Find and see the best corporate environmental sustainability news, posts and stories here, at Edenark Group’s “IN THE NEWS.” Let us know if you have environmental sustainability news you would like us to add.
5 Consumer Trends That Will Shape How Companies Source and Produce Their Products/Services in 2022
These 5 trends are showing consumers are demanding companies make good on sustainability and human rights claims.
DEMAND FOR AUTHENTIC/CERTIFIED CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY ACTION
– Over 50% of consumers have moved their purchases within the past year to make a difference on ESG (environmental, social, governance) issues.
– +25% of consumers now say they base their purchases on sustainability, an increase of 19% since the start of Covid.
HUMAN RIGHTS AND FAIR WAGES
– 73% of consumers are willing to pay more for products from companies that are sustainable and pay a fair wage
ONLINE SHOPPING WILL REMAIN THE NORM
– Driven by Covid, online shopping has increased 32%.
– And what is the #1 tool consumers are using to pick between companies online? Proof (ie, certification) of sustainability.
CONSUMERS WILL LOOK FOR AND SUPPORT COMPANIES THAT PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY
– They are looking for certifications, to show the company is certified sustainable and supports gender equality.
PURPOSE + BRAND TRANSPARENCY = CONSUMER LOYALTY
– Consumers are 6x more likely to buy from companies that can prove (ie, being certified) they maintain a strong purpose with the above points.
These 5 points tie back to a company having a sustainability certification program that is globally recognized, promoted, and that incorporates employee performance and wellness enhancement.
Gym For The Brain becomes Environmentally Certified Sustainable Company
Gym For The Brain (https://www.gymforthebrain.com/) a Florida-based EWOT (exercise with oxygen training) facility, has become certified sustainable under the Edenark Group ISO 14001 environmental sustainability program.
The Edenark Group ISO 14001 is the world’s premier environmental sustainability certification program and allows SMEs (small to mid-sized enterprises) a program designed and priced specifically for them.
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.
“People suffer from toxins ingested from the air, from food, from things they touch. Disease is due to a deficiency in the oxidation process to remove these toxins. Gym For The Brain helps its clients remove the toxins their bodies take in. But, when they leave our facility, they are going back into a toxic would. We care about the people we serve and the rest of the people on the planet; and want to be part of the global solution to reduce and remove those external toxins while also reducing energy consumption,” said Michael Cohen, Co-Founder of Gym For The Brain.
“Gym For The Brain is doing wonderful work by helping people remove toxins, reduce inflammation, increase body and brain strength, and improve health. Sending those people back out into a toxic world is frustrating. The Edenark Group ISO 14001 sustainability certification program allows Gym For The Brain to not only help people while at the Gym, but also when they leave the Gym, by proactively participating in improving the environment via internal and external environmental sustainability actions,” says David Goodman, CEO of Edenark Group. “They are agreeing to adhere to the world’s Gold standard for sustainability certification; and are joining an elite fraternity of over 300,000 organizations, in over 150 countries, that have committed to continually improving in every way.”
Gym For The Brain (https://www.gymforthebrain.com/ )can be reached at 561-408-6890
Edenark Group (https://edenark.com ) can be reached at +1 561.512.2257
Corporate Climate Crisis – Employees Want Transparency
Via an article in Sustainability Magazine, a whitepaper by London studio PLAY shows 77% of workers want employers to be transparent about their environmental impact and hardly any feel they are.
With the climate emergency firmly in the public psyche, the study found that employees are skeptical about their employer’s sustainability initiatives. Overall, only 14% of those surveyed believed that companies’ sustainability initiatives were ‘always’ impactful or genuine. This fell to under one in 10 (9%) for general employees, compared with over a third (34%) of business leaders, suggesting business leaders may be overestimating the impact and value of their existing environmental initiatives for employees.
This takes us to the need for companies to turn to a valid globally-recognized 3rd party certification, like this one, that meets all company needs. If company leaders continue to simply say the company is sustainable, without following a recognized global standard, the employees (and customers) will continue to reject the effort as Greenwashing.
Marcus Thornley, CEO and founder of PLAY, says “our research shows the need for business leaders to take sustainability initiatives seriously. There’s a strong desire from employees to get involved in their company’s sustainability projects, but these initiatives currently lack transparency and credibility. Businesses need to support employees with valuable and measurable sustainability goals and approaches; if not they will continue to see these projects delivering little success.
If the UN is right about global warming, what is your company doing to help?
Per the UN, the planet is on a ‘catastrophic’ global warming path – article.
Is your company doing something about it?
As to large companies that believe the UN is right and are doing something about it, here are the 37 most engaged large organizations in 2021, who are participating in the world’s largest sustainability initiative, per the UN Global Compact.
