Achieving B Corp Status Through Pathway 2

Do you work with clients in industries flagged as “controversial” by B Lab and need to navigate Pathway 2 for certification or recertification?

Help your clients align with B Lab’s requirements with clarity and integrity by joining Sensiba’s B Keeper and B Corp Consultant Jennifer Harrity for an engaging webinar where you’ll gain actionable insights into guiding clients through Pathway 2 with confidence and care. We’ll cover proven strategies, key documentation tips, and essential policy templates, including whistleblower and grievance policies. This webinar will empower professional service providers to support clients confidently through this critical aspect of the B Impact Assessment.

 

Maximizing ESG Impact: The Role of a Fractional CSO in Business Strategy

Collaborating with an organization’s leadership team, fractional chief sustainability officers (CSOs) embed environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices across operations, such as supply chains and product development, to ensure sustainability initiatives go beyond a compliance focus to become a core part of the organization’s business model and value creation.

How Do Fractional CSOs Help Companies?

Fractional CSOs provide an objective perspective to help a company understand its most important sustainability-related risks and opportunities, and work with management to identify internal resources who can address those considerations by integrating them into their day-to-day responsibilities.

This includes the creation of sustainable impact goals based on the company’s current needs, industry benchmarks, and stakeholder expectations, as well as key performance indicators to help the company measure and optimize the impact of its sustainability initiatives.

Even organizations with dedicated sustainability team members can benefit from specialized expertise, project leadership, and benchmarking insights from a fractional CSO.

Improving Operational Efficiency

A fractional CSO can enhance operational efficiency by streamlining the sustainability function within organization. This can include direct efforts like generating cost savings through initiatives that reduce energy consumption or waste generation in operations, or streamlining processes to identify bottlenecks, improve production timelines, and reduce errors.

Similarly, fractional CSOs can enhance supply chains by engaging with partners to foster sustainable practices, share goals, and encourage the adoption of more efficient processes.

For example, they can establish metrics related to carbon emissions, water usage, and waste generation, and implement systems that increase efficiency and reduce miles traveled. In another example, improving warehouse and inventory management can reduce costs and waste by providing insights into product shelf life and rotation.

Risk Management and Reporting

Fractional CSOs assess sustainability risks that could affect the organization, such as regulatory non-compliance or reputational damage. For instance, they can help management identify and mitigate exposures such as dependence on non-renewable resources or the potential for climate-related disruptions to operations or suppliers.

They can also ensure the organization adheres to evolving regulations by monitoring compliance with sustainability laws and anticipating likely regulatory developments.

With sustainability disclosure mandates increasing, a fractional CSO can work with company leaders to help them understand reporting requirements, such as those issued in California and the European Union. This may include developing impact reports that align with recognized frameworks such as the:

  • International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB)
  • Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)
  • European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)
  • And other standards to improve organizational accountability and transparency.

Fractional CSOs can also facilitate dialogue with internal and external stakeholders, including investors and regulators, regarding sustainability initiatives. They develop communication frameworks that establish transparency, gather valuable feedback, and build the organization’s understanding of its sustainability priorities.

Developing Internal Expertise

Over time, the fractional CSO can transfer their knowledge to management and internal personnel who are taking on sustainability functions so the company can better integrate sustainability expertise across the organization after the CSO engagement ends.

Many people want to work for employers that align with their personal values, and this often includes companies’ sustainability efforts. By leveraging these mission-aligned team members to carry out sustainability efforts, a company can gain direct benefits while enhancing employee retention and recruiting.

The Benefits of the Fractional CSO Model

Retaining a fractional CSO can provide operational and economic benefits:

  • Cost Savings. Retaining a fractional CSO represents considerable direct savings over a full-time professional, especially for companies that are new to the space. This approach allows organizations to align sustainability leadership resources with their needs, and build a strong foundation for future internal sustainability personnel to execute on.
  • Access to Expertise. Fractional CSOs bring substantial professional experience and knowledge that might otherwise be difficult for mid-sized companies to find or afford. Their broad understanding of sustainability practices enables the application of proven methodologies tailored to specific organizational needs, and provides a formal structure for engaging your employee base around key sustainability initiatives.
  • Implementation Efficiency. Experienced fractional CSOs can efficiently assess a company’s sustainability baselines and benchmarks, identify priority areas for development, and implement appropriate strategies. Their practical approach focuses on creating repeatable systems and processes that can be developed rapidly and maintained by internal personnel over time.
  • Strategic Integration. Fractional CSOs help integrate sustainability considerations into core business operations. They work to align environmental and social initiatives with organizational objectives, ensuring the company’s sustainability efforts complement and enhance its overall business performance, building specific roles and responsibilities into your team’s respective job descriptions.

Further Explore Fractional CSO Services

Enlisting a fractional CSO provides a pragmatic approach to sustainability leadership that allows organizations to develop and enhance their business strategy and sustainable impact programs while maintaining resource flexibility.

This approach is particularly relevant for mid-sized companies seeking to advance their performance through professional leadership without the investment and resource commitment of a full-time executive position.

To learn more about the benefits of retaining a fractional CSO for your organization, contact us.

How Carbon Impact Relates to Financial Impact

As it becomes more imperative for companies to measure and manage their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, an effective starting point is reviewing the business and economic activities that produce those emissions.

