In a recent blog post, The Evolving Role of Chief Sustainability Officers published in the Harvard Business Review, the authors explore how the responsibilities and influence of Chief Sustainability Officers (CSOs) have changed. Notably, this role has become increasingly critical as organizations worldwide grapple with the challenges of sustainable development and corporate social responsibility. Today, we will summarize that article for you, highlighting the key takeaways you need to know!

This week, Singapore has proposed mandatory climate reporting for both private and public companies. This new regulation represents a significant move towards Sustainability and ESG in the Asia Pacific Region and aims to drive greater transparency, accountability, and responsible corporate behavior. Aligned with the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) this new regulation is lining Singapore up to rapidly become a sustainability leader in the region.

This week, global management and consulting firm, McKinsey & Company released a new report highlighting that a $4 trillion investment would be required to tackle the material shortages of key materials and achieve global decarbonization targets. This investment would be required to bridge the materials gap that is crucial to sustainability.

This week, The World Bank approved $1.5 billion in financing to support India's low-carbon transition. This approval represents a massive step towards addressing climate change and promoting sustainable development in India.

Since June 2019, the concept of achieving net zero emissions has gained significant traction across the globe. In 2021 following the UN Climate Summit in Glasgow (CO26) 90% of the global economy was on board with net zero plans. As the urgency to combat climate change grows, governments, subnational entities, and corporations are setting net zero targets to align with the goal of limiting global warming. As defined by the Net Zero Stocktate 2023 report there are three phases of net zero; accepting the principles of net zero, pledging to get there, and delivering on those pledges. Today we will provide a brief summary of the Net Zero Stocktake 2023 report, which analyzes the status and trends of net zero target setting.

10:49

Sustaira Summarizes: Net Zero Stocktate 2023

Collision is a leading tech conference where industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and investors come together to explore the latest in technological innovation. With a diverse range of topics such as AI, blockchain, cybersecurity, digital marketing, and sustainability, Collision provides a platform for networking, learning, and showcasing groundbreaking ideas and technologies. Attendees can partake in keynote presentations, panel discussions, and workshops while also discovering potential business opportunities. Collision is sure to foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing, making it a must-attend for professionals, startups, and tech enthusiasts alike. With that in mind, Sustaira is thrilled to announce our attendance alongside Siemens at Collision June 26-29th 2023.

With Sustainability and ESG disclosures becoming more and more prevalent across the world, the public sector is now seeing its first climate-related disclosure standard for governments and other private sector entities. The International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) has taken a proactive step towards developing a climate-related reporting standard specifically tailored for the public sector.

Today, in an effort to further enhance sustainability practices the European Commission has proposed a new regulation that seeks to foster greater transparency and regulatory scrutiny in the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) ratings industry. This development marks a crucial step in ensuring accurate and reliable ESG information for investors, companies, and stakeholders. The proposed regulation aims to address concerns surrounding the quality and reliability of ESG ratings, which play a pivotal role in guiding investment decisions and corporate sustainability strategies. By subjecting ESG ratings providers to greater regulatory scrutiny, the European Commission hopes to establish a robust framework that instills credibility, accountability, and transparency in the industry.

Realize LIVE, a premiere conference and exhibition lead by Siemens Digital Industries Software for the manufacturing industry, is back again with conference locations across the globe! Running in-person from June 12-15th 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada, and July 10th - 12th in Munich, Germany for those in Europe, as well as virtually in Japan on July 19th. Sustaira is thrilled to announce that they will participate as a speaker this year for both the Americas and Europe locations. You certainly won’t want to miss this!

Coming off the heels of Hannover Messe 2023, it’s clear that we are at the crux of a true paradigm shift when solving the Industrial ESG and Sustainability challenges many manufacturers are facing. These challenges, which we will dive into shortly, require a low-code digital paradigm shift. What does that mean exactly? Allow me to set the stage.

In recent years, with the rise of Sustainability and ESG across policies and media across the globe, there has been a surge in companies making green claims. However, these claims are not always what they seem to be raising concerns around greenwashing and misleading practices. To address this issue, the European Parliament is passing more policies to fight against greenwashing and promote genuine sustainability and ESG efforts and claims.

The modern workforce is undergoing a significant transformation as younger generations step into the spotlight, bringing with them a distinct set of values and priorities that challenge conventional notions of employment. Deloitte's recent report, titled "The Shifting Workforce: Exploring the Impact of ESG and Climate Concerns on Gen Z and Millennials," highlighted that the newer generations are leaving jobs due to misaligned ESG values and ESG concerns. Here, we will highlight some of the key takeaways from the report.

This week, there was a major turning point in the United States’ commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship. The Biden-Harris Administration's recent announcement of an unprecedented $11 billion investment plan for the creation of clean energy programs across rural America is the largest investment of this kind that the states have ever seen and is guaranteed to have residual impacts. This significant investment has the potential to accelerate the shift to renewable energy, stimulate economic growth, and combat climate change challenges.

After onboarding the first APAC customers, Sustainability and ESG software provider, Sustaira, announces their official expansion into the APAC Region with a new strategic regional partner.

The Dutch Association of Investors for Sustainable Development (VBDO), managing €10 trillion in assets, has called on corporations to accelerate action on plastics to reduce their environmental impact. The VBDO has called for corporations to set ambitious targets to reduce plastic use and eliminate single-use plastics to reduce their environmental impact. This call to action is expected to have significant effects on corporations across the globe in terms of sustainability and ESG.

In the the United States, flooding is the most expensive type of natural disaster and yet a new study highlighted this week by The Economist, suggests that including flood risk in the price of American homes could significantly lower their total value. The study estimates that accounting for flood risk could decrease the total value of American homes by as much as $187 billion, or 4.4%.

Earth Day coming up this weekend on Saturday April 22nd, have you taken a moment to consider how you will do your part this year?

This week, the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs), which includes the European Banking Authority (EBA), the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA), and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), have proposed amendments to extend and simplify sustainability disclosures for financial market participants under the EU's Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR). These proposed amendments come from the ESA requesting a review of the SFDR's indicators for principal adverse impact (PAI) and financial product disclosures.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, UNITED STATES, April 13, 2023 — Today, Sustaira and Sellen Construction announced their collaboration around innovative sustainability data tracking and reporting within the construction industry. In addition to Sellen’s use of Sustaira’s Carbon Accounting and ESG KPI Tracking apps, the two organizations co-created a new application within Sustaira’s suite of powerful sustainability and ESG tools. The new module provides sustainable construction professionals with a turn-key solution to track and report on relevant KPIs and initiatives with respect to carbon emissions, waste management water management, materials, and jobsite wellness relevant to general contractors. 

The United Nations, commonly known in the world of Sustainability and ESG for their leadership and advocacy in promoting sustainability particularly through their 17 Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) also offers completely free sustainability classes to all who would like to learn more! The United Nations has created what they call the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC). The UNSSC houses over 100 courses with topics to choose from that include but are not limited to: Diversity, equity and inclusion, sustainable development goals, stakeholder engagement, climate change, human rights, women leadership, and more.