GREEN BUSINESS VIEWS

Posts Tagged ‘green business certified’

On more than a few occasions, my office gets questions about whether the Green of Sustainability business issue is serious or a fad.  It is not a fad!  Businesses in the near future will face constant pressure to Go Green.  In several instances, our office received a panic call from a business competing for a contract that had a “Green Certification” requirement in it.  There was no need to legislate the action, the company or agency simple put the requirement into the new RFP or contract requirements.  Suddenly, the urgency of Going Green got very real, and everyone sought a Green certification that put them into the contract opportunity.

Let me point out that you should avoid at all costs the scam online certifications.  You know the ones that charge you a fee to sign up; but never, ever see your business.  While deceitfully claiming that their online self-assessments are actually “audits,” they actually suggest that businesses be complicit in their Green fraud that is fully intended to deceive the public served by their greenwashed business hoax.  There are always knockoffs of the real thing, but without an actual audit, no Green certification is credible.

Well, getting back to the original thought, I just saw an article on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) that is described as: “The annual review of the DJSI family is based on a thorough analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, branding, climate change mitigation, supply chain standards and labor practices.”  Goldman Sachs has invested strongly in the Green energy sector, including the carbon credit exchanges.  These, and many other high-level companies certainly send a resounding message about the reality of Green business compliance in the future.

The newest and most impressive Green jobs is “Certified Sustainability Officer,” and it appears that this is the next necessary part to the Green business program.  The sustainability officer is the in-house Green officer that maps out the company’s Green program by developing a “Sustainability Plan” for the company.  Businesses finally understand that Going Green is not a one-time effort by a transition process that will take 3-5 years to complete.  The sustainability officer provides the constant support and input to make the sustainable practices ingrained into the daily fabric of the business.

So, all businesses are going to see increased pressure to Go Green through initiatives like Green Supply Chain, EPA’s Environmentally Preferred Purchasing, Triple Bottom Line, and Corporate Social Responsibility.  These various efforts are a call to integrity and follow through as a Green business.  We have spent a decade piecemealing our way to a Green operation, and it simply doesn’t work.  If your company plans to compete in the Green marketplace of tomorrow, it must become an authentically Green business.

There is actually only one sure method to eliminate greenwashing, and that is a certification process that comes from an independent third-party.  The difficulty to field hundreds of Certified Green Auditors is a task that only a few dedicated companies have accomplished.

We have all heard the 3BL motto by now.  As businesses become more attune to the environmental cause, the concept of planet, people, and profits is a good way of stating the case for an environmentally-friendly business.   It must be said, however, that Green has not always been the friend to business, and that there has been a segment of the environmental movement that were anti-business, anti-profit, and anti-everything.   Corporations were vilified as the polluters of the world, and large companies were viewed as killing the planet.  This was hard to take even if there was a measure of truth behind it.

Companies have begun to take their rightful place as community leaders in the Green and sustainable areas, which is a step in the right direction.  Nearly everyone has participated in the environmental problem.  This present dilemma is the result of everyone, but just a few offending companies.  We all need a kind of reality check that allows each person, each family, and every corporation to buy into the cure.  The environmental issues is a universal problems that requires universal participation.

This present the first reason to become a certified Green business.  It is your duty to be a part of the cure.   Business should lead, not follow, in this endeavor.  If the flow of public opinion was bad before, the best advice is to turn it around, and make it a rebranded asset.  Businesses do not want to kill the world or people, just in case anyone was wondering.  Public perception and a growing clientele is crucial to any business except bank robbers.  We all have to take the blame for our part in the problems of the past.  It is now time to step out and share in the challenge of the hour.

Going Green is also a great marketing opportunity.  Any improvement in your product or service is ample reason to retool your advertising and let the world know of your progress.  Going Green should not be a mere token efforts that are commonly known as Greenwashing and Green hype.  The effort should be wholehearted and proactive.  The fact is that this is an issue that is not going to go away.  Even without global warming, the population issues is immense, and we now know that our resources are limited.  Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the new word for businesses of all types.

The third positive motivation for Going Green is financial.  Profits are not a bad word, and if anyone doubts this, try giving up your paycheck for a month.  The new discovery for Green businesses is the efficiency and savings that now come with Going Green.  A LEED Green building often projects a 10, 15, or 20 return on investment.  The Green Business League projects a 1 to 2 year return on investment because the costs to Green up the business practices are not as heavy as a building or remodeling project.  Therefore, profits are predictably increased by installing a Green and sustainable program.