Because any GHG emissions will result from an activity that requires an economic cost, financial accounting provides a powerful starting place to identify corporate emissions sources that can then be augmented with activity-based carbon accounting for even deeper insights.

By examining the intersection of carbon-emitting activities and their resulting financial impact, you’ll be better able to prioritize your emissions-reduction efforts by targeting high-priority activities that can also help reduce operating costs, enhance efficiency, or mitigate other environmental risk factors.

GHG Emissions Scopes

GHG emissions are classified in three categories, known as “Scopes,” to help organizations understand, measure, and report those emissions:

Scope 1, or direct, emissions are produced from sources an organization owns or controls. These can include:

  • Emissions from an organization’s manufacturing or business processes
  • Fuel combustion in company-owned or controlled boilers or furnaces
  • Emissions from company-owned or leased vehicles

Scope 2 emissions result from the generation of purchased energy such as electricity, steam, heat, and cooling. Although these emissions occur where the energy is generated, the consuming organization is responsible for reporting them. As such, they are also considered direct emissions.

Scope 3, also known as value chain emissions, are the indirect emissions that occur in an organization’s upstream and downstream activities. These often include:

  • Purchased goods and services and capital expenditures
  • Upstream and downstream transportation and distribution
  • Business travel and employee commuting
  • Processing, use, and end-of-life treatment of sold products
  • Operational waste

Understanding these business activities provides valuable insights into organizational emissions, and the associated opportunities to reduce emissions and operational costs across a company’s entire value chain.

GHG Emissions Measurement Example

Consider an organization’s vehicle expenses. Identifying how much fuel the organization (or a business unit) spends on fuel in a year provides a great baseline for estimating annual fuel-related Scope 1 emissions. Augment this with reliable activity-level data such as how many gallons are purchased, how many miles are driven, and the mileage the organization’s fleet gets per gallon will provide a much more precise, and actionable, picture.

Repeating this analysis for additional organizational activities, such as product packaging or end-of-life disposal strategies, will provide insights into what the organization is doing, the related costs, and the resulting emissions. This will enable management to identify patterns and understand the core sources of organizational emissions.

This data, in turn, will help the organization develop emissions-reduction action plans by uncovering the highest emissions as well as the areas with the highest financial impact. The organization can then cut back or change the activities to be more efficient, reduce emissions, and save money.

Disclosure Requests Increasing

As the realities of climate change increasingly take a financial toll on private enterprise and civil society, companies will undoubtedly face enhanced regulatory, marketplace, and investor mandates to expand the breadth and depth of their GHG emissions measurement and reduction, and broader sustainability efforts.

In the United States, for instance, California’s Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act includes two separate bills that require companies to measure and report their emissions and climate-related financial impacts:

  • SB253 requires companies with more than $1 billion in annual revenue and operating in California to report on their annual direct and indirect GHG emissions (Scopes 1-3).
  • SB261 requires companies with more than $500 million in yearly revenue to report biannually on their climate-related financial risks.

These regulations are likely to inspire similar legislation in other states.

Internationally, many U.S.-based companies face mandates, such as the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) to disclose sustainability-related information. Common reporting frameworks include the International Sustainability Standards Board’s IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards (ISSB) and the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS).

Interoperability guidance developed by the IFRS Foundation and the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) is available to help companies reduce complexity, fragmentation, and duplication by understanding the alignment of general requirements including key concepts such as materiality, presentation and disclosures for sustainability topics other than climate. The guidance also helps companies starting with one set of standards identify how to apply the same data to another. 

Aside from direct disclosure mandates at the sub-national or national level, U.S. companies are increasingly subject to sustainability information requests from larger customers and business partners who face disclosure requirements for their value chains. To meet these mandates, many large companies are asking suppliers for detailed information about their GHG emissions and other ESG data.

A growing number of investors are also factoring climate-related evaluations into their due diligence and risk management processes.

Getting Started

Sensiba provides sustainability services that help middle-market companies integrate GHG reporting and emissions reductions into their planning initiatives. To learn more, reach out to our sustainability professionals today.

Double Materiality Assessment and Fractional CSO Consulting

Winery partners with Sensiba for Double Materiality Assessment and Fractional CSO Consulting to drive holistic sustainability strategy.

A family-owned winery reduced costs, improved performance, and engaged stakeholders by developing a comprehensive double materiality and sustainability strategy with Sensiba.

  • Double Materiality Assessment
  • Fractional CSO Consulting

Challenge

Over the years, a family-owned winery implemented a range of sustainable, organic, and biodynamic practices at their vineyards and operations, but wanted to expand beyond those initiatives to establish an integrated ESG and sustainability strategy and roadmap.

Executive leadership was looking to broaden the company’s sustainability capacity with the goal of enhancing performance and mitigating risk, improving disclosure and engagement with key stakeholders, and driving a measurable return on investment. The client identified Sensiba to deploy Fractional Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) services in collaboration with key internal personnel to assess current risks, opportunities, and performance, as well as to shape its strategy moving forward.

With a focus on building its sustainability capacity, the company identified over $350,000 in operational cost savings that could potentially be implemented in Year 1.

