you are legitimately (ie, certified) sustainable.

Think of the impact that 20-43% would have on attaining your growth objectives.

Edenark Group can help you become certified sustainable, differentiate from your competitive peers, and appeal to those consumers.  Here is a flyer on the benefits of our program.

Article by Check Odulio, contributing writer

Greenwashing is on the rise, and it poses a direct threat to your business.

This deceptive practice involves making exaggerated, unsupported, or false claims about a company’s environmental initiatives, leading consumers to believe that the company is more environmentally responsible than it actually is.

As businesses strive to keep up with the increasing demand for sustainability, Greenwashing is becoming an alarming issue not only for consumers but for fellow businesses like yours.

Two Crucial Ways Greenwashing Can Impact Your Business:

1. Enabling Greenwashing Companies to Exploit an Ever-Growing Customer Base

77% of consumers prioritize sustainability as a key deciding factor in their purchase.  That’s three out of four of your prospects.

Does this preference translate into actual purchases or merely remain as survey responses?

The answer is clear: consumers follow through with their wallets. This buying preference is evident in the fact that 93% of consumers either maintained or increased their purchases of sustainable products.  +25% of consumers have already switched vendors due to sustainability; the next 30 – 40% is in play right now.  Someone is going to win this business.

How big of an industry are we talking about? Per this FutureTense talk, approximately $100 Trillion will be spent on sustainability-related products and services in the coming years.

Unfortunately, amid this promising industry growth, some companies intentionally engage in greenwashing to capture a significant share of this multi-trillion-dollar market.  The good news is 80% of consumers DISBELIEVE a company’s sustainability claims if not supported by a valid 3^rd party verification.  But this does not stop the greenwashing, due to the huge financial potential.

The question is, even if they win 20% of the consumers looking for sustainability products, how much of your market share are you willing to let these greenwashing competitors erode?

Further, what if a competitor becomes certified as sustainable and goes after your clients with a genuine sustainability claim?  How much time and money will it take to win back those clients after losing them?

2. Risks of Reputation Damage and Legal Penalties Due to Greenwashing

Suppose you decide to adapt to the preferences of customers with the genuine intention of reducing your company’s environmental impact. Great! But be aware that you still run the risk of falling into the trap of greenwashing and the penalties that come with it.

Any unsubstantiated sustainability claims within your business practices can severely tarnish your reputation and ultimately lead to customer attrition. Consumers are now better informed in this realm, making them more skeptical of companies’ environmental claims. As we reported above, 80% of them do not believe a company’s claims that are not verified via a 3^rd party certification.  Further, there is an increasing number of sustainability advocacy groups hunting greenwashers.  Here is an example on the global stage.  So, the risk of being caught is higher than ever before.

Tomas Gonsorcik, co-chair of the American Association of Advertising Agencies’ strategy committee states,

“Given the volume of green, rainbow, and woke washing in the industry and accusations of all that in recent years, I believe any brand that is looking into its future and trying to drive sustainable growth for its business needs to get real about these claims,” he said. “I think regulation should complement that.”  

Adding to the brand-image damage of being exposed as a greenwasher, there are now fines attached to same. Many countries already have established fines and many more will follow.  As an example, the FTC is now considering setting rules to gain the ability to levy civil fines on deceptive environmental marketing claims. This civil penalty can reach $50,000 per violation.

Greenwashing is a grave concern that can jeopardize your SME business, both externally and internally. Seeking third-party certification can provide a solution. Pursuing the world’s premier environmental sustainability certification program, the Edenark Group ISO14001 Certification Program, offers not only tangible evidence to support your sustainability claims, helping you win those consumers looking for certified sustainable companies; but also facilitates actual positive environmental changes that help the planet and all your stakeholders.

Don’t let the threat of greenwashing linger over your business.

Schedule a call with Edenark Group to safeguard your integrity and differentiate from your competition.

Per this McKinsey study, companies that have a Triple Play (Growth + Profit + Sustainability) dramatically outperform their peers on Total Shareholder Return (TSR).

• 36% of companies that lagged on sustainability/ESG showed negative growth; while 0% of the Triple Play companies showed negative growth

• 19% of the companies that lagged on sustainability/ESG grew by more than 10%; but 53% of the Triple Play companies grew by more than 10%

• Having the Triple Play of Growth + Profit + Sustainability delivers 7 points in TSR versus peers.  That’s not 7%, it is 7 points – ie, a 12% TSR versus a 5% TSR.   In most cases, that 7 points is more than double the competition.

