GREEN BUSINESS VIEWS

The role of the corporate sustainability office is finally getting traction.  Every company of some relative size will need a full or part time sustainability.  The reason is that the constant growth of mandated environmental compliance will require a person will the training to fill this duty.  The requirement of a sustainability officer is already seen in EO #13514, and while this applies to governments agencies; it is clear warning that every company will need a sustainability officer.

These in-house officers may be called Green officers, sustainability officer, or even environmental officers.  Whatever name they are given, the role of Chief Sustainability Officers (CSO) is to work with their organizations to measure and improve their business through the use of sustainable business practices.  When the company has made strides in its environmental plan, the next step is to seek certification of the company through an audit by a Certified Green Officer.

An October 2008 study conducted by the Hudson Gain Corporation of over 1200 participants found that only 191 actually have a dedicated sustainability professional.  And while the study concluded that firms with a CSO have a competitive advantage due to short-term cost savings and long-term efficiencies, the most overwhelming reason for incorporating green into a business plan rests on the idea that “if businesses do not operate in a way that ensures enough clean water, soil, air and energy to support growing populations, it will make it hard for any business to be in business.”

While the title of the CSO varies from company to company, the overall role is to lead the organization toward a greener tomorrow.

Generally, the Corporate Sustainability Officer reports directly to the CEO and oversees a group of direct and indirect reports who are involved in environmental health and safety, environmental stewardship and regulatory affairs as well as areas such as procurement, corporate communications and product development.   The challenges of now including an environmental agenda to the company’s overall operation requires the development of a sustainability plan.  This plan is a task-oriented outline of steps that should be taken and the supporting documentation related to costs, savings, and company benefits.

In general, the CSO and his team are responsible for reducing the organization’s environmental footprint as they identify new revenue opportunities. It is only a matter of time before the measuring of carbon emissions will be required as well.  The complexity of an accurate carbon calculation will take on the nature of a monthly accounting task.  However, carbon emissions will simply be a part of the other duties of a Green business.

Fortunately, all these environmental tasks are mostly about efficiencies.  Like the efficiency experts of the past that streamlined businesses and improved profits, the well-training Green officers will prove themselves by making a company more efficient, providing a healthier workplace for the employees, and making a meaningful contribution to the community.  Comparatively, the cost involved in the Greening of a business should return the investment many times over.

Training for the corporate sustainability officer is available online at: www.CorporateSustainabilityOfficer.com

The Green Business League encourages businesses of all sizes to install a sustainability officer and develop a sustainability plan.  As the company progresses in it environmental planning, the sustainability officer will bring in an independent auditor (Certified Green Consultant) to verify the improvements and authorize certification as a Green Business.  This outside validation is the only way to have a credible Green business certification.

In light of the numerous website certifications of Green business, companies are encouraged to reject Green certification with obvious greenwashing found on website certifications.  Paying for a certification logo by submitting a fee and completing self-assessment forms online is not only misleading to businesses, but presents a hoax on the public.  The credible process of working with a Certified Green Consultant and undergoing an independent audit is the only method to end greenwashing and demonstrate that a company is a verified Green Business.  See Article …

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