Double Materiality Assessment & Fractional CSO Consulting

Solution

Collaborating with Sensiba, the company began with an investor-grade organizational Double Materiality Assessment that highlighted its need for a cohesive sustainability strategy backed with formal leadership, budget, and communication plans.

The assessment identified low-cost, high-impact steps the company could take in the first 12-24 months to build momentum toward mitigating specific ESG risks while creating a broader implementation strategy.

Key initiatives included:

Identifying material nonfinancial sustainability KPIs and developing an ESG tracking and reporting dashboard.

Creating an internal sustainability manager role and a cross-functional sustainability team.

Developing an annual Sustainability Management Plan to guide tactical implementation and mitigate risk.

Establishing a formal Code of Conduct for Tier 1 suppliers.

Developing a three-year sustainability plan to align with the company’s broader strategic plan and identify key activities, accountability structures, processes, and policies, as well as the budget required for implementation and resulting cost savings.

Creating a Profit & Loss tracker to measure the financial impact of the company’ sustainability initiatives.

Result

With a focus on building its sustainability capacity, the company identified over $350,000 in operational cost savings that could potentially be implemented in Year 1. Early initiatives included solid waste diversion improvements, paper product and glass bottle packaging transitions, electricity rate cost savings, and better tracking for solar expansions at two wineries.

Additional early wins included the creation of social impact programs such as employee wellness and mental health workshops, and an onsite massage clinic. A Communications Impact Statement is also in the works to articulate the company’s sustainability commitment in a clear and transparent way for the company’s marketing and sales teams.

To increase employee engagement, the expanded its efforts to address the social aspects of its ESG programs with initiatives such as wellness workshops, an employee garden, and purchasing bicycles for employee use.

And by identifying key areas for improvement and tactical steps each functional unit could accomplish, the company is helping leaders across the organization integrate sustainability into its operational plans and accountability structures.

Ready to get started?

Discover how our team can help you build a sustainable strategy for long-term success. Contact us to learn more about partnering on your environmental and social goals.

Ready for more inspiration? Dive into additional client success stories where we showcase diverse projects, innovative solutions, and the transformative impact we’ve had on businesses like yours.

The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive

U.S. companies with major customers, subsidiaries, or parent companies in Europe need to determine whether they’re required to make disclosures under the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). Disclosures may be expected as early as 2025, depending upon such factors as headcount, revenue, and status as a publicly traded entity.

The CSRD is an EU regulatory framework designed to enhance corporate sustainability reporting and to promote environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations. The regulation is also intended to support investors and other stakeholders in evaluating climate- and sustainability-related risks and opportunities that may affect a businesses’ future cash flows and long-term resilience.

What Do Companies Report Under the CSRD?

Under the CSRD, companies (known as “undertakings” in the regulation) must conduct a “double materiality” assessment to identify material sustainability issues from two perspectives:

  • Impact materiality: How the company’s activities affect society and the environment.
  • Financial materiality: How sustainability issues impact the company’s financial performance and value.

Reporting area requirements cover governance processes and controls, the incorporation of material impact areas into overall business strategy, and impact, risk and opportunity management. CSRD disclosures cover a broad range of ESG issues, such as: 

  • Climate change risks and mitigation efforts
  • Pollution prevention and control
  • Resource use and circular economy initiatives
  • Workforce diversity, working conditions, and work/life balance
  • Human rights in the value chain
  • Consumer and product safety
  • Business ethics and conduct
  • Anti-corruption measures
  • Board diversity and oversight of sustainability

The related European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) outline the specific information companies are required to report under the CSRD. The ESRS (see table) includes two general (or “cross-cutting”) categories and 10 standards covering various ESG topics.

12 ESRS Standards Shaping CSRD

12 ESRS Standards Shaping CSRD Chart

In addition to historical data, companies are required to disclose forward-looking information on their sustainability metrics, targets, and progress. Sustainability information must also be included in the entity’s Management Report.

Each filer’s sustainability disclosures must be audited independently for accuracy and completeness. This assurance will be limited at first but may expand over time.

Who Has to Report Under the CSRD?

The CSRD establishes a range of reporting criteria and effective dates for mandatory reporting. Large enterprises began reporting in 2024 if they were previously subject to the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD). Other large companies will begin reporting in 2025. 

Large undertakings are defined as entities that meet at least two of the following criteria:

  • Total assets exceeding €25 million.
  • A net turnover exceeding €50 million.
  • More than 250 employees, on average, during the financial year.

The relatively low reporting thresholds will likely mean a range of companies that don’t consider themselves to be large will have to meet the CSRD’s requirements.

Companies listed on regulated markets in the EU, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), must comply with the CSRD starting in 2027.

Beginning in 2027, non-EU companies with a net turnover above €150 million in the EU will need to comply if they have at least one subsidiary or branch in the EU with more than €40 million in net turnover.

CSRD Reporting Thresholds and Timelines

CSRD Reporting Thresholds and Timelines graphic

Large Customer Compliance Requests

Beyond any direct compliance requirements, U.S. companies will need to prepare a variety of disclosures in response to requests from large customers that are required to report on their own. Because those disclosures include the larger organizations’ value chains, many will be asking their suppliers for detailed information about CSRD reporting topics such as greenhouse gas emissions and other ESG data.

Companies throughout the value chain will need to identify their emissions-generating activities and develop reliable systems, controls, and procedures to ensure information is shared with customers accurately.

