Blog

May 23, 2019

SR Inc’s 1st Quarter Symposium Includes Discussion of Impact that Rising Demand for ESG High-Performance Has on Corporate Operations

Sustainability Roundtable, Inc. (SR Inc) was pleased to host Executives for its 1^st quarter symposium in Denver, CO on March 15^th. During this meeting, in accord with the 2019 Sustainable Business & Enterprise Roundtable (SBER) Research Charter, SR Inc and Member-Clients reviewed the state of change regarding staffing, budgeting and resourcing sustainable operations programs to help enable enterprise-wide leadership on Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) issues. Key takeaways from the discussion are summarized below:

• The call for climate action has increased in intensity from a dull roar to an “ear-splitting wake-up call”
• Leading investors are requiring CEOs and BODs to develop, articulate, and have the board endorse ESG strategies
• Sustainable Operations managers can use leverage points to create leadership opportunities and initiate paradigm change
• Operational and Sustainability executives are increasingly offering ESG related leadership to realize the now BOD- and C-Suite-visible opportunity
• Growing interest in sustainability across key stakeholder groups has made sustainable operations a need-to-have program
• Sustainably Healthy Workplace initiatives provide an integrating, high visibility, opportunity for operations/CRE to lead on ESG
• Sustainably Healthy Workplace annual reports can provide an operations-controlled communication advancing the sustainability frame in a practical and visible manner for employees globally
• SR Inc Member-Clients have contributed to SBER’s database of best practices for staffing, budgeting, and resourcing Sustainable Operations programs to drive leadership in ESG

David Osborn, SR Inc’s COO and Senior Advisor kicked off the discussion by reviewing the rapid rise in assets tied to ESG, which have tripled in the last 6 years, now comprising $1 in every $4 of total U.S. assets under management. This striking growth trend is aligned with key stakeholder groups’ growing interest in/demand for sustainability programs. For example:

• 75% of millennial customers “definitely” or “probably will” change purchase habits to reduce environmental impact
• 79% of millennial’s consider a company’s social and environmental commitments when deciding where to work, and 89% believe it’s important for their employer to share goals and progress related to the company’s social & environmental commitments
• 34% of investors report nonfinancial performance is frequently pivotal in investment decision-making

This growing multi-stakeholder demand for robust sustainability strategies has helped move sustainability from being primarily a Marketing and EHS function to now being increasingly integrated into strategic operational functions of a company, including Facilities and Supply Chain. SR Inc has for multiple years been conducting primary research on best practices for staffing, resourcing and budgeting sustainable operations programs via its confidential Diagnostic & Assessment process and used this database, in part, to identify clients leading in this area. One such client is Oracle, who is highlighted in the following blog post entitled “Oracle Discusses Strategy for Staffing, Resourcing & Budgeting Global Sustainability Program.” The SBER has continued to build upon this conversation – as well as its investigation into best practices for Net Zero strategies – in the ensuing months and looks forward to meeting with Executives on June 20th at Uber’s Headquarters in San Francisco to share updates to our primary research and further the discussion.

 

As Senior Manager of Research & Consulting, Kelsey Wallace supports members of SR Inc’s confidential, strategic advisory & support service in their move to more sustainable high-performance. With several years experience at the intersection of business and sustainability, Kelsey provides specialized program assistance to clients on a one-to-one basis, supporting all aspects of strategy development and implementation for management teams overseeing corporate sustainability strategies, policies and projects. Prior to joining SR Inc, Kelsey worked for The Cadmus Group, where she provided technical support to the Environmental Protection Agency and US Green Building Council on projects to improve the sustainability of federal infrastructure. Kelsey also devoted a year to national service with the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps, where she worked on team-based conservation and community development projects throughout the Southwest United States. Kelsey has her B.A. in Environmental Studies from Connecticut College.