Webinar: Preparing for 2014: Trends & Best Practices in EH&S Information Management

This complimentary webinar from Environmental Leader and Enablon will take place on Wednesday October 30th, 2013 (8am PT / 10am CT / 11am ET). If you can't make the live event, all those who register will receive a link to the recorded broadcast.

Do you have a corporate environmental, health and safety (EH&S) program that is able to cope with the upcoming 2014 EH&S challenges? Do you have the right tools and processes in place? How should you take advantage of the tools and technologies available to make better, smarter decisions?

Increasingly, organizations are looking to empower their EH&S program to make better decisions by creating a line of sight within the corporate environment to break down information, data and human capital silos to drive performance. To accomplish keener goals and to support your EH&S initiatives, more and more practitioners are relying on information systems to drive these decisions.

Collaboration and Best Practices in Sustainability

Research suggests that collaborative approaches are often the best way to succeed in the development and implementation of a sustainable best practice campaign. Collaboration is key because although best practice is an increasingly popular buzzword, real-world development and implementation is no easy feat.

Canadian research by the Network for Business Sustainability reveals that collaborating on green issues is the key issue facing companies with a strong record of sustainability. The complex and diverse nature of developing and implementing best practice means that companies need to share best practices and solve these difficult problems.

Sustainability is an Economic Imperative: The 2012 CK Prahalad Award Winners (Video)

See how the 2012 winners of CK Prahalad award are weaving sustainability into their business models and flourishing in the process. Companies like Unilever and Sustainable Apparel Coalition are leading the way and showing that the business case for sustainability is undeniable. As explained in this video sustainability is an imperative for all companies. The questions that must be asked is how can you have a business model that continues to take away from future generations? Any company that does not pay attention to its environmental interface is doing so at its own peril. The companies in this video prove that commitments to sustainability initiatives pay off while the failure to engage sustainability poses a very serious risk.

Supply Chain Report 2012: Sustainability Offers a Competitive Advantage

According to an article in Forbes careful measurement and management of sustainability provides short-term, hard-nosed business advantages, especially when it comes to logistics. This is the finding in Supply Chain Report 2012 (pdf) from the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). In this report researchers asked companies about their sustainability initiatives and those of their suppliers, and found an increasing expectation that suppliers take a genuine interest in sustainability.

North America is Last in Sustainability Integration

North American companies continue to be laggards when it comes to the integration of sustainability. Whem compared to their counterparts in other regions of the world, North American companies have the lowest level of sustainability-focused business model innovation compared. They also had the fewest business model innovators who said that “sustainability activities added to their profit.”

These are the early findings of a survey from MIT Sloan Management Review and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

Keeping Up with Market Demand for Sustainable Products and Services

As reviewed in a 2012 Accenture study, executives report having difficulty keeping up with demand for sustainable products and services. There are three powerful initiatives that companies can embrace to help meet this demand. They involve design innovation, investing in understanding and reviewing supply chain capabilities.  These recommendations from Accenture Sustainability Services are intended to ensure that companies are better able to keep up with market demand for sustainable products and services. Here is a more detailed summary of the three recommendations:

Even with Premium Pricing Demand for Sustainable Products Outpaces Supply

A new survey of executives from Accenture reveals that despite concerns that consumers are reluctant to pay more for sustainable products and services, more than half are charging a price premium for these products. Although less than half (47 percent) of executives polled expressed concerns that consumers will not pay more for sustainable products and services, 60 percent admitted to charging premiums. Almost three quarters (68 percent) claimed they can charge between 5 and 20 percent premiums. 17 percent claim they can charge premiums of between twenty and fifty percent. Yet, despite charging higher prices, over one third (37 percent) of surveyed businesses say they cannot keep up with customer demand for sustainable products and services.

Study Finds Sustainability is Vital to Growth

According to new research by Accenture, the vast majority of businesses say that sustainability is vital to their future growth. More than three quarters (78%) of the 250 senior executives polled indicated that sustainability is vital to their future growth and almost half (44%) indicated that sustainability is critical. Nearly two thirds (62%) said that their sustainability initiatives were motivated by customer expectations and almost the same number (62%) said they were motivated by the opportunity to drive growth. Less than half (41%) said they were motivated by regulatory compliance and less than one third (29%) indicated they were motivated by the need to reduce energy and material costs.

Puma Wins the Guardians' Sustainable Business Award

The Guardian announced that German athletic brand Puma was the winner of its Sustainable Business Award. This award is given for corporate initiatives that tackle pressing environmental and social challenges. Puma was recognized for its ground-breaking Environmental Profit and Loss Account. The accounting method puts a direct monetary value on ecosystem services used by the business – such as fresh water, clean air, healthy biodiversity and productive land – and on the negative impacts a company has on the environment.

Corporate Green Ranking: Top Spots and Most Improved

As reviewed in a June 4, 2012 Environmental Leader article, Computer chip maker Intel and home appliance manufacturer Whirlpool have been named as the major US firms with the strongest environmental governance, policies, and infrastructure in a report by sustainability consultants Soyka & Company. Intel maintained their top spot for 2012 in the Benchmarking Analysis of Disclosed U.S. Corporate Environmental Practices. Intel improved their score by five points, or 6.1 percent. Whirlpool moved up from tied for 28th place in last year’s study by virtue of a 25 point, or 41 percent, gain in its score.