Recognizing the complexity of obtaining this information from a range of suppliers, the EU is allowing reporting companies to use estimates for value chain reporting after making reasonable efforts to do so. This will likely change as reporting becomes more common and stakeholder expectations increase.

Voluntary SME Disclosures

The Voluntary European Sustainability Reporting Standards (VSME) are a related effort designed to allow non-listed SMEs to comply with stakeholder information requests by preparing voluntary disclosures similar to those outlined in the CSRD and ESRS.

The VSME features three modules:

  • The Basic Module outlines environmental and social metrics, including Scope 1 and 2 emissions.
  • The Narrative Module includes descriptions of the entities’ Policies, Actions, and Targets.
  • The optional Business Partners Module outlines information that may be requested from banks, investors, and other stakeholders.

Implementation FAQs

To make it easier for companies to understand and comply with the CSRD reporting requirements, the EU has published an FAQ document outlining the directive’s scope, application dates, and exemptions.

Sensiba has made incorporation of the ESRS standards a core part of our ESG Assessment process. To understand the benefits of planning for disclosures and assess relevance to your business, contact our team to learn more.

Sensiba LLP, a Top 75 U.S.-based accounting and business consulting firm, announced today it has been named an Approved Training Partner by EcoVadis, the leading provider of globally trusted business sustainability ratings.

Approved Training Partners are formally equipped to help businesses complete sustainability assessments, review scores, and improve environment, labor and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement practices. Approved Training Partners are carefully selected based on their experience and expertise, and must complete rigorous training on EcoVadis’ methodology and assessment process through EcoVadis Academy.

To qualify, partners must demonstrate a deep understanding of local environmental, ethical and human rights regulations and issues, and have completed the EcoVadis assessment for their own business.

“We’re proud to become an EcoVadis Approved Training Partner,” said Jennifer Harrity, ESG & Sustainability Director at Sensiba. “EcoVadis has helped Sensiba enhance our ESG benchmarking and reporting, and our relationship will help clients improve risk mitigation, supply chain management, and transparency while meeting increased stakeholder expectations.”

As an Approved Training Partner, Sensiba has been trained and approved to:

• Educate and support suppliers in understanding the EcoVadis methodology and support with assessment completion.

• Provide consultancy services for suppliers to understand their scorecard and Corrective Action Plan, and support with implementing improvements and wider supply chain sustainability practices.

• Help buyers understand how the EcoVadis assessment can benefit their business and supply chain.

EcoVadis is the global standard for supply chain sustainability ratings. The EcoVadis assessment evaluates 21 sustainability criteria across four core themes: Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement. More than 100,000 companies globally have been rated by EcoVadis.

ISO/IEC 27001 Updated for Climate Change Risks

With climate considerations playing a larger role in corporate risk management and strategic planning, the ISO/IEC 27001 cybersecurity standard has been updated to include the potential impacts of climate change on an organization’s Information Security Management Systems (ISMS).

Under an amendment issued in February 2024, organizations preparing for an ISO/IEC 27001 audit are required to consider the potential risks climate change can present to their ISMS, as well as any potential implications for interested parties.

In a joint statement, ISO and the International Accreditation Forum highlighted the need for organizations to consider the effects of climate change on their ability to achieve the intended results of the management system.

The statement explained that some climate-related risks, such as regulatory compliance or organizational resilience, may have a general effect on an organization’s ISMS. Some organizations will face more specific climate-related ISMS risks related to their industry (such as energy production or agriculture) or factors such as their geographic location.

How Does ISO/IEC 27001 Address Climate Change?

The ISO/IEC 27001 standard adds two references to climate change within Clause 4, “Context of the Organization.” Clause 4.1 (Understanding the Organisation and its Context) adds a sentence reading “The organisation shall determine whether climate change is a relevant issue.” Clause 4.2 (Understanding the Needs and Expectations of Interested Parties) adds the sentence “Relevant interested parties can have requirements related to climate change.”

The changes are designed to help organizations address several climate-related risks to their ISMS and its operations. If, for instance, a severe weather event such as a windstorm or flooding affects an organization’s data center, the availability of its systems and data can be disrupted.

Similarly, vendor or supply chain disruptions following climate-related events could affect an organization’s ability to maintain an ISMS and its performance. Customers may also have concerns about whether a climate-related disruption to a service organization can affect their operations.

How Should Companies Alter Risk Assessments?

To comply with the revised standard, organizations need to consider whether climate change can affect their ISMS, and whether they’ve implemented controls or other measures to address climate-related risks. For many organizations without material climate exposures, this can be addressed with language similar to:

“The organization acknowledges the potential impact of climate change on its operations and has considered these risks in the context of its Information Security Management System (ISMS). While no specific mitigation actions are committed at this stage, the organization remains aware of climate-related factors that may affect its business environment.”

Similarly, organizations should also consider addressing climate risk with policy statements in their Management System’s risk assessment documentation. Management should include language saying it has considered the impact of climate risk on the ISMS and whether that risk meets a threshold for mitigation. (If it does, the organization should outline the mitigation measures it has taken.)

If an organization has more than one ISO/IEC Management System, it needs to conduct separate climate risk assessments for each one.

