Plastic Scourge Threatens Business As Usual

While plastic is great for holding beverages, what would you do with 77 lbs. of it?

You can also sit on plastic. I read that you can manufacture 77 colorful plastic benches from 38,800 pounds of plastic or about 400 lbs. for each one.

Then there’s the story about the one that didn’t get away. Curators at a natural history museum in Davao City, the Philippines, got a call from the local marine agency: An emaciated-looking whale in the Davao Gulf was vomiting blood, listing badly as it swam, and was very likely going to die shortly. The caller urged the agency to come pick up its body.

When they brought the whale back to the lab to open it up for a necropsy, the scientists found something shocking: more than 88 lbs. of plastic waste jammed into its belly. They found plastic bursting out of its stomach. They pulled out the first bag, then the second. They filled 16 rice sacks on top of the plastic bags, and snack bags, and big tangles of nylon ropes.

As a point of comparison, the Plastic Garbage Project estimates worldwide use per capita stands at about 35 kilos or 77 lbs. That’s a lot of polymers.

Yes, humanity is faced with a staggering plastic problem that is expected to grow by leaps and bounds in the next ten years and beyond. Mankind has evolved to the point where we depend on plastic, which we find everywhere within our reach, but now we’re drowning in it – or becoming encased in it.

Plastics consist of long molecular chains, known as polymers, created by linking the same repeated building element (monomer). Synthetically produced plastics are made from mineral oil, coal, or natural gas. A total of 4 percent of the worldwide production of oil and gas is destined for the manufacture of plastics.
In addition to synthetic plastics there are also the semi-synthetics that are made from natural polymers such as cellulose. Today, organic plastics made from sustainable raw materials are being produced in increasing amounts.
The most common types of plastics, known as the mass plastics, are: polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC, polystyrene, PET, and polyurethane.

An estimated 1.3 billion tons (or more than 300 lbs. per person) of plastic is destined for our environment – both on land and in the ocean - by 2040, unless worldwide action is taken, according to a global model of the scale of the plastic problem over the next 20 years, reported the BBC.

Dr. Costas Velis from the University of Leeds was quoted as saying that the number was “staggering” but that we had “the technology and the opportunity to stem the tide.”

“This is the first comprehensive assessment of what the picture could be in 20 years’ time,” Velis explained. “It’s difficult to picture an amount that large, but if you could imagine laying out all that plastic across a flat surface, it would cover the area of the UK 1.5 times.” That’s 93,628 mi² times 1.5.

To turn this complex problem into numbers, the researchers tracked the production, use and disposal of plastic around the world. The team then created a model to forecast future plastic pollution. What they called a “business as usual” scenario – based on the current trend of increasing plastic production and no significant change in the amount of reuse and recycling – produced the 1.3 billion ton estimate.

By adjusting their model, the researchers were able to project how much different interventions would affect that number; they tweaked their model to increase recycling, reduce production and replace plastic with other available materials.

Winnie Lau from the US-based Pew Charitable Trusts, which funded the research, told BBC News that it was vital to put in place every possible solution. “If we do that,” she said, “we can reduce the amount of plastic that goes into the ocean by 2040 by 80%.” In other words there would be fewer plastic bottles bobbing up and down in the waves.

Steps the researchers called for included:

§     reducing growth in plastic production and consumption

§     substituting plastic with paper and compostable materials

§     designing products and packaging for recycling

§     expanding waste collection rates in middle/low-income countries and supporting the "informal collection" sector

§     building facilities to dispose of the 23% of plastic that cannot be recycled economically, as a transitional measure

§     reduce plastic waste exports 

Indeed, the crisis of plastics in our lives generally, and our oceans and waterways specifically, is a man-made crisis. We made the plastic, we dumped the plastic, and so the “good news” is that we can clean up the plastic. If we set our minds to the task.

But even if “all feasible action” was taken, Velis explained, the model showed there would be 710 million extra tons of plastic waste in the environment in the next two decades.

There is no “silver bullet solution,” for the plastic problem. But an often overlooked issue that this study highlighted was the fact that an estimated 2 billion people in the Global South have no access to proper waste management. “They have to just get rid of all their rubbish, so they have no choice but to burn or dump it,” said Velis.

