Who’s Who in Sustainability?

This is part 4 of 5 in the Corporate Sustainability Explained Series.

The current state of sustainability is like the settlement of the American West. In the 1800s, the American West was a frontier waiting to be explored. As settlers moved west, there was no authority, no guarantees, and plenty of unknowns facing pioeers, miners, and traders. In the great unknown of the American West, many organizations grew to prominence taking risk in uncharted territory.

Like the American West of the 1800s, sustainability in the 21st century lacks authority, has no guarantees and presents many unknowns to businesses and governments just beginning to explore it. Also like the American West, sustainability today is a frontier full of immense potential.

While there are currently no dominant sustainability standards or organizations, there are many groups dedicated to advancing sustainability. This section provides you with an overview of some, but not all, of the organizations defining sustainability today. This listing will certainly change as the market develops, so please feel free to leave your comments below on any organizations you think that we should add to our directory.

US Federal Government’s Sustainability Requirements
Walmart’s Sustainable Business Plan
The Global Reporting Initiative
The World Resource Institute

The organizations and standards all differ in terminology, performance assessment methods, and the relative importance of certain aspects of sustainability. However, at a high level they all agree on the same metrics for defining success. These high level categories provide the overarching framework within which a company or organization can work towards achieving its sustainability goals.

US Government Federal Sustainability Requirements

Demonstrating a commitment to lead by example, Executive Order 13514 sets sustainability goals for Federal agencies and focuses on making improvements in their environmental, energy and economic performance. If the US Government is your customer or in your value chain, these requirements affect you and your business.

Executive Order 13514 requires Federal agencies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; increase energy efficiency; reduce fleet petroleum consumption; conserve water; reduce waste; support sustainable communities; and leverage federal purchasing power to promote environmentally-responsible products and technologies.

Walmart’s Sustainable Business Plan

“More sustainable products, at more affordable prices”

Walmart, the world’s largest company, has committed to changing the world by bringing sustainability to mainstream America. In the process, Walmart is laying the groundwork for transforming their entire 100,000-strong supplier and vendor base. Walmart, with its sheer size and commitment, is the largest corporate sustainability leader in the world.

Walmart has set three broad environmental goals:

• To be supplied 100 percent by renewable energy
• To create zero waste
• To sell products that sustain people and the environment

Watch a video Walmart's approach to sustainability:

 Learn more, at Walmart's Sustainability Site.

The Global Reporting Initiative

The Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) mission is to create conditions for the transparent and reliable exchange of sustainability information through the development and continuous improvement of the GRI Sustainability Reporting Framework.

Most Fortune 500 and governmental organizations follow the GRI’s reporting framework for sustainability.

Learn more about the Global Reporting Initiative.

World Resources Institute (WRI)

The World Resources Institute, in partnership with the World Business Council on Sustainable Development, has developed the internationally accepted and the most widely used greenhouse gas accounting standard.

The WRI Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) sets international standards on greenhouse gas accounting and reporting. The GHG Protocol provides the framework for government programs and corporate greenhouse gas inventories worldwide.

Learn more about the World Resources Institute.

Other Organizations Worth Noting

Underwriter Laboratories ULE 880 - Sustainability for Manufacturing Organizations is a global, company-level standard being issued by UL Environment, a division of Underwriters Laboratories, in partnership with GreenBiz.com. The standard defines core sustainability metrics for manufacturing businesses on environmental and social issues. There will be additional standards following ULE 880, including ULE 881, intended for service-sector companies. Read More about ULE880.

Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) - Launched in 1999, the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes are the first global indexes tracking the financial performance of the leading sustainability-driven companies worldwide. Based on the cooperation of Dow Jones Indexes and SAM they provide asset managers with reliable and objective benchmarks to manage sustainability portfolios.

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) - Within the next few years, many observers expect the SEC to require annual reporting of GHG emissions data from publicly traded companies for which climate change poses a material financial risk. This comes in response to demands by investors and environmental advocates that companies are not currently disclosing their financial risks associated with climate change.

The Carbon Disclosure Project - The Carbon Disclosure Project,, representing 300 large institutional investors worldwide and more than $41 trillion in funds under management, investigates the emissions strategies of companies.  This is one example of investor pressure for sustainability creating different costs of capital depending on a company's level of emissions. Learn more at www.cdproject.net.

The Marine Stewardship Council – Originally set up by Unilever with the WWF, but now fully independent, the MSC runs an environmental standard scheme for sustainable and well managed fisheries aimed at preventing overfishing.

The Forest Stewardship Council – The FSC sets international standards for responsible forest management.  Over the past 13 years more than 90 million hectares in more than 70 countries have been certified according to its standards.

The Electronic Industry Code of Conduct – This code has been adopted and implemented by the world’s leading electronics brands and their suppliers.

The Business Social Compliance Initiative - A broad business-driven platform for the improvement of social compliance in all supplier countries and for all consumer goods with a membership comprising more than 80 companies.

The Suppliers Ethical Database Exchange (SEDEX) - A web-based system for companies to maintain data on labor practices at production sites, supported by a group of UK retailers and suppliers including Geest, Marks & Spencer, Northern Foods, RHM, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Uniq and Waitrose.  SEDEX covers 13,000 suppliers and is adding 500 each month.

California Climate Action Registry – The California Climate Action Registry is a program of the Climate Action Reserve and serves as a voluntary greenhouse gas (GHG) registry to protect and promote early actions to reduce GHG emissions by organizations. The California Registry has provided leadership on climate change by developing and promoting credible, accurate, and consistent GHG reporting standards and tools for organizations to measure, monitor, third-party verify and reduce their GHG emissions consistently across industry sectors and geographical borders.

The Climate Registry (TCR) – THE CLIMATE REGISTRY is a nonprofit collaboration among North American states, provinces, territories and Native Sovereign Nations that sets consistent and transparent standards to calculate, verify and publicly report greenhouse gas emissions into a single registry.

Western Climate Initiative – The WCI is a collaboration of independent jurisdictions working together to identify, evaluate, and implement policies to tackle climate change at a regional level. This is a comprehensive effort to reduce greenhouse gas pollution, spur investment in clean-energy technologies that create green jobs and reduce dependence on imported oil.

Continue Reading - Page 5 of 5: What Sustainability Means for You and Your Company.

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