10. Question and Answers Part Two (Video): Sustainable Business Practices Part 10/10

This short video addresses additional questions from audience members about sustainable business practices. This video is part ten of a ten part series on sustainability. It is a step-by-step guide to sustainability planning and serves as a business guide to sustainability. The speakers include Alan AtKisson and Marsha Willard who tackle the issues faced by organizations attempting to implement sustainable practices, and explore the practical experiences of consulting firms AXIS Performance Advisors and The AtKisson Group in an international context.

9. Question and Answers Part One (Video): Sustainable Business Practices Part 9/10

This short video addresses how to work with peoples understanding of the science of climate change. This video is part nine of a ten part series on sustainability. It is a step-by-step guide to sustainability planning and serves as a business guide to sustainability. The speakers include Alan AtKisson and Marsha Willard who tackle the issues faced by organizations attempting to implement sustainable practices, and explore the practical experiences of consulting firms AXIS Performance Advisors and The AtKisson Group in an international context.

8. Sustainability Innovation (Video): Sustainable Business Practices Part 8/10

The challenges inherent in the process of innovating for sustainability include the politics in an organization. This video is part eight of a ten part series on sustainability. It is a step-by-step guide to sustainability planning and serves as a business guide to sustainability. The speakers include Alan AtKisson and Marsha Willard who tackle the issues faced by organizations attempting to implement sustainable practices, and explore the practical experiences of consulting firms AXIS Performance Advisors and The AtKisson Group in an international context.

7. Sustainability Support System (Video): Sustainable Business Practices Part 7/10

This short video addresses the issue of resistance in more depth. It deals with the actual techniques used in actual business cases. This video is part seven of a ten part series on sustainability. It is a step-by-step guide to sustainability planning and serves as a business guide to sustainability. The speakers include Alan AtKisson and Marsha Willard who tackle the issues faced by organizations attempting to implement sustainable practices, and explore the practical experiences of consulting firms AXIS Performance Advisors and The AtKisson Group in an international context.

6. Sustainability Support System (Video): Sustainable Business Practices Part 6/10

This short video addresses This short video addresses the support systems that are required to implement sustainability into an organization.  It also explains resistance to an organizations sustainability goals. It deals with the business systems in place and how they work with, (or against) an organizations sustainability goals. This video is part six of a ten part series on sustainability. It is a step-by-step guide to sustainability planning and serves as a business guide to sustainability. The speakers include Alan AtKisson and Marsha Willard who tackle the issues faced by organizations attempting to implement sustainable practices, and explore the practical experiences of consulting firms AXIS Performance Advisors and The AtKisson Group in an international context.

5. Sustainability Implementation Stages (Video): Sustainable Business Practices Part 5/10

This short video addresses where an organization is at regarding sustainability as well as the key tasks they must perform to reach their goals. It looks at the structures in place and helps to foster an integrated approach. This video is part five of a ten part series on sustainability. It is a step-by-step guide to sustainability planning and serves as a business guide to sustainability. The speakers include Alan AtKisson and Marsha Willard who tackle the issues faced by organizations attempting to implement sustainable practices, and explore the practical experiences of consulting firms AXIS Performance Advisors and The AtKisson Group in an international context.

4. Sustainability Tools (Video): Sustainable Business Practices Part 4/10

This short video addresses the tools of sustainability practice. This video is part four of a ten part series on sustainability. It is a step-by-step guide to sustainability planning and serves as a business guide to sustainability. The speakers include Alan AtKisson and Marsha Willard who tackle the issues faced by organizations attempting to implement sustainable practices, and explore the practical experiences of consulting firms AXIS Performance Advisors and The AtKisson Group in an international context.

3. Sustainability Methodology (Video): Sustainable Business Practices Part 3/10

This short video addresses the methodology of sustainable development. This video is part three of a ten part series on sustainability. It is a step-by-step guide to sustainability planning and serves as a business guide to sustainability. The speakers include Alan AtKisson and Marsha Willard who tackle the issues faced by organizations attempting to implement sustainable practices, and explore the practical experiences of consulting firms AXIS Performance Advisors and The AtKisson Group in an international context.

2. Sustainability Processes and Implementation (Video): Sustainable Business Practices Part 2/10

This short video addresses processes and implementation, it includes a discussion of a very useful diagram that covers the various elements of sustainability and helps organizations to determine where they want to go. It breaks their longer term goals into shorter term goals. This video is part two of a ten part series on sustainability. It is a step-by-step guide to sustainability planning and serves as a business guide to sustainability. The speakers include Alan AtKisson and Marsha Willard who tackle the issues faced by organizations attempting to implement sustainable practices, and explore the practical experiences of consulting firms AXIS Performance Advisors and The AtKisson Group in an international context.

1. Sustainability Planning (Video): Business Practice Part 1/10

This short video addresses the concepts and strategies of sustainability planning for a coherent approach. Sustainability planning is important because it helps and organization to develop a strategy that focuses their resources efficiently. Sustainability planning is also a means of coordinating an approach that involves tracking that forms the basis of reporting. Finally sustainability planning reduces the chances of missing important elements. This video is part one of a ten part series on sustainability. It is a step-by-step guide to sustainability planning and serves as a business guide to sustainability. The speakers include Alan AtKisson and Marsha Willard who tackle the issues faced by organizations attempting to implement sustainable practices, and explore the practical experiences of consulting firms AXIS Performance Advisors and The AtKisson Group in an international context.