Start the New Year with a Solid Sustainability Strategy

Welcome, everyone. Yesterday, I presented a webinar on Materiality – Prioritizing Sustainability in Your Strategic Business Plan. There was a great turnout and a lot of good questions. If you missed the webinar or want to view it again, the video is available below. In the presentation, I expanded on the videos I released earlier this month (Identifying How Corporate Responsibility Fits in Your Organization and Creating Sustainability Goals that Supplement Your Business Strategy) and discussed how to evaluate factors that are material to your company.

Start the New Year out strong by developing a solid sustainability plan that supports your overall organizational objectives. Our next video series, set to launch in January, will be Formulating the Framework – Designing Your Corporate Responsibility Program. I will demonstrate how to develop your specific sustainability program based on the information you would have gathered from benchmarking and understanding material issues. This action-oriented series will enable you to evaluate what is most important to the continued success of your business. The series will follow a similar format as this month’s, with a live webinar scheduled for Tuesday, January 28, and you can register here.

As mentioned in the webinar, I will be hosting a seminar titled Corporate Responsibility Revolution: Strategy to Success in 2014. This interactive full-day seminar, scheduled for May 7, 2014 in Philadelphia, PA will provide a roadmap to develop and implement an effective Corporate Responsibility plan that supports a successful business strategy. The videos and webinars I am releasing should be used as prerequisite learning for this seminar and provide a core understanding and steps to advance your business. Registration is open for May’s seminar, and you can find more information on it here.

Be sure to subscribe to the blog (top right) to get email notification of my video releases and future webinars to continue building upon the content I have released. Also, use the link below for more details on the seminar and reserve your spot today. Have a happy and safe holiday!

– Tad Radzinski PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

Catch up on my videos:

1. Identifying How Corporate Responsibility Fits in Your Organization
2. Creating Sustainability Goals that Supplement Your Business Strategy

Check out my resources page for all video archives and other free resources.

Register for the seminar.

Creating Sustainability Goals that Supplement Your Business Strategy

Welcome everyone. This week we continue the December series Materiality – Prioritizing Sustainability in Your Strategic Business Plan. Last week’s video was about identifying the “material” factors – the factors that are crucial to the continued survival of your organization. The video this week, titled Creating Sustainability Goals that Supplement Your Business Strategy (below), builds off of the understanding of materiality and covers how to develop Corporate Responsibility goals that support organizational objectives.

In the video, I provide sample sustainability goals and talk about those that we have in place at my consulting firm, Sustainable SolutionsCorporation. One of our goals specifically addresses our human resources. As a consulting firm, we rely heavily on our talented team, so this factor is highly material to our success. Focusing on our social impacts supports our company by continuously developing our team and growing as a cohesive unit.

Today, every organization needs to develop and integrate Corporate Responsibility goals into its culture. Utilizing a triple bottom line focus allows organizations to better prepare for the changing global economy. The companies that do are often industry leaders and realize significant economic benefit from doing so.

During the live webinar scheduled for Tuesday, December 17, we will further explore assessing materiality in your organization and developing goals that support a successful business plan. This webinar will provide the opportunity for you to ask specific questions and will also discuss material concerns that are often overlooked. 

Make sure to subscribe to my blog by providing your email in the top right corner to receive email updates and be the first to get new video releases. I look forward to seeing you on the webinar.

– Tad Radzinski PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

Register for next week's webinar!

Did you miss last week’s video? Watch it here.

Identifying How Corporate Responsibility Fits Your Organization

Welcome back, everyone. In this month’s video and webinar series, Materiality – Prioritizing Sustainability in Your Strategic Business Plan, I will provide my insight on the topic of materiality and identifying how Corporate Responsibility can be key to sustaining your business. The first video in this series, Identifying How Corporate Responsibility Fits Your Organization (below), focuses on recognizing material issues in your company.

The concept of materiality originated with corporate financial reporting. As the global economy expands and we continue to impact the environment on such a large scale, investors are looking to organizations to disclose sustainability information that goes beyond economic impacts to include the social and environmental concerns facing companies. Recognizing that every business is reliant on these sources, long-term planning requires consideration of all the factors that can pose risks or create opportunities for a company.