To learn more about ISO 27001 certification and its valuable role in helping your organization protect its systems and information, contact us.

Sensiba LLP, a Top 75 U.S.-based accounting and business consulting firm, announced today a partnership with pioneering carbon accounting platform Greenly.

This collaboration merges Greenly’s powerful carbon footprint analysis capabilities with Sensiba’s ESG reporting and GHG assessment services, creating a comprehensive solution to help businesses effectively identify and navigate risks and opportunities.

Leveraging Greenly’s data and insights, Sensiba will work with clients to uncover climate risks, develop actionable mitigation plans, embed ESG principles into their core business strategies, and maximize returns on sustainability initiatives. With ESG considerations increasingly critical as vendors, consumers, and investors make decisions, Sensiba’s approach positions clients for success amid evolving stakeholder demands.

Clients will gain the tools and guidance needed to stay relevant in today’s market and meet evolving regulatory requirements and reporting standards, including the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), California climate regulations, and others.

“We’re pleased to partner with Greenly to support clients with detailed carbon footprint assessments that provide the foundation for decisive corporate climate action. Greenly’s platform will equip our clients to prioritize their most impactful emissions reduction opportunities while ensuring regulatory compliance, sound corporate governance, and positive stakeholder relationship management,” said Sensiba Partner Karen Burns. “As B Corps, Sensiba and Greenly share a commitment to social and environmental governance that supports our clients and communities.”

About Greenly

Founded in October 2019 by Alexis Normand (CEO, former VP of Healthcare at Withings, HEC, Sciences Po, formerly at the Boston offices of Withings and Techstars), Mathieu Vergeville (CTO, X-Telecom, former data scientist at Withings) and Arnaud Delubac (CMO, Essec-Centrale, INSEE, formerly in charge of digital communication in the office of the French Prime Minister), Offspend SAS launched Greenly in January 2020 as the world’s first carbon accounting platform that specializes in providing unique software solutions for businesses to effectively measure, reduce, and cost-effectively offset their carbon footprint.

Greenly’s platform is accessible to companies of all sizes across all industries, even those with multiple entities, and offers a range of services focused on ESG compliance, such as Carbon Footprint, Life Cycle Assessments, CSRD Reporting, Decarbonization Strategy Building, and Sustainable Procurement.

With more than 2,500 customers around the globe, Greenly’s mission is to help companies in their sustainable journey.

CEO Panel: ESG in Business Strategy

Satisfying consumer demand, increasing employee engagement and retention, and meeting stronger regulatory expectations are among the compelling benefits organizations can achieve by integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations into their strategies and operations.

Speaking during a Sensiba webinar, Carrie Mayo, founder and CEO of marketing services firm MAYO Web + Marketing, and Eric Hudson, founder and CEO of environmentally friendly consumer products company Preserve, said the benefits of ESG initiatives far outweigh the time and financial investments.

“There is absolutely a growing trend of consumers buying sustainable products who are willing to pay more for them, Mayo said. “Consumers are willing to embrace the brands that are choosing purpose and sustainability.”

Examples of How Sustainable Strategies Help Businesses

Hudson’s company has focused on creating environmentally focused products since its founding in 1997. He said his company’s fastest-growing product is the POPi 5 shave system, which features a handle manufactured with plastic diverted from oceans.

“We work with nonprofits that are pulling waste plastic out of waters that’s bound for the ocean,” Hudson said. “That plastic comes to us and gets ground into material that can make a razor handle. We also give 25% of our proceeds to nonprofits that are working to make a difference for ocean health.”

He also cited a program with Boston University’s cafeteria to replace single-use cups and cutlery with implements that can be returned to the cafeteria for reuse.

“[The school] has saved a lot of money by reducing waste and expense, and reducing the purchase of single-use products,” Hudson said. “They’re seeing incredible financial merits of choosing a more environmentally friendly system.”

Similarly, Mayo said her firm factors environmental considerations into its purchases, such as sourcing promotional merchandise locally or using products that incorporate recycled materials.

ESG Increases Employee Engagement

A demonstrated commitment to ESG efforts can also help companies with their employee recruitment, retention, and engagement efforts.

“People want to work for companies that align with their values,” Mayo said. “The way we do this is giving our employees the power to choose how we donate our money, how we donate our services, or where we spend our volunteering time.”

“Our ESG initiatives…have led to people being attracted to working at Preserve,” Hudson said. “We have very low turnover, and we have a highly engaged and motivated team. The initiatives that we have engaged in really help our organization and our employees understand what we do on an ESG front, and they love that aspect of Preserve.”

Beyond employees, Mayo said sharing an authentic ESG story can increase an organization’s attractiveness to a wide range of stakeholders.

“From a brand and marketing perspective, it is critical right now to incorporate [ESG] into your value proposition sooner rather than later. Do it authentically, and it is far deeper than a tagline or a page that’s hidden somewhere on your website,” Mayo said.

ESG Regulatory Requirements Increasing

Karen Burns, leader of Sensiba’s ESG and Sustainability practice, shared a variety of regulatory mandates and explained how standards are converging to harmonize sustainability reporting. These include disclosure laws in California, climate disclosure rules in Europe, and climate reporting requirements proposed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Hudson said his company factors regulatory considerations into his company’s products and materials decisions.