And despite playing a major role in reducing global plastic waste, the roughly 11 million waste pickers – people who collect and sell reusable materials in low-income countries – often lack basic employment rights and safe working conditions.  

The oceans and adjacent waterways are important resources to maintain, clean and preserve, but they are not the only victims of this scourge.

Such a dramatic glut of plastic, which is virtually indestructible, would also affect land masses and life and commerce in all locations. Much of the plastic ends up in landfills, where it may take up to 1,000 years to decompose, leaching potentially toxic substances into the soil and water. Studies estimate that one third of all plastic waste ends up in soils or freshwater.

The public backlash against single use plastics is not the only consideration for businesses though it is a powerful one. Client Earth, the environmental lawyers, have just published Risk unwrapped: Plastic pollution as material business risk. Major companies face serious material business risks for their involvement in creating plastic waste, a new report shows. The report Risk unwrapped: Plastic pollution as material business risk details four types of business risk that companies may be exposed to and sets out the legal obligations on their directors to take action to deal with these risks. These include companies facing significant transition risks from fast-moving regulation, as well as major reputational damage for being perceived to be exacerbating the plastic crisis.

As with many business decisions, the customer is always right. Today, consumers demonstrate support for an issue with their purchases. Consideration for sustainability, organics, equality, inclusion, environmentalism and other such topics will not only ensure that the planet is healthy but also that your business prospers.

Tell your business and trading partners and customers that you’re involved in reducing plastic waste.

The Business Landscape has Changed

If you were to wake up years in the future like Woody Allen in the 1973 comedy “Sleeper,” you’d be surprised by what has changed in your life. Normality and almost everything that you have known to be true.

That in a broad brushstroke summarizes expectations of what business, interpersonal relations, recreation, education, sports and other activities will look like after the coronavirus pandemic dissipates.

Yesterday, on Good Morning America, New York’s Gov. Andrew Cuomo opined when asked about schooling in September that he doesn’t know if schools will be open or not. Furthermore, he said, if someone offers a reply in any direction, don’t believe it. That means that no one, regardless of how educated or experienced they are, really knows what to expect in the near or distant future. SWAG is the name of the game.

So what should we do? What should business owners and entrepreneurs do to survive – not to mention thrive – until better times?

Basically, read as much as you can, listen to as many experts as you can, consult with as many smart people that you can, follow the rules and regulations, and then plan your steps to recovery meticulously, skillfully and effectively.

The road to recovery, relaunch or reopening of your business is a minefield with all sorts of obstacles not the least of which is the continuing prevalence of the disease itself. This fact alone has transformed people’s mentalities and made their manners unpredictable.

While coronavirus is being contained on one side of the country, it is spreading or spiking in other parts. It may be under control in one neighborhood of your marketplace while spreading on the other side of town.

As of this writing, the US death toll from the coronavirus illness is approaching 120,000, amid reports that nine states are recording either single-day record numbers of cases or their highest seven-day new case averages, indicating they are not managing to contain the spread. Some experts foresee between 130,000 and 140,000 deaths by the Fourth of July. Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina and Texas are seeing infections climb, according to a Washington Post analysis. The COVID-19 pandemic has killed some 445,000 globally already.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases, said the current talk of a second wave of infections is irrelevant because the country is still dealing with the first wave. “We are seeing infections to a greater degree than they had previously seen in certain states, including states in the southwest and in the south,” Fauci said. “I don’t like to talk about a second wave right now, because we haven’t gotten out of our first wave.”

Nostradamus Arises

But Nostradamus predictions by reputable experts of a deadlier second wave in the fall are visible throughout the Internet, poisoning consumers’ behavior. Peering farther into the future, some analysts say there is at least a one-in-three chance that at least one of four major tail risks will occur within the next decade with major power outages as electrical power grids are disrupted: a major influenza pandemic killing more than 2 million people; a globally catastrophic volcanic eruption; a major solar flare; or a global war. Adjust the time frame to two decades, then there is a 56% chance of one of these disasters occurring, the analysts say, based on various studies and risk assessments.

After weeks at home, a stagnant economy, rising unemployment, padlocked businesses, schools and places of entertainment, and fear, the country is reawakening. Sadly, Americans aren’t cooperating with experts’ advice and frantically escaping their corrals, contributing to spikes and record numbers of hospitalizations as thousands more Americans get infected every day.