I included an example in the video (which you can also view here) of Nestlé’s materiality matrix. Nestlé has done a tremendous job of identifying and classifying  areas of focus. By assessing each issue based on its impact to Nestlé’s business operations against those of most concern to stakeholders, Nestlé has clearly prioritized each issue. Creating a matrix like this one for your company is a necessary step in developing Corporate Responsibility goals to maximize return on investments and ensure long-term viability.

We will examine the materiality matrix further during the live webinar scheduled for Tuesday, December 17. In the next video in this series, I will be covering Creating Sustainability Goals that Supplement Your Business Strategy, which will build upon this topic and demonstrate how to develop Corporate Responsibility goals that will provide organizational value.

– Tad Radzinski PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

Nestle Materiality Matrix

December 17 Webinar

New Video Series: Materiality – Prioritizing Sustainability in Your Strategic Business Plan

Welcome, everyone. Yesterday, I presented a webinar on Benchmarking and Measurement – Evaluating Where You Are, Determining Where You’re Going. There was a great turnout and a lot of good questions. If you missed the webinar or want to watch it again, the video is available below. In the presentation, I expanded on the videos I released earlier this month (Meaningful Metrics –Vital Data to Benchmark Your Organization and Engaging andUnderstanding Your Supply Chain) and explained key performance indicators for your company.

Our next video series, set to launch in December, will be Materiality – Prioritizing Sustainability in Your Strategic Business Plan. I will provide my insight on the topic of materiality and identifying how Corporate Responsibility can be used to sustain your business. This topic is becoming increasingly important as every organization has unique risks and opportunities in their markets. The series will follow a similar format as this month’s, with a live webinar scheduled for Tuesday, December 17, and you can register here.

As I announced during October’s webinar, I will be hosting a seminar titled Corporate Responsibility Revolution: Strategy to Success in 2014. This interactive full-day seminar, scheduled for May 7, 2014 in Philadelphia, will provide a roadmap to develop and implement an effective Corporate Responsibility plan that supports a successful business strategy. The videos and webinars I am releasing should be used as prerequisite learning for this seminar and provide a core understanding and steps to take action in advancing your business. Registration is open for May’s seminar, and you can find more information on it here.

Be sure to subscribe to the blog (top right) to get email notification of my video releases and future webinars to continue building upon the content i have released. Also, use the link below for more details on the seminar and reserve your spot today. Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Links:

Catch up on my videos:

1. Meaningful Metrics – Vital Data to BenchmarkYour Organization
2. Engaging and Understanding Your Supply Chain 

Register for the next webinar on December 17.

Find out more about the upcoming seminar: Corporate Responsibility Revolution: Strategy to Success

Engaging and Understanding Your Supply Chain

Benchmarking and measurement is not limited to your own organization. As expressed in my previous posts and videos, understanding your supply chain is critical to integrating Corporate Responsibility into your company. Throughout the benchmarking process, tracking supplier data as well as your own allows you to evaluate impacts across the entire life cycle of your product or service.

One of the easiest ways to obtain this data is through supplier questionnaires or sustainability scorecards. We have seen these implemented by large organizations like Walmart, Kaiser Permanente, and Procter & Gamble. By engaging suppliers in this way, it opens a conversation that brings sustainability to the forefront. Understanding your supply chain and its impacts also allows you to reduce costs across the board.

Reducing supply chain impacts can be done in several ways. It is important to embed sustainability into the contract process. This gets the ball rolling from the start of the supplier relationship and allows you to select premier providers. By opening a dialogue with your supply chain and by communicating information transparently, you can collaborate with these suppliers to collectively reduce impacts, lower costs, and prepare for future demand. SSC’s Corporate Sustainability Manager, Jim Mellentine, wrote a great white paper on using Corporate Responsibility to strengthen your supply chain.Check it out here.

Next week, we will be presenting our November webinar, Benchmarking and Measurement – Evaluating Where You Are, Determining Where You’re Going to further discuss this and other November video topics. Make sure you register by clicking the link to reserve your spot now, and learn how to effectively organize and use benchmarking data and have your specific questions answered.

