Welcome to our ESG knowledge hub.
We're here to help you navigate your sustainability journey.
Fear of greenwashing drives marketer to found a sustainability tech start up.
As anyone in marketing knows, there can often be internal challenges between what a company would like to say they do and what they actually do.
“This is not a new problem, but it is new in terms of sustainability’’ says Founder and CEO, Felicity Christie. “As consumers demand goods from businesses with more responsible practices, and as governments increasingly regulate for these improvements, the pressure is on to be seen to be doing the right thing. But we’ve all seen the overstating of doing good and how that can backfire. Now there’s fear about committing to anything which is almost as bad.”
How important is the S and G in ESG? A discussion about more than just carbon.
Sustainability is often associated with being an environmental concept, but in actuality, it requires the harmony of multiple parts. For an organisation to be deemed sustainable, it must consider more than just the environment. An organisation could be offsetting its carbon emissions and planting trees, but if its supply chain supports modern slavery and its board is composed of members who have an interest in the continuation of burning fossil fuels, then would you really consider it sustainable?
What is scope 3 and why should I care?
When we talk about Greenhouse Gas emissions (GHG), there’s no one size fits all. That’s why you generally see them broken down into three categories, scope 1, 2, and 3. The term scope denotes the source of the GHG emissions or removals associated with an organisation’s activities, with scope 3 being one piece of the puzzle.
What motivates sustainability in the boardroom?
There are two things that generally motivate an organisation to take action: a carrot or a stick. When it comes to sustainability, the carrot up for grabs is improved brand reputation, green premiums, and the overall satisfaction of doing something that positively benefits the planet and its people.
In Case You Missed It
Business Survey: only a third of small Kiwi businesses prioritising climate action
The main finding in SBN's business survey found that SMEs know there are benefits to taking climate action but only 36% are making it a priority. Find out why.
Glossary
-
A token companies receive for carbon-offsetting initiatives. It represents the right to emit greenhouse gases and compensate elsewhere. One credit equals one ton of carbon dioxide reduced or removed. Owners can use credits to get closer to net-zero emissions.
-
The amount of carbon dioxide and methane produced by people, organizations, products, or practices.
-
A balance between carbon dioxide emissions and atmospheric carbon absorption. The calculation should result in zero.
-
An activity or purchase that compensates for carbon emissions. Examples include tree planting or land restoration. Businesses that create offset programs receive carbon tokens.
-
An economic system that keeps products in circulation by reducing material consumption, streamlining processes, and reusing waste.
-
Sustainable and ethical interests essential to an organization's financial and corporate interests.
-
Companies intentionally hiding sustainability goals to avoid greenwashing accusations or failure to meet stated goals.
-
Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxides in Earth's atmosphere trap the sun's heat, causing the greenhouse effect.
-
The total emissions of heat-trapping gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxides, and fluorinated gases like hydrofluorocarbons.
-
A globally recognized framework for managing and reporting greenhouse gas emissions from private and public sector operations, value chains, and mitigation actions.
-
Deceptive or misleading claims or actions by an organization, product, or service, suggesting a positive environmental impact, whether intentional or unintentional.
-
Companies or countries that emit comparatively high volumes of greenhouse gases. National emissions are measured per capita.
-
Investing in companies that create measurable, positive change in the world, also known as socially responsible investing.
-
A process used to identify and prioritize the sustainability issues that are most significant (or ‘material’) to an organization or industry.
-
The result of reducing greenhouse gas emissions as close to zero as possible and balancing remaining emissions with removals.
-
A legally binding international treaty on climate change, adopted at the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference, aiming to limit global warming to a 1.5°C temperature increase by the end of the century.
-
A categorization method developed by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, helping organizations identify and manage their emissions.
-
Direct emissions from an organization's operations, such as running machinery, manufacturing, driving vehicles, heating buildings, and powering devices.
-
Indirect emissions from an organization's energy purchase and usage. Investing in renewable energy can help reduce these emissions.
-
Indirect emissions from an organization's customer and supplier activities, which are challenging to track.
-
In sustainability, traceability helps identify, track, and verify the origin and journey of materials, commodities, and sustainability claims throughout the value chain.
-
The practice of meeting current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. Sustainability balances environmental protection, human well-being, and economic development.
Join our waitlist to stay informed about our innovative sustainability platform.
By being part of the waitlist, you'll have the opportunity to gain early access and accelerate your business's sustainability growth while positively impacting people and the planet.