“It’s going to be happening more, but we already have concrete examples of where regulation in a number of states is affecting Preserve and our offerings,” Hudson said. “There are regulations that require recycled content, or that limit the use of single-use products, and that demand the recyclability of a product or the compostability of a product. Our products, because we’ve been focused on sustainability, comply. We’ve been ahead of the curve.”

To learn more about incorporating ESG in your business strategy and operations, contact us.

To reduce compliance costs and clarify the implementation timeline, the California Senate has passed legislation updating the state’s landmark corporate climate disclosure regulations.

Under the new legislation, SB 219, the state legislature approved several changes to the previous regulations:

  • The deadline for the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to develop implementation rules for SB 253 (direct and indirect GHG disclosure requirements) will be delayed six months to July 1, 2025.
  • The new bill will allow companies to consolidate their reporting requirements at the parent company level.
  • Filing fees associated with the climate disclosure regulations will be eliminated.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has until September 30, 2024, to sign the bill, veto it, or do nothing and allow it to pass.

The original 2026 effective date for reporting Scopes 1 and 2 GHG emissions and climate risks will remain in place, as does the 2027 date for reporting Scope 3 emissions.

Even though CARB has until July 1, 2025, to issue its regulations (essentially a “how to guide” for companies), the effective reporting date remaining in 2026 means companies should start measuring and collecting data at the beginning of 2025 and adjust as needed when the guidance becomes available. Waiting to start will mean having to scramble later.

To learn more about these California climate disclosure bills and carbon accounting, contact our sustainability team.

Sustainability in Business Survey 2024

Interest in sustainability—and the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) impacts of an organization’s products, services, and operations—remains strong among consumers, investors, employees, and other stakeholders.   

Key findings in our Sustainability in Business Survey 2024 include:  

  • Respondents are expanding sustainability efforts beyond an environmental focus to embed ESG throughout their organizations, products, services, and operations.  
  • Sustainability programs help respondents reduce operating costs, mitigate risk, improve employee engagement and morale, and enhance regulatory compliance.   
  • Companies face higher ESG disclosure expectations from regulators, investors, customers, and other stakeholders.  

Download our survey report to gain insights into growing business and financial considerations; as well as challenges and opportunities faced by executives. 

 

 

B Corp Certification Consulting

Fostering sustainable swag: Chameleon Like’s journey to B Corp Certification.

With a commitment to quality, local production, and sustainable practices, Chameleon Like specializes in providing products that are captivating on the inside as well as outside. Their journals and packaging solutions elevate their clients’ brands and fuel exceptional ideas.

  • B Corp Certification Consulting
  • Project Management

Challenge

After decades fighting its industry’s reputation for wasteful marketing practices, Chameleon Like, Inc., a California-based producer of customized journals, planners, and other promotional items, embraced a journey to formalize its processes and achieve B Corp certification.

CEO and President Pierre Martichoux, and Cesar Gonzalez, director of employee engagement, say their company has long focused on sustainable practices, but wanted the third-party endorsement that certification provides. Chameleon Like chose B Corp certification to help it codify its values, interact with similar companies, attract talent, and identify areas for improvement.

As it began the initial assessment process, the company realized it needed help assembling the required documentation and managing the complex submission process. The company turned to Sensiba, which has served as its external audit firm for nearly 20 years.

“The swag industry is not very sustainable. It’s getting better, but it produces a lot of plastic. Becoming a B Corp gives us standing to help change that.”

Pierre MartichouxCEO and President, Chameleon Like
Chameleon Like 1

Solution

Cesar Gonzalez teamed with Callie Labriola, materials and logistic manager, to collaborate with Sensiba in gathering documentation about the company’s sustainability practices and identifying improvement opportunities. The company began the certification process before the COVID pandemic, and found that some of the improvements it identified helped it emerge as a stronger organization.

Chameleon Like conducted training sessions at a Houston production facility to help team members there understand the certification process and their ongoing roles in reducing waste and promoting sustainable practices.

The company also enhanced its employee benefits, such as providing health care, dental, and vision benefits, interest-free loans, profit-sharing, and life-skill training programs. Together, the changes increased employee engagement and morale.

Chameleon Like also reinforced its commitment to supporting community organizations. It’s a member of 1% for the Planet, and donates 5% of the revenue from its Paperzen product line to underfunded schools. More than 0.5% of overall revenue is donated to charities.

Result

Obtaining B Corp certification is providing tangible benefits for Chameleon Like, including interacting with other members of the B Corp community and collaborating with a certified B Corp pen manufacturer. At industry shows, signs celebrating Chameleon Like’s certification attract attention from customers familiar with the B Corp concept as well as questions from attendees curious about what the designation means.

Chameleon Like has discarded the promotional-industry practice of sending unsolicited product samples that, in many cases, wind up in landfills. “That’s something that we didn’t necessarily think about before, but as we think about the amount of waste everywhere, customers appreciate us asking before we send a sample pack,” Martichoux says.

Chameleon Like has also reaffirmed a commitment to local sourcing and domestic production, which reduce waste and the carbon emissions associated with shipping products internationally.

At its Gilroy, California, plant, Chameleon Like’s journals are sourced from responsibly managed forests and the facility uses low-water desert landscaping.

