WWNN Radio’s Newsworthy Stories segment host Jacqueline Jimenez interviews David Goodman of Edenark Group and discusses the benefit of becoming environmentally certified sustainable.

We all know when there is change there is also the chance for opportunity. 

We also know, you need to be ready for when your chance for opportunity comes.

There is a growing interest from consumers to ‘buy local’.  This benefits SMEs (small to mid-sized enterprises).  But, to win those consumers, this article tells us, consumers are demanding you prove you are a Good Corporate Citizen by being a sustainable company.

• Consumers and investors are becoming better able to investigate and uncover Greenwashing (ie, saying you are sustainable when you are not);
• 9 out of 10 consumers say it is important for your company to be environmentally sustainable;
• 64% of them say your company’s performance on environmental and social issues is a factor in their purchase decisions;
• 25% of them have already switched brands due to their sustainability beliefs.

Think about that last point – 25% of consumers have already switched brands due to their sustainability beliefs.  Was your company ready for when those consumers were making their decisions and did you win that business? 

Those were the Innovators / Early Adaptors.  The next 25% – 35% is the Early Majority.  That’s happening right now.  Are you taking or giving market share as they switch?  If you are the giving type, think of the cost of trying to win that business back.

What about when the Late Majority’s 20% takes the plunge?  Will you be ready for them?

Or will you wait for when the Laggards finally come around?

If you want to use this change as a chance, watch this webinar and contact us.

We are honored that Marisa Kirio, a UCLA Extension student, interviewed David Goodman, CEO of Edenark Group, on a number of sustainability topics, for classroom review and study by sustainability students at UCLA.

Interview

Edenark Group offers the world’s premier environmental sustainability certification program for SMEs (small to mid-sized organizations).

SellSMART Not Hard, d/b/a OMNIVERSE CITY™ (https://theomniverse.city/ ), a New York-based, Metaverse As A Service company, has decided to pursue the Edenark Group ISO 14001 environmental sustainability certification program.

The Edenark Group ISO 14001 is the world’s premier environmental sustainability certification program and allows SMEs (small to mid-sized enterprises) the ability to attain the world’s most popular environmental certification standard via a program designed and priced specifically for them. Edenark Group also helps clients pursue carbon neutrality and ESG compliance, using the Edenark Group ISO 14001 as a foundation for long-term compliance.

The program, which allows companies to progressively improve at a pace that works for their needs, helps the organization define how it interacts internally, externally, and with the environment.  It incorporates energy/waste/water, employee health and performance enhancement, community involvement, procurement and suppliers, compliance and regulations, emergency/security, and stakeholder engagement.  Benefits include creating a culture of continual improvement, stakeholder engagement, lower costs, higher revenues and profits, improved employee performance, and…… doing the right thing for the environment.

Charlene Nichols, Founder & CEO of SellSMART Not Hard d/b/a OMNIVERSE CITY™ states “As a mother of 3, I am committed to providing a future that is sustainable so future generations can thrive. There are so many opportunities to approach events, business development and retail opportunities in a more mindful, efficient and innovative way.  The Edenark Group ISO 14001 Sustainability Certification will both help to hold us more accountable and to help us lead other companies who aspire to take the same steps.”

“When an organization pursues, and attains, the Edenark Group ISO 14001 sustainability certification, they are not just doing it to see their costs go down and revenues and profits go up. They are setting a higher bar for their organization and sending a signal to all those around them,” says David Goodman, CEO of Edenark Group. “They are agreeing to adhere to the world’s gold standard for sustainability certification; are choosing to be a leader and part of the solution, not the problem; and are joining an elite fraternity of over 300,000 organizations, in over 150 countries, that have committed to continually improve in every way.”

SellSMART Not Hard d/b/a OMNIVERSE CITY™ (https://theomniverse.city/  ) can be reached at info@theomniverse.city

Edenark Group (https://edenark.com ) can be reached at +1 561.512.2257

release

According to a study by MIT / Sloan / Boston Consulting Group, discussed here, the #1 thing your business needs is a way to achieve competitive differentiation.

That’s where we come in, as consumers (B2C) and corporate clients (B2B) are willing to move their business to certified sustainable companies.  

This webinar / PPP gives more detail. 

Millennials and Gen Z combine for 50% of the world’s population and are the future of your company.

As previously reported via our posts, these consumers care more about your sustainability commitment than your brand.

They will move their purchasing loyalty if they find a certified sustainable company; and they will move their employment if they find a certified sustainable company to work for.

This article discusses another industry, automakers and suppliers, that is accelerating its sustainability programs (the ‘E’ in ESG) to better compete for these consumers and workers.