I will be attending Greenbuild this week, so if you are in Philadelphia attending the event, connect with me so we can set up a meeting. Also, this Friday I will be presenting my TEDx Talk at Villanova University on Closing the Loop – Manufacturing a Viable Future. The event is sold out, but if you would like to watch it live, you can stream the entire event here.

Subscribe to my blog by providing your email where indicated (top right) and you will be receive all my videos and updates as they are released.

 – Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

1. Suppliers Set Out to Grade Products with Sustainability Scorecards
2. Webinar Registration

Setting the Stage with Sustainability Reporting

Welcome back. I hope you are enjoying the video series and have been using the resources provided. In conjunction with our discussions on benchmarking, I wanted to briefly discuss Sustainability Reports. A Sustainability Report is your company’s opportunity to transparently communicate your Corporate Responsibility initiatives and accomplishments to stakeholders, suppliers, customers, and the public. In the links below, I have included a great report by Ernst & Young and the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship on the value of sustainability reporting. I have also included some examples of Sustainability Reports, including that of my consulting company.

Upon review, you will see that there is measurable benefit to quantifying and disclosing sustainability related information. One of the first steps in creating these reports is benchmarking. Without the data, you can’t report your progress or define your goals. This month’s webinar, on November 26, will discuss how to take the critical data you have collected and format it in a coherent, usable way. As you take a look at these reports, you will see that no two are exactly the same, as they each quantify key initiatives specific to the reporting organization. Organization specific reporting is essential to leveraging Corporate Responsibility to advance your business.

Next week I will be releasing Part 2 of the November series, Engaging and Understanding Your Supply Chain. Subscribe by providing your email where indicated (top right) and you will be the first to receive the video upon its release. Also, next Friday I will be presenting my TEDx Talk at Villanova University on Closing the Loop – Manufacturing a Viable Future. The event is sold out, but if you would like to watch it live, you can stream the entire event here.

 – Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

Register for the Webinar: Benchmarking and Measurement - Evaluating Where You Are, Determining Where You’re Going

Sustainability Reports:

• Sustainable Solutions Corporation 
• CertainTeed Corporation
• Puma

Meaningful Metrics – Vital Data to Benchmark Your Organization

Welcome back, everyone. Today, I am launching the first video in the November series, Benchmarking and Measurement – Evaluating Where You Are, Determining Where You’re Going. This video topic is Meaningful Metrics – Vital Data to Benchmark Your Organization. When I talk about benchmarking, I am referring to the process of collecting key data to understand your current performance in several categories. Once you have a baseline, this data can then be used to set targets and track future improvement.

Benchmarking your operations provides the ability to measure progress over time, expand on goals, and advance sustainability initiatives through continuous improvement. Although there is benchmarking software out there, benchmarking can be done using simple spreadsheets to track performance indices like energy, water, waste, supplies, training, safety, transportation, etc. It is very important to include the associated costs with these metrics to assess financial savings and evaluate bottom-line growth. Periodic data analysis and trending will help identify opportunities for performance improvement and can provide substantial business value.

Consistent with the triple bottom line approach to sustainability, it is important to measure economic, environmental, and social metrics. There is no standard set of metrics you should benchmark; you need to identify metrics critical to your organization. This can be done by determining what is material to your operations and best fits your Corporate Responsibility goals.

Make sure to sign up for this month’s webinar on November 26. I will be looking at how to properly organize and use your benchmarking data, and as always, I will be directly answering your questions.

 – Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

Webinar Registration

New Video Series: Benchmarking and Measurement – Evaluating Where You Are, Determining Where You’re Going

Welcome, everyone. Tuesday, I presented my first webinar on Recognizing Risks, Identifying Opportunities – Succeeding in the Green Marketplace.  There was a great turnout and a lot of good questions. If you missed the webinar or want to watch it again, the video is available below. In the presentation, I expanded on the videos I released earlier this month (The Cost of Carbon and Navigating Supply Chain Demands) and provided real-world strategies for reducing your carbon footprint.