“We’re going to have to face the harsh reality in some states that we may need to shut down again,” Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a professor at George Washington University School of Medicine, was quoted as saying.

“Because of quarantine fatigue, because of the economic effects of quarantine, another round of shutdowns might have even larger effects on businesses that may be on the edge of not being able to stay solvent," warned Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

Experts offer three suggestions on curbing the spread of coronavirus: social distancing, masks and washing hands. Based on limited compliance with the first two it could then be safe to say that handwashing is also being belittled.

Gallup reported that about 67% of women said they had worn a mask outside their homes, compared with 56% of men, which was based on a random sample of 2,451 adults in the United States and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points. President Trump notoriously falls into the category of abstainers. Without delving into partisan affiliations, the survey found that people who live in a county that has recorded at least one coronavirus-related death are more likely to wear masks than people who live in counties that have recorded no deaths from the virus, according to the Gallup poll. Those who decline to wear masks say donning them is a sign of weakness or an infringement on their freedom of choice.

In New York City, some 80% of residents while nearly 79% of Los Angeles residents said they always wear masks in public, according to a nationally representative survey published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, outside of the two cities, 60% of Americans responded that they always wear masks in public.

Americans’ anarchistic and anti-science thinking will not benefit their communities, businesses and the world in the long run.

Feelings of Good Times Evaporate

Ironically, leading up to the pandemic catastrophe, small businesses had been optimistic about their prospects in 2020. Sales projections looked good. Then the bottom fell away. According to Princeton Economics, this spring surveyed small business owners were already severely impacted by COVID-19-related disruptions: 60% had already laid off at least one worker. Business owners’ expectations about the future were negative and deteriorated over time, with 37% of respondents in the first week reporting that they did not expect to recover within two years. That number grew to 46% by April 19. The proportion reporting that they didn’t expect to ever recover decreased by 0.4 percentage points per day, with only half of respondents believing their business would never recover within two years by the final week of the survey.

A recent study for the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research showed the number of active business owners in the United States had plunged by 3.3 million or 22% from February to April when the coronavirus shut down the economy, the steepest decline on record.

There is no question we are entering a deep and sharp recession, unfamiliar to economists as the virus is unfamiliar to the medical profession. Forecasters keep revising their predictions downward, with some now seeing an up to 40% drop in second quarter GDP.

Projected damage varies by industry. Overall, 38% of the small firms think they would still be open after a six-month crisis, but that drops to 27% for tourism and lodging firms, and only a 15% survival rate for restaurants.  And, as the authors note, entrepreneurs are notoriously optimistic, so “true survival rates may be even lower.” 

From a macroeconomic standpoint, the swiftness of closings is the biggest problem. Normally, around a third of small firms with employees fail in their first two years, and only about 50% survive for five years. But the pandemic crisis is compressing these closures into a very short time, which in turn drives down overall economic demand, in a negative spiral.

The economic toll from the first round of shutdowns has been staggering. More than 44 million people in the United States have filed for initial unemployment benefits since mid-March. The prognosis for a quick and painless recovery is not great. Many large and small businesses have already closed their doors while others face this unfortunate demise in the future. Everyone is loving their nerves.

According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), a small business is any firm with 1–499 employees. Under this definition, small businesses make up 47.3% of all private-sector employees but a whopping 61% of new jobs. So even a minor disruption in small businesses could affect a large portion of employees and the economy, especially during attempts at recovery. Seven and a half million small businesses will shut permanently if business disruption caused by COVID-19 continues unabated, according to a new survey from Main Street America. 

That sounds the death knell for a vital segment of America that is dependent on regular economic prosperity.