A hidden cost is one that no business wants to discover.  Environmental lawsuits have increased by 300% in the last several years, and this is due in part to the discoveries that the very air inside the building can aggravate health conditions and promote chronic health issues.  All it takes is an enterprising attorney with a recently medical finding that links substances in your building to health concerns.   This is a subject that no business should ignore.  If Going Green reduces potential lawsuits from sick employees, it becomes an instantaneous good idea.

It should also be apparent that regulation is not too far down the road.  Environmental compliance is better accomplished in stages than in a hurried rush to meet mandates.  In one example, Florida hotels were not given any state business unless they went Green.  Some hotels were already for the mandate, but others had to initiate a mad dash to comply.  The cost was immense, but the loss of state business was even more costly.  Taking a leadership role has value in any community.  The fact that we all know that this issue is going to be a standard part of doing business allows the astute business person to make the most of the task at hand.

Employee satisfaction and productivity is yet another boost to company profits.  Employees perceive that the company cares about them when they see a seriously Green effort.  Employee loyalty and appreciation is an asset to any company.  OSHA and EPA has cited that as much as $40 billion are lost in employee productive due to poor indoor air quality.  Even the casinos in Las Vegas pump in fresh oxygen to make people feel better and stay up longer.  The inclusion of something as simple as live plants instead of plastic or fabric plants will remove VOCs from the air and increase oxygen content.

Fighting back after years of negative impression, Going Green is not anti-business, too much trouble, or a poor investment.  As with many new programs, the Green business agenda did not emerge fully developed.  It was often faulty, awkward, and didn’t live up to expectations.  I had three sons who took time to turn into wonderful men as they matured into adult life.  Of course, they all had moments when I wondered if they wouldn’t self-destruct.  Green business is still in its infancy, but quickly emerging into something that we can all appreciate.

The loose belief  has been that Green was boldly anti-business and the haven of treehuggers.  Sustainability was the stronghold for the pragmatic business was the opposing side of the environmental street. This misguided beliefs made Going Green seem like a begrudging concession by business to a program that is merely an accommodation rather than a smart business decision.  This kind of latent negativism is not right and needs a new visitation to this subject.

Going Green is about the health impact of the workplace.  Sustainability is about the better management of our resources.  These are positives that every business can embrace.  What we are now realizing is that the necessary changes are not just good for the environment.  The investment in Green and sustainable practices has a payback that can be calculated in both soft and hard numbers.

Let me also point out that there have been a number of self-appointed and narrow-interest Green advisers who have not given business a holistic and pragmatic solution for the Greening of a business.  For example, buying carbon credits will not make a company Green because the company in question is still pouring carbon dioxide into the community.  The carbon credits are merely penance for their abuse.  If a well-designed sustainability plan is developed by a Certified Green Consultant, the orchestration of Green practices will achieve more than a Green operations.  It will undoubtedly save a company a great deal of money.

Whether a company retains a Certified Green Consultant or trains an in-house Certified Sustainability Officer, the multiply benefits are not just found in a passion for the the environment.  There is also the marketing value of a company that demonstrates corporate responsibility which is a great way to appeal to a worried world.  A healthier, less antagonistic workplace will certain discourage lawsuits from suffering employees.  However, every business is concerned about the return on investment.  Does it really pay to Go Green?

So, here’s the basic facts.  If business uses less electricity, less paper, less fuel, less water, and creates less trash; profits are increased.  If a healthier workplace and workers are empowered, doesn’t productivity reflect in more revenues?  If more customers are attracted to a Green certified company, won’t the annual report look better?  If energy rates go up, isn’t efficiency a increasing asset?   If the cost of trash is figured at $65 a ton with an escalating future cost, isn’t it a good idea to reduce packaging and cut paper use?

The investment in a Green business is certainly a noble effort, but it has potentially robust financial returns.  There is an efficiency that comes to doing the job in a committed and complete fashion.  This does not come from amateur efforts, but through the solid and professional advice of someone trained to create a sustainable plan.  It is fair to say that the ROI for a well-done sustainability plan is 12-24 months compared to LEED projections of 15-20 years for construction projects.  Going Green the right way is not just an investment.  It can be one of the best efficiency investments you might make.