Our next video series, set to launch in November, will be Benchmarking and Measurement – Evaluating Where You Are, Determining Where You’re Going. I will provide my insight on the topic of benchmarking and using this measurement to set Corporate Responsibility goals. The series will follow a similar format as this month’s, with a live webinar scheduled for Tuesday, November 26, and you can register here.

During this week’s webinar, I also took a moment to introduce my upcoming seminar, Corporate Responsibility Revolution: Strategy to Success. This interactive full-day seminar, scheduled for May 7, 2014 in Philadelphia, will provide a roadmap to develop and implement an effective Corporate Responsibility plan that supports a successful business strategy. Whether you are just entering the field, developing a Corporate Responsibility program for your organization, or looking to strengthen your existing business strategy, this tactical seminar will provide you with the insight needed to meet your goals.

Use the link below for more details on the seminar, and be sure to subscribe to the blog to get email notification of my video releases and future webinars.

 – Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

Catch up on my videos:
1. Cost of Carbon
2. Navigating Supply Chain Demands

Register for the next webinar on November 26.

Find out more information on the upcoming seminar - Corporate Responsibility Revolution: Strategy to Success

Webinar Recording:

Navigating Supply Chain Demands

Today, we continue our October video series, Recognizing Risks, Identifying Opportunities – Succeeding in the Green Marketplace featuring the topic Navigating Supply Chain Demands. This video looks at one of the strongest forces driving sustainability in the marketplace, customer demand. Every organization is a supplier to someone, and as we see large corporations across many industries implementing Sustainable Supply Chain Requirements, suppliers are scrambling to meet these demands.

The one example everyone is familiar with is Walmart. In 2010 Walmart instituted their Sustainability Index, which is a series of 15 questions regarding sustainability that was submitted to its suppliers. With one of the largest supply chains in the world, Walmart has effectively made Corporate Responsibility a priority for over 100,000 companies. As Walmart continues to raise its expectations and further its commitment to driving sustainability in the marketplace, suppliers will be competing for shelf space in Walmart stores based on their Corporate Responsibility initiatives.

With an increasing number of organizations initiating Sustainable Supply Chain Requirements, integrating Corporate Responsibility into your business strategy is necessary to remain competitive and improve customer relationships. If your products or materials do not meet their requirements, customers will not buy from you. These customer demands could be seen as a risk to future sales, but should really be considered an opportunity for forward-thinking companies to improve business operations, grow revenue responsibly, and guarantee your organization’s place in the evolving Green Marketplace.

Please subscribe to my blog to receive these posts in your email inbox, and make sure to register for the free webinar on Tuesday, 10/29, at 12:00pm ET. I will be expanding further on the topics in this October video series, answering your questions, and exploring tactics to reduce your organization’s carbon footprint.

 – Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

Webinar registration

Out of the Crisis - New Thinking for a Sustainable World

Over the weekend, I spoke at the W. Edwards Deming Institute Fall Conference, Out of the Crisis – New Thinking for a Sustainable World. It was a great weekend at Purdue University where a diverse group of students, professionals, consultants, and educators gathered to discuss Dr. Deming's principles and their connection to the critical concept of sustainability. My topic was “A Systems Approach to Sustainability.” I really enjoyed sharing my insight, collaborating with other attendees, and inspiring people to go beyond thinking and take action to create change. Check out my video recap below:

 – Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

The Cost of Carbon

Welcome to the first part of the October video series, Recognizing Risks, Identifying Opportunities – Succeeding in the Green Marketplace. Today’s installment focuses on The Cost of Carbon, and explores the ways in which your carbon emissions could impact your organization’s bottom line. I also explain how to calculate a carbon footprint so you can recognize risks to your organization, as well as identify opportunities for improvement and cost savings.

Beyond addressing the eminent risk of carbon taxes, carbon footprinting requires you to take a comprehensive look at your operations. This provides a new perspective that can shed light on energy intensive processes that can be upgraded, altered, or removed to reduce both carbon emissions and fuel and energy costs. As fuel and utility prices are expected to fluctuate and rise in the future, having a grasp of your organization’s energy demands provides the needed insight to make more informed decisions and ensure long-term viability.