Reopening Steps in New Jersey

Unable to keep small business owners closed, governors are allowing them to open gradually their doors and begin servicing customers. For example, New Jersey’s Gov. Phil Murphy order provided clarification on how other businesses in the state may function, stating that:

• Restaurants and indoor recreational and entertainment businesses are permitted to allow individuals to tour their facilities for event-planning purposes, but such individuals must wear face coverings at all times and the facility may not provide food or drink tastings or samplings;

• Students, who may be accompanied by parents or guardians, may enter school premises to retrieve personal belongings from lockers, classrooms, or other areas;

• Open houses to view real estate are permitted, provided they comply with the restrictions on indoor gatherings, including the requirement that attendees wear face coverings;

• Bicycle shops, boat dealerships, car and used car dealerships, farming equipment stores, federal firearms licensees, livestock feed stores, mobile phone retail and repair shops, motorcycle dealerships, and nurseries and garden centers can operate according to the requirements placed on essential retail businesses;

• All car washes can operate according to the requirements placed on essential retail businesses;

• Yard and garage sales are permitted subject to the requirements on indoor gatherings, but municipalities shall have the discretion to impose additional restrictions on these sales;

• Special events, including fireworks displays, at public and private beaches, boardwalks, lakes, and lakeshores are permitted, subject to the restrictions on outdoor gatherings; and

• Shared space tutoring service facilities remain closed to students and clients.

These are more or less comparable across the country.

You may be chomping at the bit to open your business after weeks of being closed down, but it’s important to do so carefully. Budget for the new expenses you might face, assess your staffing needs, and continue adapting to these turbulent times so your business can survive the pandemic, and perhaps even thrive during it.

Erratic Consumer Behavior

Consumers’ behavior will impact your business because you will have to decide how to deal with those who aren’t ready to comply with the safety rules and regulations. Will you sell to them? Will you allow them into your place of business without face coverings?

To protect your customers and employees you may have to consider taking everyone’s temperature. However, will temperature checks make workplaces safe? According to experts, no, not completely. They can help reduce the risk of COVID-19 infections but shouldn’t be the only safety measure employers take.

Business owners, managers and employers should be aware that screening for fevers alone won’t eliminate risk. This becomes a new task for the human resources staff. People with the virus can be contagious without a fever, so it’s still important for employers to increase space between workers, disinfect surfaces and encourage hand washing. Employers have been seen installing Purell or other hand-washing stations in their places of business. A person’s temperature can be taken with a no-touch infrared thermometer pointed at the forehead, and workers can use the devices to take their own temperatures, using hand sanitizer before and after.

Restaurants are typical examples of small businesses and because they deal with food preparation and hungry patrons they’re under tighter scrutiny than other enterprises. They are also suffering more than others.

New research from the National Restaurant Association indicates that the restaurant industry has lost $120 billion in sales during the last three months due to the impact of coronavirus in the United States.

State mandated stay-at-home policies and forced closures of restaurants resulted in losses of $30 billion in March, $50 billion in April, and another $40 billion in May.

The association’s latest operator survey drew more than 3,800 responses, illustrating the extensive damage to restaurant businesses since the outbreak began. It found that the restaurant industry, which experienced the most significant sales and job losses of any industry in the country in the first quarter of 2020, expects to lose $240 billion by the year-end.

Social Distancing Leads to New Restaurant Budget

The social distancing requirement will certainly affect restaurants’ already impacted bottom lines. Foodservice operators need a pre-determined amount of sales per table to be profitable and the six-foot prerequisite will certainly erode their profits.

While waiting to open for al fresco or inside dining, many restaurants have been offering takeout service, which has its own set of new supplies, equipment and cost demands.

Like many retailers and other professions, foodservice also has had to invest in personal protective equipment such as overalls, masks and gloves, which is an extra costly line item. As a result, some American and Canadian restaurants have been seen adding a noticeable COVID-19 surcharge to their receipts totaling 5% of the bill. Will consumers accept that freely?

When given a choice between shopping and dining, consumers have chosen the former. That’s the finding from the latest survey from S&P Global Market Intelligence, which polled 1,250 people between April 30 and May 18. When restrictions let up, 44% of consumers said they planned to head back to stores. But only 31% said they’d dine out. After three months, the dine-out result rose to 40%.

Not that it should deteriorate to a battle between the two business segments, but restaurants can improve their odds by demonstrating the integrity of their menu selections at the time of the pandemic, offer patrons a pleasant and inviting ambiance, and assure them of a safe and healthy environment.

When you’re opening the doors to your business – food or non-food, you should pay attention to these issues: Safety and sanitizing procedures, your staffing needs, and being flexible with your business model.

The latter two points suggest that you should consider temporary staffing adjustments or reductions and not being married to your original business plan if you want to survive.