• Sustainability/ESG will not save a flawed company; but it will help a company perform better

If you are looking at your 2023 performance against budget and would like to perform better, contact us via this form.

Per this study of +1,000 small business leaders, having a sustainability expert on the board of directors is second only to having a financial expert…and ahead of expertise in sales, marketing, IT, operations, legal, ex cetera.

• The first thing many of you will say is, “We don’t even have a formalized board of directors. We have a board of advisors.” 
• Regardless of the form of your board, point is, having an expert on sustainability as part of that group is essential to your go-forward success due to market demand, opportunity and risk.

Edenark Group serves as sustainability advisor to every client it has; and sits on the client’s Green Team.  Given that the Edenark Group ISO 14001 program delivers a positive ROI, this is a very cost-effective way to have a sustainability expert advise the leadership of your organization. 

If you would like to talk with us about having a sustainability expert for your board of directors or board of advisors, send us a note via this form.

Per this article, there are four phenomena driving the current heat wave –

• El Niño – estimated to cause a 0.25F increase
• Solar fluctuations – estimated to cause a 0.09F increase
• The 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption – estimated to cause a 0.06F increase
• Global warming – estimated to be at least 2.0F

Put those four together and you have a +/-2.4F increase in the temperature.

Models are now saying temperatures will continue to rise and we will exceed the 2.7F (1.5C) climate tipping point that we do not want to reach, by 2028, or 53 months from now.

If you would like to be part of the group that is fighting back, watch this master class and contact us.

Charlene Nichols, the founder of Omniverse City, sought a unique approach to stand out in the market. With a strong belief in sustainability mixed with her desire to be a thought leader, she decided to make that commitment tangible. This led her to pursue the Edenark Group ISO14001 environmental sustainability certification.

Part of Edenark Group’s unique program includes PROMOTION of the certification. Omiverse City’s experience is an example of the immense value every client gains during the Edenark Group onboarding process; then, throughout the term of the relationship.

“It is hard for a SME to cost-effectively stand out from the clutter – finding something that resonates with consumers…having that topic not be a one-off….then being able to afford to deliver it.  This is why we provide the promotion side of our service”, said David Goodman, founder of Edenark Group. “The market wants to hear that your company is committed to sustainability and 7 out of 10 consumers will move their purchases if they find a certified sustainable company.  There is nothing as powerful in generating market interest and positive response as being able to say you are a certified sustainable company.”

Edenark Group commits to doing regular promotional executions for its clients throughout the term of the relationship, which can be years – an approach that sets it apart from others in the industry.

As an example, as soon as the contract was inked, Edenark Group developed and published a press release on Omiverse City’s desire to become a certified sustainable organization. .

The initial press release alone generated more promotional click-value for Omniverse City than the entire cost of the Edenark Group ISO 14001 certification.  Net, just off that first promotion, Omniverse City has a positive ROI…..before it is even certified.

Besides the advertising ROI, as a young company looking to stand out from the crowd, the Edenark Group promotion delivered on broad market impact, as it went out via Edenark Group’s extensive media reach, spanning platforms like LinkedIn, Google, Twitter/X, Facebook, Slack, Service Professional Network, Alignable, and the Edenark Group website, emails and more. 

Omniverse City is also able to directly use the release for its marketing purposes, giving it a story to build on.

As a result, brand exposure for Charlene and Omniverse City expanded significantly.

Here is the post and here is Charlene’s response.

Charlene’s experience is what Edenark Group delivers to all its clients and shows what can happen when it helps its clients promote their sustainability journey.

If you want to experience Doing the Right Thing and have it lead to a Good Thing, book a call with Edenark Group to begin your own success story.

Per this article, Antarctica sea ice has fallen to the lowest level since we have been studying it – 1.6 million square kilometers (0.6 million square miles) below the previous record low.

This is nearly the size of Argentina, or the combined area of California, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Colorado.

Antarctica helps regulate the temperature of the planet and it keeps our sea level where we currently have it. 

If Antarctica continues to lose its ice, the both temperature and sea levels rise materially. 

Consumers want to know what your company is doing about this and are moving their purchases to companies that can prove their environmental commitment.

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

This article talks about 5 things impacting your business right now

• The climate crisis – Go-forward operation and branding will be tied to climate issues
• Carbon reporting – It is no longer sometime in the future; it is now
• Building regulations – Time for upgrades is even shorter than with carbon reporting
• Greenwashing – If you are not certified, you need to be, as the market is demanding proof of claims
• Inflation – Short-term ROI is key

If you are ignoring any of these, odds are, it/they will have negative impact on your operation. 

If you would like to talk, contact us.