And with an eye toward B Corp recertification, Chameleon Like continues to monitor metrics within the five categories by which B Lab measures organizational performance (governance, workers, community, environment, and customers) to identify improvements.

“We’re dedicating time that’s non-negotiable to working on our processes,” Gonzalez says. “We communicate our progress throughout the company so everyone understands how valuable this is to us and our customers.”

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Ready for more inspiration? Dive into additional client success stories where we showcase diverse projects, innovative solutions, and the transformative impact we’ve had on businesses like yours.

Functional Foods and Regenerative Production Highlighted at Natural Foods Expo West 2024

Functional foods, international flavors, and sustainable production practices were among the leading themes highlighted at the 2024 Natural Foods Expo West conference.

Expo West, the largest gathering of natural products and food companies, provides insights into the consumer preferences and trends shaping the food and beverage industry over the next couple of years.

Growth in Functional Foods

A growing number of consumers are basing a larger percentage of their diets on functional foods. These foods help improve their health, reduce chronic disease, and contribute to their quality of life. This is creating opportunities for producers of natural and specialty products designed to promote wellness, such as snacks based on mushrooms, plant and animal proteins, and adaptogens that help the body respond to stress more effectively.

On the show floor you could not walk more than a few steps without coming across functional beverages, such as sparkling waters that relieve anxiety, support mindfulness, cleanse and detox consumers, or provide energy. As part of this interest in healthy beverages, non-alcoholic beers and mocktails were also featured at the show and are the fastest-growing segment of the beverage sector as younger consumers enjoy social interactions but prefer alternatives to alcohol-based drinks.

Consumers are still very interested in plant-based food products for several reasons, including the greater variety of products and flavors available today. Some consumers are avoiding animal-based proteins for personal health reasons, environmental considerations, and for being displeased with animal-based food production methods.

A standout in this category was the many forms of gummy products featured at Expo West were plant-based which confused many attendees as they did not know the gelatins found in most gummy products are animal-based. We also saw this with the supplement brands showcasing their plant-based capsules for similar reasons.

International Foods and Flavors

International inspiration is appearing in a greater range of food products. For instance, the Korean staple kimchi is featured in snack products, seasonings, and supplements. Other Korean-inspired products include frozen kimbap, burdock root tea, seaweed snacks, and more.

Other countries inspiring popular food products include Venezuela, Tunisia, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, and Morocco.

Regenerative Food Production

Consumer interest in natural foods and ingredients extends to higher awareness of food production and stronger expectations that food brands will follow regenerative production practices.

Regenerative food production includes planting diverse crop varieties and cover crops, and rotating grazing fields, to more closely mimic natural grasslands and forests. This, in turn, provides a habitat for pollinators and soil microbes that promote food production while reducing the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.

Consumers are embracing these practices, searching for labeling that includes:

  • Regenerative Certification
  • Fairtrade Certification
  • Certified Organic
  • Upcycled Food Certification
  • Similar production statements.

This movement extends to large food retailers demanding their produce suppliers reduce pesticide use, while working to reduce waste and energy use in their operations and promoting environmentally responsible packaging.  

Gen Z Values Social Connections Through Food

Ethnographer June Jo Lee in her keynote at Expo West said Gen Z, the largest generation globally and 27% of today’s workforce, values the social aspects of cooking and eating more highly than the Millennials or their Gen X parents. Gen Z uses food as a basis for social interaction and emotional support, frequently cooking for and eating with groups of friends.

They are more willing to purchase sustainable and natural products as an investment in the meal they are preparing to share. Food is more of a ritualistic process of showing care and love for Gen Z.

“They enjoy cooking for each other and hanging out,” Lee said. “Cooking is a practice of caring for each other.”

Gen Z entrepreneurs are also starting their food brands, often tapping into their ethnic heritage and strongly emphasizing sustainable production.

To learn more about the benefits of sustainable and regenerative business practices, contact us.

Sustainability Imperative: Delivering Bottom-Line Impacts and Risk Mitigation for CEOs

As executives incorporate sustainability considerations into their strategic planning and operations, the resulting benefits include more effective employee attraction and retention, risk mitigation, supply chain management, and more.

A panel of company leaders participating in a Sensiba webinar said that while some executives approach sustainability as a compliance exercise, the potential benefits can spread through to an organization’s culture and help it save money as well.

“There are many thoughtful people that are looking to drive change and to work with organizations that are doing good, celebrating people, and nurturing growth,” said Ahmed Rahim, Chief Visionary Officer and Co-Founder of Numi Organic Tea. “We’re here not to just focus on shareholder profitability, but also all the stakeholders involved, including employees. It is very important, and organizations are attracting people that want to create impact and put their time sweat, blood, and tears into something that goes beyond just creating a product.”

Promoting Employee Attraction and Retention

With more people interested in working for employers who share their values and provide a sense of purpose, including sustainability in the organization’s operations makes it more attractive to prospective employees.

“Since we’ve really become focused on sustainability, we’ve doubled our firm in the last four years, without acquisition, and that’s the proof in the pudding,” said John Sensiba, Managing Partner, Sensiba LLP. “That’s not the point—the point is to do the right thing—but it’s evidence that doing the right thing, especially in today’s transparent world, helps you attract a labor force and customers.”