Sustainability is about resource management.  Green, by comparison, looks more critically at the health issue of what we do.   They are related, but they are distinct segments of the environmental problem.  When we think of sustainable issues, it is normal to envision oil, gas, coal, or other commodities.  The latest concern is that water (drinkable water) is a pending crisis issue.  Even the present phobia about climate change could be eclipsed by a more devastating and pragmatic problem as the supply of water becomes a scarce resource.

We have a renewable but limited supply of water.  The obvious problem is that the world population is still growing to new and unprecedented proportions.  As the report shown above demonstrates the findings that global water demand will grow 40 percent from the present 4.5 billion m3 to 6,900 billion m3 by 2030.  (m3 = cubic meter).   As the world population is expected to soon exceed 7 billion people in the world and reach 9 billion people by 2025, some areas will exceed water supply by 50%.

This is a world crisis that will impact some countries more than others.   China, India, South Africa and Brazil account for 40 percent of the world’s population, 30 percent of the global GDP and 43 percent of projected water demand in 2030.   This is a stress that has impact on many areas of normal life.   The global water challenge includes competition for scarce water from multiple uses within a river basin, urbanization, sustainable growth in arid and semi-arid regions, and the relationship between water and energy. Water supply also impacts agriculture for food, feed, fiber and bio-energy as a key demand driver for water

The solutions for meeting this anticipated water solution are speculated to cost $40 to $60 billion in spending to close the gap on this pending issue.  Once again, we see the impact of environmental problems have financial impact on already trouble economies.  The financial impact will not be pure localized.  World crisis issues will put a premium on commodities that we all use.  Note how cheap oil was once, and how the supply and demand drives up the cost for everyone.

This brings us back to the subject of sustainability.  The present status of sustainable practices is most often superficial.  Whether the business is Going Green or applying sustainable practices, the full application of a sustainability plan is too often narrowly considered or superficial.   The reality is that greenwashing is the common practice of nearly every business because there is no way to adequately measure environmentally credible progress,

One company stands out from all the rest by setting a standard of performance that is comprehensive and provides a standard of performance.

Water management is part of the Sustainability plan that can be composed by a trained Sustainability Officer or a Certified Green Consultant.  Recently, President Obama signed Executive Order 13514 that requires a Sustainability officer for every government agency who will prepare a comprehensive sustainability plan.  It is well past time that self-proclaimed Green businesses step up to the commitment of the hour and train a Certified Sustainability Officer or hire a Certified Green Consultant to prepare a sustainability plan that will also allow the company to achieve a Green Business Certification that can be respected by the public and contribute the real problems of our lifetime.

Sustainable Business

The challenges faced by businesses today trying to Go Green are immense. We may innocently hope that the process is similar applying a fresh coat of paint.  It is not!  The task of Greening a business is often lightly planned, lightly accomplished, and the regular business of the company goes merrily on its way. The glaring issue is that environmentalism is progressive, not static. It is far too easy to fall into a “Token Green” belief that a little bit is good enough.

While we must acknowledge that every contribution, great or small, is valuable to the greater environmental issues; the immensity of the issue cannot be resolved by token Green efforts that do not carry through all needful parts of a Green business. Going Green, quite frankly, is a three to five year commitment! Even with that long-term commitment of a five year plan, the business must take proactive steps on a month-by-month schedule to reach a level of serious Greening.

If that shocks anyone, it reveals the poor perception of the immensity of this issue. There are hundreds of Green practices that must be gradually integrated into the daily operation. Business cannot be glib about the process. Greening any business is a substantial commitment that literally changes hundreds of simple and more complex activities of the daily operation. Therefore, rather than tackling the problem with the same vigor as the company might an inventory shortfall, it is very common to address the concern with superficial or token efforts that are thereafter promoted as a Green commitment.

The recent executive order #13514, gives any intelligent person a glimpse into the future. One clear mandate is the need to install a Green or Sustainability Office in the company. That Green Officer is going to be responsible to produce a sustainability plan for the business. As anyone can see from the executive order, the requirements go well beyond what most self-appointed Green companies offer.

Be aware that every business will eventually need a CSO (Chief Sustainability Officer) or CGO (Chief Green Officer) in the operation of the business.  The reason is that the progress and information required for an authentically Green business should not be a shallow effort.  The issues are real regardless of your opinion of global warming or diversion of your precious time.  The stress on world resources are immense. Even drinking water is deemed to be the next environmental crisis. We simply cannot continue consuming resources at an uncontrolled rate while providing band aids on gaping wounds.  We are quickly passing (or already have passed) the time of simple cures.