The Elephant in the Room: Carving Up Scope 3 Emissions Across a Value Chain

For a Fortune 1000 company today, it is easy to be casual about Scope 3 emissions. When it comes to measurement guidance, the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) GHG Protocol considers the quantification of Scope 3 emissions as optional when preparing an overall corporate GHG inventory.

As for current or pending regulation, it is unlikely that companies will be held accountable for their Scope 3 emissions. And when it comes to reputation, it is understandable that companies choose to ignore a category that typically represents an exponentially larger footprint than their Scope 1 and 2 emissions. Logical decisions all.

But in the aggregate, these decisions have led to three unintended effects: one pedantic, one peculiar and one perilous.... Check out the full article from Emma Stewart,Corporate Environmental Strategy Consultant.

"Lost Generation": A Sustainability Manifesto

Flips everything on its head.
...have a look.

Ray Anderson on Sustainability

Ray Anderson is founder and chairman of Interface Inc., the world's largest manufacturer of modular carpet for commercial and residential applications and a leading producer of commercial broadloom and commercial fabrics.

He is "known in environmental circles for his advanced and progressive stance on industrial ecology and sustainability." Since 1995, he has reduced Interface's waste by a third, and plans to make the company sustainable by 2020.

Alex Steffen: "A Shpiel on Sustainability"

An intro to sustainability, its challenges and opportunities:

The Story of Stuff

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns.

The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

Carbon Footprint Reduction Services

There are numerous services that allow you to pay into a fund to offset your carbon footprint. But how does it actually work?


Let Carbon Foresight show you the right way of doing things.

Source: Thanks to 'the onion'

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

In light of the US housing crash, the financial meltdown, and some form of impending recession - the big question is whether corporate sustainability is only a luxury to be had when economic times are good or is CSR even more fundamental to success in this new ‘environment’. Will consumers and corporations revert back to their traditional bottom line focus or will these events trigger a mushrooming rejection of a greed culture and the possible emergence of a new way of doing business?

As is usually the case, the reality will likely reflect neither of these extremes. However, one common element we are likely to see is that a thoughtful, well implemented sustainability strategy will yield benefits in any economic landscape - good or bad.

In difficult times, organizations are looking to trim costs and boost productivity across the organization - from reducing discretionary travel and property costs, to increasing employee efficiency. Companies are also looking to keep existing customers and grow their business but not by cutting prices or risking quality. A properly implemented and communicated sustainability strategy allows your organization to differentiate itself to customers and employees while cutting energy and other costs.

In good times, organizations are looking to keep their best and brightest and attract the leading talent in their industry. They are also looking ahead to see the next opportunity while hedging against any possible risk. Again, an effective sustainability strategy can put your organization ahead of others with minimal investment and risk.

In this particular time of turmoil, we could be witnessing a broad cultural shift in which new forms of value might take shape. Sustainability offers a lens through which an organization might find it's next incarnation - one for the 21st century. More on this next time...

Up, down, or sideways - sustainability will help guide your organization through turbulent times.