To learn more about this sustainability benefit read our articles “Sustainability Attracts Talent” and “Sustainability and Employee Retention: A Winning Combination for Businesses.”

Risk Mitigation

With an increasing number of sustainability-related disclosure requirements and growing expectations for sustainable practices among customers, companies that overlook sustainability can be taking on a higher level of compliance, reputation, and marketplace risk.

“We do a total risk assessment when we onboard our customers because this is such a dynamic environment, with changing regulations and changing situations,” said Hannah Kain, President and CEO of the supply chain management firm ALOM Technology. “When it comes to sustainability and reporting, it’s important to help our customers with understanding their requirements and providing information so they can report quickly. There’s a lot of risk in the supply chain, starting with environmental risk, but there’s also social, and of course, governance, compliance, and oversight risks.”

Organizations face risks from failing to describe what they’re doing effectively to business partners or customers. “We worked with a company that was actually a pretty good actor, but didn’t tell their story well and they didn’t get a good grade on a scorecard for a certain buyer,” said John Sensiba. “We helped them identify and explain what they were doing in a way that allowed them to continue to sell to that customer. It shows you the risks they had—not because they weren’t doing the right thing, but because they didn’t know how to tell their story well enough.”

Supply Chain Efficiency

Sustainable practices also provide opportunities to increase efficiency and reduce operational costs throughout organizational supply chains. Kain said minimizing product packaging, choosing suppliers close to production facilities or customers, and optimizing shipping routes can reduce the waste and carbon emissions in an organization’s supply chains.

“The first thing we look at is, ‘are we doing things we don’t need to do?’” Kain said. “When a package comes to your doorstep, maybe two-thirds or three-quarters of the box contains air that has been transported around and used up resources.”

The opportunities to maximize the benefits and ensure economic resilience for your business are growing. To learn more about integrating sustainable practices into organizational strategies, planning, and reporting, contact us.

B Corps Keep Moving Forward

One of the defining characteristics of successful B Corporations is an affirmative commitment to continuous improvement. Obtaining B Corp certification, while impressive, is just the first step. B Corps continuously strive to improve their operations, reduce their impacts, and serve their stakeholders more effectively.

What is a Certified B Corp?

Certified B Corporations are companies that have been certified to have met rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. The B Corp certification process assesses a company and its practices in categories including worker engagement, community involvement, environmental footprint, governance structure, and customer relationships.

Under B Lab’s Theory of Change, B Corps work “toward a world where business is a force for good, and plays a leading role in positively impacting and transforming the global economy into a more inclusive, equitable, and regenerative system.”

The B Corp movement began in 2006 with the idea that businesses could lead the way toward a stakeholder-driven economic model. In the following 18 years, more than 8,000 businesses in 96 countries have become B Corp Certified.

Digging Deeper: The Top Criteria for Certification

The primary criteria for certification are verified social and environmental performance, legal accountability, and public transparency. As part of the assessment process, companies must undergo an assessment of risk factors based on their industry and other practices. The risk factors are designed to smooth out variations in industries with inherently different environmental impacts and practices.

For instance, large multinational companies are asked to:

  • Have a roadmap to trace the origin, and potential environmental and human rights impacts, of high-risk raw materials.
  • Publicly disclose their gender wage gap.
  • Have a public policy on responsible lobbying.

Similarly, bottled water companies must meet requirements around sustainable water usage, fair water access, and waste management.

Ongoing Improvement

For companies embracing the B Corp concept, completing the assessment and certification process involves a detailed review of the company’s existing processes and practices. The assessment includes answering more than 250-300 questions and providing verification documentation.

This detailed review identifies opportunities for improvement for the company and its operations, and often results in benefits beyond the certification process.

For instance, enhancing employee benefit programs can increase a company’s workforce engagement score but can also improve employee recruiting and retention. Values-driven consumers also appreciate doing business with companies that are focused on doing good. Becoming a B Corp allows companies to join a growing community of purpose-driven business leaders that, in turn, helps to unlock market and collaboration opportunities.

Once companies create a cadence for their internal reviews, the resulting improvement effort becomes self-reinforcing and often continues long after the initial certification.

According to B Lab, nearly two-third of organizations produce higher scores as they undergo the mandatory three-year recertification. For us at Sensiba, the 99.4 score we obtained during our 2022 recertification marked a 23% improvement from our 80.9 score during our initial certification in 2018.

B Corp Standards Evolving

Just as B Corps embrace continual change and improvement, B Labs applies a similar lens to its certification standards. In December 2020, B Labs announced it was reviewing the standards to reflect changing community and stakeholder expectations about companies making positive impacts on society and the environment. They also wanted to consider the evolving global regulatory landscape and have the changing B Corp standards better harmonize with the international regulations.

The new standards will examine applicants’ performance in fair wages, human rights, climate action, environmental stewardship and circularity, and a variety of other topics. Recertifying B Corps must also demonstrate continual improvement over the last three years since their last certification. This marks a change from the current “previous year” standards.

B Labs says the new standards will help clarify and promote effective and meaningful business practices while showcasing the B Corp movement’s role in driving positive change across the globe. The finalized version of the new standards is expected to be released in Q4 2024, with implementation phasing in during 2025.

For more information on what it takes to become B Corp certified and the benefits for your business, reach out to our sustainability and ESG team for an introduction.