I hope you enjoy the video and are looking forward to next week’s topic, Navigating Supply Chain Demands. If you have further questions, register for my webinar on October 29th, where you’ll have the opportunity to interact directly with me, or comment below. The webinar will expand on these topics and will cover strategies to reduce carbon emissions.

 – Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

Register for the webinar!
Emission Scopes Diagram
US EPA eGRID
Greenhouse Gas Protocol

New Video Series: Recognizing Risks, Identifying Opportunities – Succeeding in the Green Marketplace

Last week we wrapped up our Introduction to Corporate Responsibility video series talking about setting sustainability goals. Now that we've completed the introductory course, we will move deeper into Corporate Responsibility with videos that will provide more depth and substance. For October, I am developing a two-part video series titled Recognizing Risks, Identifying Opportunities – Succeeding in the Green Marketplace. This series is designed to demonstrate the business value of Corporate Responsibility and to provide viewers with tools and specific examples that can be used to advance your organization in today’s business landscape. Starting with this series and thereafter, the final video will be followed by a live webinar where you can ask me questions directly, as well as receive additional material. Stay tuned for the first video release and reserve your spot for the webinar now!

Video Series

Part 1: The Cost of Carbon 

Part 2: Navigating Supply Chain Demands

Webinar: October 29, 12:00pm ET

Register here now!

 – Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

Framework for Sustainability Goals

Welcome everyone. Sorry for the delay in this final video. Today, we wrap up our Introduction to Corporate Responsibility video series by talking about identifying resource risks and setting sustainability goals. I hope you have enjoyed the Intro series and are getting excited about our upcoming series which will be announced next week. As we prepare to delve deeper into sustainability concepts, you may want to catch up on any previous installments you may have missed. All the videos in the Intro series can be found on my website, here.

Setting sustainability goals is an appropriate conclusion to this series, because establishing goals sets the stage for addressing challenges within your organization and gets the conversation started among stakeholders. Corporate Responsibility is specific to every organization, and there isn’t one standard set of goals that meets all business objectives. As we continue on into our consecutive series, I will lead you along the road that culminates in creating and implementing a Corporate Sustainability plan that successfully supports your business strategy. 

 – Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

Carbon Footprinting – Corporate Impact on the Carbon Cycle

Welcome back everyone. Today we will be making the case for addressing the carbon footprint of your organization. The video below covers an introductory look at the carbon cycle and our effect on it. As we progress into more in-depth series, we will cover the process of carbon footprinting in more detail, but it is important to set the stage with the introductory concepts.

Essentially, in many of our operations, we burn a fuel source to create energy to power a process. These fuel sources are carbon based (oil, coal, biomass, natural gas, etc.) and give off carbon dioxide, other gases, and solid waste byproducts. This system has released a significant amount of carbon into the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution, which is a contributing factor in climate change.

Climate change is imposing various risks on corporations and our society. Extreme weather patterns, rising sea levels, droughts, and floods are all becoming more prevalent worldwide. These natural occurrences impact raw material production, manufacturing operations, transportation, inventory, and even sales. The operational and financial losses from natural disasters can shock local and national economies, as well as the corporations that are active in those areas.

It is important for organizations to calculate their carbon footprint and to reduce carbon emissions to help mitigate these risks. Calculating and reducing your carbon footprint can be used to identify ways to reduce utility expenses and drive continued performance improvement. Stay tuned for further discussion on carbon footprinting, as well as additional topics relevant to Corporate Responsibility.

 – Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

Check out the Natural Catastrophe World Map for 2012 which demonstrates the global impacts of climate change and illustrates the economic implications of such events.

If you would like to learn more about carbon footprinting, you will find some helpful information on my company’s website, or email me at tad@tadradzinski.com and I will be happy to provide additional resources.  

Materiality – Asset Valuation for Long-Term Viability

Thanks for coming back. On Tuesday, I promised you more information on materiality; so today’s post is all about materiality, risk, and sustainability. The concept of materiality, originating from accounting, is becoming increasingly important in Corporate Responsibility. According to the Global Reporting Initiative, “Material topics for a reporting organization should include those topics that have a direct or indirect impact on an organization’s ability to create, preserve or erode economic, environmental and social value for itself, its stakeholders and society at large."