In short:

• Search for talent – The auto industry is trying to become more sustainable to compete for, and retain, talent. Workers will go elsewhere if the auto industry does not improve its sustainability commitments….and follow through with its promises;

• Government compliance – The SEC and European Commission are putting teeth into laws that will help ensure companies comply;

• Cost of money – certified/verified sustainable and ESG-enabled companies are paying less for their money;

• Vendor impact – Supply chain vendors are being tasked with becoming certified sustainable, to help their clients meet their internal mandates;

• Price and margin – Sustainable products with a lower CO2 footprint are commanding higher prices

Your industry is facing the same demands and opportunities.  You can make sustainability a powerful differentiation tool for your company.  This webinar / PPP explains what you should look for in a sustainability program.

Per this article, corporate travel can account for 20 percent or more of an organization’s total supply chain emissions. 

Hospitality leaders who wish to take market share, have the opportunity to differentiate their brands by becoming certified sustainable.

When they become certified sustainable and promote same, those organizations that are sending their employees on travel, and who have internal sustainability mandates (97% of large organizations have sustainability programs and mandates), are mandated to select the hotels that are sustainable, if given the option.

This is not a hotel-specific story.  The same story is being played out in every industry across the world – the client organization has a sustainability mandate to lower its carbon emissions, which requires its suppliers to also be sustainable.  You, as a supplier, or supplier-candidate, can win the client’s business by being certified sustainable and using that status as a differentiator from your competitive peers. 

Most companies have these departmental responsibilities:

• Operations / Finance – Seeks profitability, efficiency, cost reduction
• Marketing / Sales – Seeks differentiation from competition, a talking point that resonates
• HR / Admin – Seeks employee performance, health, happiness

Studies from Nielsen, Harvard Business Review, HP, Deloitte, Fast Company, MIT, BAR, Symbola, NYU/Stern, Forbes, et cetera, tell us:

• The #1 thing your company is seeking is a way to differentiate from the competition, yet your marketing and sales efforts struggle to find a talking point consumers want to hear. Net, you are not maximizing your advertising spend or messaging opportunity;
• Further to your messaging challenge, 75% of Gen X and Gen Y consumers (64% of the world’s population and the future of your business) say sustainability is more important to them than even your brand name. Net, if you want to resonate with the largest buying groups, you need to talk about being sustainable….but don’t Greenwash;
• Further, as to loyalty, 70% of all consumers will move their loyalty and purchases if they find a certified sustainable company offering a similar product. Net, the clock is ticking, as a competitor might start using sustainability against you;
• As to government work, government regulators are adding sustainability to their requirements. Net, being certified sustainable is a powerful advantage to bidding government work and will become a gating item.  You may not directly serve them, but as a sub-vendor, you will be impacted;
• As to serving large organizations, they are replacing existing vendors with certified sustainable vendor options in order to meet their own internal sustainability obligations. Net, same as with government bids, being certified sustainable is a way to take market share;
• As to saturation, +97% of all large organizations have sustainability programs; yet less than 1% of SMEs (small to mid-sized enterprises, under US$1b) have sustainability programs. Net, the opportunity to stand out by becoming certified sustainable is greater for SMEs;
• As to your future staff, 9 out of 10 under 40 job candidates want to work for a certified sustainable company and will take less money to do so. Net, being sustainable is a key component to finding and retaining talent;
• As to the performance, health and happiness of your existing staff, every company loses an average of 5% profit per year due to employee insomnia, stress, anxiety, physical pain and mental acuity. If you do not have a program that addresses these, improving the performance, health and happiness of your employees, you are losing an average of $10,000 per full time employee per year.

Is your company addressing all the above?

If not, watch this webinar,as it:

• Helps Operations / Finance enjoy higher profitability, improved efficiency, cost reductions
• Helps Marketing / Sales enjoy differentiation via a talking point the majority of consumers want
• Helps HR / Admin achieve higher employee performance, health and happiness

Per this Forbes article, the seriousness of commitment to sustainability / carbon neutrality / ESG will cascade through the commercial ecosystem in a profound way.

The article says there are three groups of companies with regard to sustainability / carbon neutrality / ESG, but there is obviously a fourth, which is the first one below:

• Those that have yet to do anything
• Those just dipping their toes in the ESG landscape, making small commitments, and moving slowly in making actual change
• Those making substantial commitments, investments, and operational changes focused solely on strict compliance with their CEO mandates
• Those that recognize there is a substantial opportunity to improve their brand and competitive positioning through their ESG commitments and investments

As to which stage of the above your company is currently at, the article states that if you are unable to demonstrate you are reducing your carbon footprint and being socially responsible, your company will be replaced by a company that is.  Net, the sooner your company gets to the fourth stage and uses its sustainability status as a competitive differentiator, the better you will hold your existing clients and win new clients.

As to supply chain, if you are a supplier, regardless of your size or public/private status, be prepared to be required to be certified sustainable and have a carbon program as your clients will be required to have vendors that can prove their sustainability and carbon reduction programs.  Again, this is an opportunity to take market share if you are faster than your competitors to become certified sustainable and have a carbon neutral program.

This master class webinar gives you the information you need to proceed through this process.