Designing Your Corporate Responsibility Program – Creating Compounding Returns

Welcome, everyone. Today we continue in our January video series, Formulating the Framework – Designing Your Corporate Responsibility Program. The video below, titled Creating Compounding Returns, is focused on designing a sustainability plan that uses savings from operational improvements to fund further sustainability initiatives. This is especially important when your Corporate Responsibility budget is limited or the future of a sustainability plan is based on quantifiable results.

Generating Compounding Returns is about first finding the “quick wins” that provide cost savings or deliver sources of revenue in your sustainability program. These successes bolster management support and provide additional funds that can be reinvested to reach further sustainability goals. Funding sustainability through sustainability establishes a system where the returns on investment compound and grow collectively.

This video offers some easy first steps to get a quick win, and we will examine this topic in depth in the upcoming webinar on January 28. Be sure to subscribe to the blog (top right) to receive updates on posts and other complimentary resources. Also, if you are behind in the program, you can view all the previous video and webinar series on my YouTube channel.

– Tad Radzinski PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

1. Register for the Webinar: Formulating the Framework – Designing Your Corporate Responsibility Program
2. My YouTube Channel

Ideas Worth Spreading

Hello, everyone. I was honored to be selected to deliver a TEDx Talk at Villanova University in November. The video of my TEDx Talk was recently released, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to share it with you! The link to view can be found below. In my talk, Closing the Loop – Manufacturing a Viable Future, I reflect on the many issues facing our production and economic systems today and going forward. Designed to educate and inspire, I focus specifically on population growth, resource consumption, and waste production as key factors that will affect the future viability of our system.

The TED Talks motto is “ideas worth spreading”, which is aligned with my personal mission of using education to drive change. Please feel free to pass this along to anyone you think would benefit, and take a look at all the valuable TED Talks available online. I hope you enjoy my video, and make sure you check out the Resources page on my website for more complimentary content on Corporate Responsibility.

– Tad Radzinski PE, LEED AP, SFP

Sustainability Professionals Emerge as Organization Leaders

I recently came across a great report titled Managing Organizational Sustainability: The Business Case for Sustainability Professionals in the Workplace published by McGraw Hill Financial Global Institute. This report finds that demand for sustainability professionals has grown substantially throughout the years and is projected for increased growth going forward. As Corporate Responsibility programs become fundamental in both the public and private sector, staff positions focused on sustainability continue to emerge. The unique skill set these jobs demand, along with the cross- functional placement in the organizational structure, make sustainability professionals key candidates for top-tier leadership roles.

Succeeding as a sustainability professional can be difficult with fewer than 300 universities worldwide offering master’s degrees in sustainability (according to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education). The shortage of educated professionals in this field presents a significant opportunity to the dedicated individuals who invest in their expertise in Corporate Responsibility. I always tell my graduate students at Villanova that the education they are receiving in sustainability will set them apart and empower them to drive tangible change in their organizations.

Although most organizations create Corporate Responsibility programs as a result of direct or indirect pressures from the public, customers, shareholders, suppliers, investors or regulators, management support for these programs is heavily based on measurable results. For a sustainability program to be deemed successful, the initiatives undertaken must support organizational goals and strengthen existing business plans. Optimizing the results of Corporate Responsibility programs, and monetizing these initiatives, has been a central focus throughout my diverse career in the sustainability field. The ability to quantify and demonstrate actual results of a Corporate Responsibility program is essential for personal and organizational advancement and continued funding.

If you are looking to enter the sustainability profession, expand your existing knowledge, or maximize the value of your current sustainability program, check out the free resources I have offered the past few months for some guidance and best practices. I will also be leading an interactive, full-day seminar on May 7, in Philadelphia that I am sure you will find beneficial. This action-oriented program, Corporate Responsibility Revolution - Strategy to Success, will provide 30+ years of comprehensive insight and practical tools to develop and implement a Corporate Responsibility program that furthers specific organizational goals.

Stay tuned next week for the second video in the January series, Creating Compounding Returns. If you missed the first video check it out here: Designing Your Corporate Responsibility Program Part 1: Assessment to Action.

– Tad Radzinski PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

1. Managing Organizational Sustainability: The Business Case for Sustainability Professionals in the Workplace
2. My Free Resources on Corporate Responsibility
3. Seminar: Corporate Responsibility Revolution – Strategy to Success

Designing Your Corporate Responsibility Program - Assessment to Action

Welcome, everyone. I hope you had a safe and happy holiday season. We start 2014 running with the next video and webinar series: Formulating the Framework – Designing Your Corporate Responsibility Program. This series will focus on developing your sustainability program using the information from benchmarking operations, sustainability assessments, and materiality analysis. The first video in the series, Assessment to Action, can be viewed below.

As discussed in the Materiality series, creating your organization’s specific Corporate Responsibility program and prioritizing goals should be based on the issues most material to your company and stakeholders. Addressing critical issues first allows you to better prepare for long-term success in the short term.  In the video, I reference Ford’s most recent materiality matrix. Ford has used a materiality matrix for several years to develop their corporate-wide sustainability strategy, which demonstrates the value of identifying material concerns for both long-term and short-term strategy development.

The next video in this series will focus on prioritizing Corporate Responsibility within your organization in order to maximize return on investment. This is important because properly planning sustainability projects enables you to use resulting financial savings to fund further improvements and generate compounding returns.

Following the next video, I will be conducting a live webinar on Tuesday, January 28, that will provide further insight on designing your specific Corporate Responsibility program and also give you the opportunity to ask me questions directly. Be sure to register for the webinar and subscribe to my blog for email updates.

– Tad Radzinski PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

1. Ford’s Materiality Matrix
2. Catch up on previous videos and webinars.
3. Register for the January webinar now!

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