Until recently, environmental and social factors were rarely thought of as “material”; only economic information was considered. However, as the effects of climate change, increased consumption, and population growth put strain on current systems and resources, these aspects are becoming key factors in accurately assessing the true value of an organization. By addressing sustainability in materiality, future risks can be identified and action can be taken to provide long-term viability.

This ties in with the video and post from Tuesday on Understanding Material Flows in Your Operation because, in order to assess the materiality of your operations, you must fully understand the inputs and outputs of your organization. After listing these variables, it is important to place ranking on the necessity of the input to your operations, as well as the risks/opportunities involved with securing these inputs in future markets. By classifying your inputs in this manner, you can begin to strategically shift areas of focus to the most critical facets of your operations.

Performing a materiality analysis of your organization benefits you, your stakeholders, and ultimately society, as you will use this information to alter business strategies and advance your practices to ensure sustained performance.

 – Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board’s Materiality Map

Understanding Material Flows in Your Operations

Establishing an effective Corporate Responsibility program requires a detailed understanding of the inputs and outputs of your organization and operations. In this video, I discuss a simple form of accounting for these inputs and outputs that will provide the baseline for further management of material resources.

Organization-wide Material Flow Analysis, or MFA, is the precursor to benchmarking your operation in that broad MFAs identify all of your inputs and outputs; and benchmarking quantifies these variables, allowing you to make informed decisions. The purpose of performing an organization-wide MFA is to quickly classify targets to be benchmarked based on the overall objectives of your Corporate Responsibility strategy. MFA can also identify material risks of often overlooked inputs. Identifying these risks early provides strategic business benefits, and they can be readily addressed to ensure continued success. MFA can also be useful in identifying exact impacts when benchmarking systems and specific operations; but for now, I suggest using the broad MFA to first gain an overarching perspective of your organization.

Tune in Friday for a more detailed look at Materiality, as this topic becomes increasingly important as we move through our discussion on developing successful, comprehensive Corporate Responsibility strategies. Be sure to subscribe by providing your email address in the sidebar to receive each update via email.

 – Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

2013 Dow Jones Sustainability Indices Released

Yesterday, the 2013 Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) was released by RobecoSAM and S&P Dow Jones Indices. Originally launched in 1999, the DJSI tracks the financial and sustainability performance of the 2,500 largest companies of the S&P Global Broad Market Index. Using a combined valuation of economic, social and environmental criteria, the DJSI focuses on assessing long-term shareholder value.

The DJSI company selection criteria uses a “best-in-class approach” that targets sustainability leaders in 59 designated industries. This best-in-class approach creates competition among companies to be included in the DJSI and ultimately drives sustainability improvements among top organizations. According to this year’s report, top performers in their industries for 2013 include Volkswagen, Nestlé, Citigroup, Siemens, Air France, and Panasonic.

With the emergence of the DJSI and other sustainable investing guidelines and indices, there has been increased focus from investors on Corporate Responsibility in the firms in which they invest. The amount of capital that sustainable investors control continues to grow; and as a result, so does their influence. For more information on sustainable investing, read one of our most recent white papers, Financing Our Future – How Sustainable Investing is Shaping the Face of Business.

Now more than ever, leadership in sustainability provides tangible value to corporations. Between process and product innovations, reduced costs and material certainty, and public support and market positioning, companies that pioneer sustainability perform better than their competitors. Adopting Corporate Responsibility as a business strategy is the key to becoming an industry leader and ensuring future viability of your organization. Learn more about Empowering Business through Corporate Responsibility here.

 – Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

Our Addiction to Fossil Fuels

Last week we talked about population growth and the amount of materials we collectively consume. We are all aware of the impending oil crisis, because we see it each week when we fill up at the pump and pay gas prices of almost $4.00/gallon; but what many don’t know is that a lot of the products we use every day are derived from fossil fuels. In my most recentwhite paper, I referenced this list of everyday household products that are petroleum based: http://www.ranken-energy.com/Products%20from%20Petroleum.htm.