If you are not a large company, but are part of the 99% of all businesses that are defined as a SME – small to mid-sized organization that are under US$1B in annual sales – and you want to be part of the solution, what do you do?
Start by reading this PPP on the reasons why a SME should become certified sustainable; then what to look for in a sustainability certification program. If you follow this guide, you will be doing the right thing for the environment and also helping your company grow faster.
EU Comin’ for You! a/k/a Corporate Human Rights and Sustainability Directive
On 23 February, 2022, the European Commission published its corporate sustainability Draft Directive.
The Draft Directive sets out a proposed EU standard for human rights and environmental due diligence (HREDD) which, importantly, would apply to any global company and its subsidiaries if those group companies have aggregate annual net turnover in the EU of:
- more than EUR 150 million (Group 1); or
- more than EUR 40 million with at least 50% of net worldwide turnover generated in a “high-risk” sector which includes textiles, clothing and footwear, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, food & extractives (Group 2).
Notably, the HREDD applies even if the non-EU-based companies and their subsidiaries do not have a physical presence in the EU, if the above net turnover threshold is met.
The Draft Directive requires both Group 1 and Group 2 companies to take appropriate measures to identify, and mitigate, actual and potential adverse human rights and environmental impacts arising from their own operations anywhere in the world (not just in the EU) and, where related to their value chains, from their “established business relationships”.
Key Takeaway
The Draft Directive would require Group 1 and Group 2 companies to implement HREDD measures that cover their entire value chains, looking beyond Tier 1 suppliers to include “established business relationships” throughout the value chain. This includes vendors, sub-vendors, contractors, subcontractors and other entities in the supply chain, wherever they may be. This will impact small to mid-sized companies located in non-EU countries, including the U.S., Canada, et cetera.
IBM Study: Sustainability Ranks Among Highest Priorities on CEO Agendas
Per this article, titled “IBM Study: Sustainability Ranks Among Highest Priorities on CEO Agendas, Yet Lack of Data Insights Hinders Progress,” the following points were made:
- Sustainability is increasing in importance – CEOs say sustainability is climbing higher on their agendas and believe it can help drive business performance. This has increased 37% from 2021 to 2022.
- Sustainability is profitable – Over 80% of CEOs believe their sustainability investment will produce improved business results.
- Pressure is mounting to do more – Board members, investors, ecosystem partners, regulators and governments are pushing for more, but the CEOs are struggling with how their teams are developing and delivering the data in a usable form.
- Most have started; but few have fully developed programs – 95% have at least started a sustainability program but only 23% have sustainability strategies across the entire organization.
Thinkers360 – 2023 Predictions for Sustainability
This article includes predictions from industry experts, including the Edenark Group CEO, on what we should expect for sustainability in 2023.
The Big Picture – Five ESG Trends You Want to Know About
Per this article, these are the five big sustainability / ESG trends shaping the world:
- ESG has shifted from risk management to value driver – generating more contracts, creating stronger consumer propositions, attracting the best talent, and better preparing for regulations.
- Backlash against greenwashing has led to increased regulation – Even if your company feels it is too small to be impacted, your larger clients will require you to comply with regulations as part of their Scope 3 reporting.
- Consumer and employee activism is on the increase – This is no longer confined to college campus activists. Today, 80% of consumers and 84% of employees say they will base buying or career decisions on a company’s sustainability/ESG credentials.
- Climate change is now a social as well as environmental issue – Climate change has become a human rights issue.
- Impact investing will be on the rise – Companies that show a positive quantifiable environmental and social difference will command higher valuations (be they be publicly held or private).
If you are thinking about the money you are spending, trying to differentiate and grow your business, and you also care a bit about the environment, this PPP might be worth a read.
Shout Out to Edenark Group From DotCom Magazine CEO
Andrew Jacob, CEO of DotCom Magazine, gives a wonderful Shout Out to Edenark Group and discusses how it helps organizations use sustainability certification to differentiate and stand out from their peers.
Competitive differentiation is the #1 thing all companies struggle with – convincing the customer to buy from you versus the other guy.
Most small to mid-sized businesses (SMEs) do not have an effective way to differentiate and stand out.
Yet, 7 out of 10 consumers (B2B and B2C) will move their business when they find a certified sustainable company.
With the Edenark Group program, an organization gets to do the right thing for the environment…and by doing so, also gets to differentiate from its competition.
The result? Certified sustainable companies are growing dramatically faster than their non-certified peers, as consumers are rewarding them with more business.
Why should your company become “Certified” Sustainable?
Why should an organization consider becoming “certified” sustainable?
We list four reasons –
https://edenark.com/why-become-certified-sustainable/