Can Moving Be Sustainable?

By: Alexandra Kueller

“So how sustainable was moving to your new place?” When’s the last time...I mean first time you have ever heard that? The truth is that most of us have never even considered sustainability when relocating much less being asked. Moving can require multiple trips between locations, frequent stops at gas stations, and continuous “last minute” shopping jaunts because you forgot that one item – multiple times. Needless to say, moving isn’t the most sustainable activity one can partake in.

Late this spring, I received (and accepted!) a job offer from SSC. And with this job being located in Lynchburg, Virginia, I had the "pleasure" of completing a 13 hour move from Chicago. Having finished school, I had very little to my name, and new furniture was in my immediate future. I tried my best to transport as many things as I could or pick up the remainder in Lynchburg, but some large items would simply not fit in my tiny car.  Should I rent a U-Haul or have the large items shipped? Shipping won because the cost was much cheaper through Macy’s delivery program.

Macy’s uses a third party vendor, Home Direct USA (other big retailers, such as Target and Williams-Sonoma, use this company as well), to ship large items. They have a policy stating that they will deliver all the furniture at once – no multiple trips (unless I wanted to pay a $300 fine each time!). On its face, Macy’s delivery seemed to be a good, sustainable decision, and I felt even more comfortable knowing Macy’s (as well as Target and Williams-Sonoma) has a sustainability initiative.

When it came time for my furniture to be delivered, it did not come all at once or even in two separate deliveries, but rather three separate deliveries. Not only were did having three separate deliveries seem illogical, it was highly unsustainable! Given my education background, I started to wonder how much more CO2 was emitted due to the extra deliveries. After some research, I found an emissions factor to calculate the kg CO2 emitted for a delivery truck. Here is what I found:

Calculating a baseline

I needed to figure what was the total amount of carbon emissions from all of the deliveries. The distance from the warehouse (in Richmond) to my apartment is 115 miles and the total weight of all my deliveries was 225 pounds or .1125 short-tons. When calculating the miles, the weight, and the emissions factor (.297 kg CO2/short ton-mile), the total amount of emissions was 3.84 kg CO2.

Calculating the extra deliveries

Having two additional deliveries meant that the delivery truck had to go out of its way to come to my apartment. One of the delivery guys said that he came from Roanoke before coming to Lynchburg, so I am using the assumption that both of the deliveries came from Roanoke to help make the calculation simpler.

The distance from Roanoke to Lynchburg is about 57.5 miles, and the weight of each delivery was 50 pounds or .025 short tons, and when multiplied by the emissions factor (.297 kg CO2/short ton-mile) and by 2 for each delivery, the total amount of extra emissions was .852 kg CO2. While .852 kg CO2 might seem like a lot, it actually accounts for an additional 22.2% of carbon emissions (extra deliveries divided by the baseline).

I’m sure Home Direct does not always take three tries to deliver furniture, yet my fears were not allayed by the fact that they have some of worst customer reviews on the internet (just do a quick google search).While environmental concern is just one part of sustainability, the importance of stakeholders is another. Macy’s has made a pledge to be more sustainable, and I think it’s time for them to examine their vendors to see if they are adding to or detracting from their sustainability mission.

Moving is not always sustainable, but can weddings be sustainable? Read our blog entry to see if a sustainable wedding is possible!

How Will the New European Union Corporate Sustainability Mandate Affect U.S. Companies?

By: Alexandra Kueller

Earlier this year, the European Parliament adopted a new corporate sustainability reporting disclosure mandate (the Directive). This Directive coming from the European Union will require certain companies to begin publicly reporting on environmental and social strategies, policies, programs, and actions. Since a number of US companies are listed on the EU exchange, many of them will have to incorporate the Directive into their own reports. With the Directive coming into full effect this fall, let’s take a look at what this means for US companies:

Who has to disclose and report?

According the Directive, the US companies that will be affected must meet all three of the following:

1. Public-interest entities with
2. 500 or more employees, and
3. A balance sheet of €20M or more OR a net turnover of €40M or more

The important thing to note is that if your US company is listed on EU regulated markets and meets the (2) and (3) conditions, you will have to follow the new mandate.

What will the U.S. reports have to contain?

The Directive states that companies will have to at least contain information on the following:

• Environmental impacts: renewable energy, GHG emissions, water use, air pollution, etc.
• Social and employee matters: actions taken to ensure gender equality, respect for the right of workers and trade union rights, health and safety and working conditions, social dialogue and engagement, etc.
• Respect for human rights: information on prevention of human rights abuses, etc.
• Anti-corruption and bribery: programs in place in order to fight anti-corruption and bribery, etc.
• Diversity of management bodies: age, gender, education and professional background of the administrative and management staff, etc.
• A description of the business model, outcomes, policies, principle risks and relevant non-financial KPIs

The EU mandate directs companies to already existing and recognized frameworks, such as the GRI or the UN Global compact.

What should U.S. corporate leaders be doing now?

If you’re one of the US companies that falls under the new Directive, make sure that you get your company prepared to report on all of the new requirements if you aren't already doing so. Make sure you give yourself enough time to organize everything, gather the appropriate data, create reporting material, etc. because it does not happen overnight. The best thing for you to do is to be prepared.

Want to learn more about sustainability reporting? Read more about the topic in our white paper here.

The Business Case for Diversity

By: Alexandra Kueller

Last week, SSC attended the B Corp Inclusion Academy in Richmond. The day-long event was presented by Tiffany Jana and Matthew Freeman of TMI Consulting and focused on the specific diversity and inclusion challenges many B Corps face. A variety of Virginia B Corps were represented at the Inclusion Academy, which brought many different backgrounds and experiences to the table.

The day was filled with discussions, ranging from a focus on our own personal diversity to recognizing biases in the work place. At the core of the event, the message was clear: what is the business case for diversity? We all know that diversity is important and needed, but why? How can we, as B Corps, help bring diversity to our businesses? What is stopping us? These are just some of the questions we faced and discussed at length. Here are some of the key takeaways from the Inclusion Academy:

Why Diversity?

There was a point during the day when we were all asked a simple question: why diversity? Why is diversity important? Why is it needed? Why should businesses care? One by one, we all went around the room stating why we needed diversity. So why do we, as companies, need diversity? Here are some of the answers everyone came up with:

• For different perspectives
• Creating cultural relationships
• Allowing for innovation and engagement
• Keeping your customer base in mind
• Benefits in recruiting
• Help with marketing
• B Corp credibility
• Helping unlock your brain's creativity

Don’t let your bias stop you

Bias exists. After all, we're only human. But is our unconscious bias showing up at, and even in, our work? One of the exercises at the Inclusion Academy was focused on helping us recognize some our biases. If we start to recognize our biases, we can then move forward in trying to stop them. This can allow for better work and a better workplace environment. Hopefully with the recognition of our unconscious biases, we can then strive to make our businesses even more diverse.

Can diversity help create social good?

As a B Corp, we are focused on creating a better world, whether through the environment or through social change. So is it possible for diversity to help aid that? We were asked what exactly is the social good our company is trying to create. Once cognizant of what we're trying to bring forward, how would creating a diverse workforce help the social mission? Hearing the other companies talk about their individual social missions allowed for great discussion on how diversity can further their company and social mission.

Interested to learn more about B Corps? Check out some of our Featured B Corp of the Month blogs