Per this article, the SEC has fined BNY Mellon $1.5 million over falsely claiming some of its investment funds had achieved and passed an ESG quality review, when in effect, they had not.

We all know consumers want you to be sustainable – in fact, studies show 7 out of 10 consumers will move their purchases/loyalty if they find a sustainable company doing what you do.

This is one of the reasons why certified sustainable companies are growing 75% – 20x faster than their non-certified competitive peers.

This creates significant financial motivation for companies to claim they are sustainable.  But, even if you are not caught by a governing body for your exaggeration, the vast majority of consumers are not going to believe you until you are certified.

Why?

Advertising ‘puffery’ (ie, “My toothpaste will give you the whitest white”) has conditioned consumers to disbelieve claims that are not supported by 3^rd party certification/validation – in fact, +70% of consumers disbelieve a company’s sustainability claims if not supported by a valid 3^rd party certification; conversely, +70% of consumers believe a company’s sustainability claims once they are certified via a globally-recognized program.

Do it right the first time – become certified sustainable via a globally-recognized and respected program.

This PPP shows what you should look for in a program.

Per this article, in March 2021, the SEC has formed a Climate and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Task Force (the ESG Task Force) that will identify and investigate ESG-related violations.

Per Kelly Gibson, the Director of the SECs Philadelphia Regional Office, the ESG Task Force effort in 2022 will be concentrated on detecting and bringing enforcement actions for “greenwashing,” which she defined as “exaggerating” a “commitment to, or achievement of climate . .  . related goals.”

This ties to Bill HR1187, which has passed the US House of Representatives and is with the US Senate.  HR1187 will require US governments (ie, city, county, state and federal), public companies, and any private companies that serve same, to have a sustainability program and ESG plan.

At some point in the near future, ALL organizations will need to research what it takes to have a legitimate sustainability program and ESG plan.  This PPP gives guidance on what an organization should look for in a program.

At #67, among all Small Business influencers, globally, Edenark Group is the top small business sustainability blog/website/influencer on the Feedspot Top 100 Best Small Business Blogs and Websites in 2022! – link

There are 8 key things to consider when deciding on a sustainability certification.  They are listed here.

https://www.pr.com/press-release/815357

One of the big discussion points during COP26 was the recognition that people, inclusive of mental health and performance, must be part of an organization’s sustainability program.

Current ESG articles underscore “why the human element matters more than ever” and talk about how managing the health and happiness of employees is critical to organizational health and performance.

This 8 point guide on the key components of a sustainability program considers employee performance, health and happiness as the most important component to a successful sustainability program.

This is an example of a corporate employee performance, health and happiness program that is integrated into a sustainability program.

Sustainability has always been about people.  A sustainability program that does not have a ‘people piece’ is not a true sustainability program.

Is your wealth manager walking the talk by being an environmentally certified sustainable company, when recommending ESG funds for you?

Do they understand the principles they are talking about?

And are their recommended ESG funds truly following environmental, social, governance principles?

According to this article in WeathManagement.com, 64% of the funds studied were Greenwashing.

“Investors need asset managers to establish the philosophy underlying a fund and align the prospectus language and fund name with the intent and the holdings,” said Andrew Behar, CEO of As You Sow, the non-profit that conducted the study. “The problem is that there is currently no truth in labeling.”

This goes for the fund and the wealth manager selling the fund.

If a wealth manager wishes to align with the principles of ESG, they should start by becoming environmentally certified sustainable via a globally accepted program. By doing do, they can look their client in the eye and say, “We walk the talk.”  This 8 point guide provides recommendations on what to look for in a globally accepted sustainability program.

Safran Oil Systems, a 36,250 SF manufacturer of commercial engine oil tanks, located in Fort Myers, FL, and operating as a subsidiary of Safran Aero Boosters, a $1B, Belgian-based global leader in jet engine low compressors, lubrication units, oil tanks, heat exchangers, and space valves, has chosen to become certified sustainable under the Edenark Group ISO 14001 environmental sustainability certification program.

“The Safran Oil Systems team has been excited about the program since we decided to pursue the certification.  But in recent weeks, after seeing the new IPCC report on global warming, we felt even more committed to being part of the solution, rather than being a company that looks the other way.  We have formed our Green Team and are reviewing project options that will reduce our carbon footprint, improve operations and benefit all our stakeholders.  Some are operational and have no cost.  Most look easy to administer and fun to execute.  We realize there are many things we can do, with little to no personal or organizational hardship that will have a positive impact on the environment.  We’re looking forward to having fun, doing good, and holding our heads high as an organization that is on the right side of tackling this problem,” said Jean-Pierre Posset, of Safran Oil Systems.

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 respected and 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 and current and future generations.

“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 improving in every way.”

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This Forbes article discusses the following

Sustainability is Profitable

– No matter how big, or what you make/sell, sustainability is proven to be profitable for you.

There is an ‘eco-awakening’ that businesses cannot ignore

–  You should not ignore the consumer trend for companies to be legitimately (ie, certified) sustainable.

Making a profit while also proving you are doing good is the consumer demand of you

– This ties to our tag line “Doing the Right Thing can lead to a Good Thing”

Any business, of any size, can now become an environmental leader

– This takes us to this PPP on what a small to mid-sized business should look for in a program