If you look at that list closely, hopefully, you notice that many of these products are not recyclable and usually end up in landfills. With this consumption pattern, we are wasting a significant amount of resources and are forced to go to great lengths to locate more sources of petroleum and other fossil fuels. The challenge posed here for sustainability professionals is reframing our economic system to properly utilize life cycle thinking and closed loop design that allows us to reuse these resources in innovative ways.

Another way to look at this is not as a challenge, but as an opportunity. Corporate pioneers in this area have proven that closed loop systems are valuable to an organization, especially when facing fluctuating costs in turbulent raw material markets. A good example is one of our clients, CertainTeed Corporation. The siding division at CertainTeed has set up a system where they take back vinyl siding from consumers at the end of its usable life, grind it up, and blend it into new siding products. In fact, CertainTeed produces the CedarBoards D6 product with up to 73% recycled content. Companies that have created similar systems in the consumer marketplace (i.e. Timberland’s Earthkeepers® 2.0 boots) have also realized decreased materials costs and increased market share. To learn more about Sustainable Product Development (SPD) practices and closed loop products, click here.

 – Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

My Take on “3 Hidden Killers of Sustainability Programs”

I recently found an article titled 3 Hidden Killers of Sustainability Programs, and thought it was a great topic to elaborate on as we continue our introduction to Corporate Responsibility. Although we will cover the steps and strategies of creating, implementing and strengthening a corporate sustainability program in detail in upcoming video series, this article really illustrates the importance of a few of my Core Principles for Implementing Successful Sustainability Programs.

The first “hidden killer” addresses sustainability programs that are not linked to overall corporate strategy. In many instances, I have seen companies that implement sustainability initiatives that are separated by business segments or by end objectives. This results in disconnected corporate responsibility projects, not overarching programs. In order to successfully engrain sustainability into an overall corporate strategy, it must be an integral function that supports business plans, rather than an independent agenda.

The article identifies the second hidden killer as “Death by Middle Management”. This section explains that, in both top-down and bottom-up approaches to sustainability, middle managers play a significant role in advancing sustainability through the ranks; however, middle management incentives are typically operations and revenue based. I have always believed that a top-down approach mitigates this challenge, because upper management has the power to shift assessment criteria to include sustainability performance metrics as a complement to operational performance. My consulting firm always recommends training at all levels within an organization. Similar to implementing new programs focused on safety, IT or even diversity, training is the key to effectively integrating sustainability into the corporate culture. We will talk more about the importance and benefits of training in future videos and blog posts.

Finally, the third roadblock is “Premature Declaration of Victory”. With a wide range of reasons for corporate citizenship – regulatory, stakeholder pressure, competitive pressure, etc. – the definition of sustainability is different for every firm. A sure-fire way to undermine a sustainability program is by setting weak, short-term goals. Once these goals are accomplished, the motivation to continually improve is lost. It is important to report on and celebrate accomplishments, but sustainability is always a moving target. Setting challenging, multi-year goals and effectively incorporating sustainability into strategic planning ensures continued support and greater results. In later video series we will examine effective goal setting as well as green marketing to promote your sustainability achievements.

Stay tuned for next week’s video release and for the next few series, where we will dive deep into developing sustainability programs that successfully support business strategy.

 – Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

Population Growth Putting Strain on Resources

Welcome back, I hope you had an enjoyable holiday. If you were like many people I know, you may have gone to the beach this Labor Day weekend. Hopefully, if you’ve been following along with our Introduction series, you started to notice some things while you were on vacation. You may have noticed just how many people were there, and most importantly, how much stuff everyone had with them. One thing to think about is where does all this stuff come from, and where does it ultimately end up?

Today’s video looks at the effect of our increasing global population, the overall increase of wealth and the effect this has on resource consumption. In the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China), there are approximately 3 billion people who are emerging as a new middle class. I often wonder: How do we give Nikes, Levis and iPhones to 3 billion more people? Presently, our system is not set to efficiently reuse our resources, and many projections estimate significant resource shortages and even complete depletion in the next few decades.

Slowly, but surely, I believe major influencers are recognizing the impending risks that population growth is putting on our present system and they are taking steps toward implementing change.  As we continue through our video series, we will further examine the concept I briefly introduce about a circular economy where goods are taken back and usable resources are reclaimed and reused. The closed-loop economy is possible, and we will talk in-depth on the steps many companies are taking to lead us there. 

 – Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

World Population Clock

White paper focusing on a major change agent in our economic system, Investors:

Financingour Future – How Sustainable Investing is Shaping the Face of Business

Systems Thinking

I hope you have enjoyed the videos and are finding the links and book recommendations worthwhile. This is the second video in our series on Introduction to Corporate Responsibility and we will be looking at systems. In the video, I pose a lot of questions to get you thinking about the current consumer based model of our economy. This is an important topic, especially in the Intro series, because we know that our global economy is essentially measured by consumer spending. This metric is a good tool for tracking economic growth, but the linear consumption system we have in place is a cause for concern.

We really need to redesign our system in a way that is conscious of natural resources and accounts for the growing population and increased consumption. Examples have shown that there is real business value to changing current systems and incorporating cradle to cradle design. Organizations like Interface, CertainTeed and Unilever have not only seen reduced impacts, but have increased profits by developing new solutions to this problem.

As we continue through the Intro series, we will identify tools and practices that will help us move toward this goal. Along with the video, I recommend checking out a few of the links provided below. 


 – Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

Unsustainable Economics
Resource Depletion: Opportunity or Looming Catastrophe?

Green Waste Recycling Statistics

GA Recycling Conference Recap

Last week, I was the closing speaker at the Georgia Recycling Coalition Annual Conference. As always, it’s great to connect with like-minded people and organizations that are doing great things in the sustainability space. Look for the next video in our Introduction to Corporate Responsibility series tomorrow.

 – Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

What I'm Reading

Hi, everyone. I wanted to pass along a few books that I highly recommend for anyone involved in or looking at getting into the sustainability field. These books cover some great topics and are a good resource for furthering your understanding of Corporate Responsibility.

Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn

An awesome book; one of the best I’ve ever read. It really got me motivated on the path to sustainability. A good read that is very thought-provoking.

Greener Products: TheMaking and Marketing of Sustainable Brands, by Al Iannuzzi

One that I often recommend to my students at Villanova, Al’s book demonstrates the business case for sustainability, specifically relating to products. An excellent resource that examines the market drivers and growing demand for greener products, as well as the rewards for companies that are making strides in sustainable product markets.

The Ecology of Commerce, by Paul Hawken

A classic. Looks at the need for integrating sustainability into corporate culture. A really good case for environmental awareness and future viability of businesses.

 – Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

Welcome!

Welcome to the first edition of my new blog on Corporate Responsibility. My name is Tad Radzinski, and my passion is using the power of business to help shift our society to a more sustainable economy. I have worked in the environmental space for 30 years, but I really got into corporate sustainability in 1998 when I met Ray Anderson for the first time. After meeting Ray and seeing the potential of corporate responsibility – not only to preserve the environment, but as a viable business strategy, I dove in headfirst. I read every book I possibly could, and then started my consulting company in 2001. Since then, we have helped hundreds of organizations implement sustainability to advance their business and reduce environmental and social impacts.

Throughout my career, I have been continually thinking about how we can change our current system where everything is based on consumption. There are many companies out there making great strides, but there is still a lot of work to be done. Working in the sustainability arena is very rewarding and I highly recommend getting involved.

I started this blog because I want to share my insight with you to help you advance sustainable principles in your organization. The first few weeks, I will cover a basic introduction to Corporate Responsibility to set the stage before diving into specific topics in depth.

Each week, I will release a new video in each series, along with links to articles and other sources of valuable information. Please comment or contact me so I can address your questions and topics of interest. I hope you find the information helpful and join me in the mission to effect change through Corporate Responsibility.

 – Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

Sustainability Resources: Sustainable Brands, Triple Pundit, GreenBiz, 3BL Media, SmartBrief on Sustainability, GreenManufacturer, CSR wire

Good Article on CSR: Six Growing Trends in Corporate Sustainability

White Papers on Corporate Responsibility:
http://sustainablesolutionscorporation.com/papers.html

Learn more about me: www.tadradzinski.com

Social Links: LinkedIn, Twitter