According to Luke Saunders, founder-CEO of the Farmer’s Fridge vending company, the future of the food business will be different. Among the differentiating points to consider are: food safety will be the new organic question, patrons will trim food-away-from-home budgets, closing the kitchen to the public eye, no more self-serve, 50% fewer tables, lines will not be a sign of success but rather poor management, limited menus and technology dominance.

The CDC recommends that restaurant layouts should be modified to allow for at least six-foot social distancing by marking tables that are not in use. Physical guides, such as tape on floors or sidewalks and signage, should also be used. Crowds should be discouraged through the use of phone apps, text technology, or signs to alert patrons when their table is ready. Buzzers and other shared objects should not be used, and self-serve food and drink options such as buffets, salad bars and drink stations should be avoided.

New Supermarket Traffic Patterns

In supermarkets, consumers that had begun to drift to the fresh produce sections have been seen wandering into the center aisles to buy packaged and dry goods. But COVID-19 quarantines and lockdowns have reversed the fresh trend, with shoppers clearing out shelf-stable products in recent months. 

Nielsen data sent to Food Dive showed exponential growth in these categories over the last nine weeks. Beans saw 82.1% growth, canned and pouch tuna jumped 75.6% and rice sales increased 84.5%​, according to Nielsen figures. 

“During the pandemic, consumers have begun to find comfort and a sense of safety in making sure they have enough food on hand,” Melanie Zanoza Bartelme, global food analyst at Mintel, told Food Dive. “Shelf-stable goods like beans and tuna offer a long shelf life and will 'be there' when consumers need them.”

This touches upon another consumer issue. I’ve seen shoppers obnoxiously defy supermarket traffic patterns clearly displayed on the floor that are intended to limit encounters in narrow aisles.

With the hint of reopening in the air, retail sales in May showed a 17.7% increase, the Department of Commerce announced, numbers that stood in sharp relief to the two previous months – there was a 14.7 percent drop in April and an 8.3 percent decline in March. However, The New York Times reported, “the underlying data presents a more complicated picture and shows just how arduous an economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic will be.

“The May numbers followed two months of record declines, and overall sales were still down 8% from February. Some categories, like clothing, were down as much as 63% from a year earlier. And many of the stores and restaurants that welcomed back customers last month did so with fewer employees, reflecting a permanently altered retail landscape and an ominous sign for the labor market.”

The story notes that “May’s retail sales figures became the latest data point fueling the debate in Washington and on Wall Street about whether a broad reopening of businesses will cause the economy to snap back quickly or if additional stimulus measures are needed.”

While competition among all businesses will be stiffer as the country opens up, those firms that demonstrate strict and visible adherence to official Centers for Disease Control regulations will edge out their competitors. Successful businesses will have to be quicker in launching new products and new marketing campaigns. They should take advantage of seasonal events that are celebrated, often worldwide, every year to promote their businesses such as Valentine's Day, Christmas, Black Friday, Easter, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Chinese New Year, Halloween, Mother's Day and Father’s Day. Seasonal stories also include the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn/fall, and winter.

Pitching seasonal stories is a great way of getting regular media exposure and as the event happens at the same time every year, business owners can prepare for them in advance and use the same or similar angle year after year. Journalists accept story ideas that are current which makes seasonal stories very attractive to them and the good news is linking your business to a seasonal event and coming up with a seasonal story can be easy.

Digital Economy to be Key

We are heading into an intensified digital marketplace after coronavirus with consumers favoring online purchases rather than in person. Business owners can also benefit from this trend. Nearly 1/3 of small business owners have admitted that without digital tools they would have had to close all or part of their business during the COVID crisis. American small businesses are relying more on digital tools during the COVID crisis, with 76% saying that they’re relying more on digital tools to run their business. One-third of small businesses say that they will rely more on digital tools moving forward from the COVID crisis. A lot of business owners have learned from COVID-19 the importance of adapting. As you reopen, think about the evolving needs of customers & aim to accommodate. 40% of small businesses say they’ve relied on digital tools to find new customers during the #COVID19 crisis; 36% say they have used digital tools to pivot to online sales.

If you’re stuck coming up with a course of action, consider a Bloomberg discovery. In December 2017 Bloomberg made headlines when it published a report that suggested inclusive teams made better decisions up to 87% of the time. The report also noted that having more inclusive decision-making led to swifter decisions. As a contemporary solution, inclusiveness takes into account race, gender, age, and physically challenged people.

Recent newspaper articles have observed that the governments that have apparently dealt well with the COVID-19 pandemic, such as New Zealand, Germany and Taiwan, are those that have women in key positions. A wider analysis will be needed in due course to decide if the mere presence of women makes a difference, but a 2019 World Economic Forum report noted that having women in decision-making positions across different state-level governments in Canada made a measurable difference to health.

In order to attract and keep employees, you may have to consider new perks for them. Two hot ones nowadays are working from home to a greater or lesser degree or working four days a week.

Show your current and potential customers that you are sensitive to contemporary issues such as sustainability which usually helps businesses grow and expand.

All of this is important as the world’s governments claim to want to build back better or rebuild a better world after the immediate health and socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis have passed.

Going forward, seek sound advice from a host of free business consultative services such as the Small Business Administration (https://www.sba.gov/), America’s Small Business Development Centers (https://americassbdc.org/) and its state affiliations such as the New Jersey Small Business Development Centers (https://njsbdc.com/), SCORE (https://www.score.org/) and others.

I don’t know if what’s ahead of us is a brave, new world, but it certainly isn’t for the faint of heart. You had the skills, education, training, determination and attitude to launch your endeavor so relying on these characteristics today should carry you to better days.

AS A BONUS, here is a link to the 50 best blogs that every B2B marketer should follow:

https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/blog/b2b-content-marketing/2018/The-50-blogs-every-B2B-marketer-should-follow?src=li-scin&mcid=6607434924943335424

155 Global Firms Back ‘Net-Zero’ Covid-19 Recovery

World leaders have determined that coronavirus recovery is not nearly enough to help humanity. They believe that a mental, economic and political reset is needed to return to economic resiliency and growth.

Consequently, 155 global companies are jointly urging governments to align their covid-19 economic aid and recovery efforts with the latest climate science making this the largest ever UN-backed CEO-led climate advocacy effort, according to Science Based Targets initiative, the UN Global Compact, and the We Mean Business coalition.

These firms, with a combined market capitalization of more than $2.4 trillion and employing in excess of 5 million people, have reaffirmed their own science-based commitments to achieving a zero carbon economy and called on governments to match their ambition.

The business leaders noted that the coronavirus outbreak is a stark reminder of the fragility of the world’s current economic system. They also said the pandemic reminds world governments and businesses that science must be the collective guide on the path to a more resilient economy. Setting and working towards science-based targets is the best way for companies and governments alike to protect against future climate-related business and economic disruptions, they indicated.

As urgent discussions on recovery packages around the world have been ramping up, the companies, which are all part of the Science Based Targets initiative, are calling for policies that will build resilience against future shocks by supporting efforts to hold global temperature rise to within 1.5 C (34.7 F) above pre-industrial levels, in line with reaching net-zero emissions well before 2050.

The announcement comes as countries are preparing trillions of dollars worth of stimulus packages to help economies recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, and as they prepare to submit enhanced national climate plans under the Paris Agreement. In the coming weeks, several major economies will take key decisions in their recovery efforts, including the European Union Recovery Plan, new stimulus packages from the United States of America and India, and the G7 Heads of State summit in June.

These companies have already set, or committed to set, science-based emissions reduction targets, according to the announcement. By signing the statement, they are reaffirming that their own decisions and actions remain grounded in science, while calling on governments to “prioritize a faster and fairer transition from a grey to a green economy.” Policy and spending that incorporates climate targets will reduce vulnerability to future shocks and disasters, create good jobs, reduce emissions and ensure clean air, according to a study from Oxford University, thus making the planet better for future generations.

“Saving lives and livelihoods, and building a prosperous, inclusive and sustainable future, are at the heart of our efforts to recover from covid-19,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “We can beat the virus, address climate change and create new jobs through actions that move us from the grey to green economy. Many companies are showing us that it is indeed possible and profitable to adopt sustainable, emission-reducing plans even during difficult times like this. I warmly welcome the ambitious, science-based actions we are seeing from leading companies who are demonstrating to policy-makers that green growth remains the best growth strategy.”

The business voices are convened by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and its Business Ambition for 1.5C campaign partners, the UN Global Compact and the We Mean Business coalition. The SBTi, which is a collaboration between CDP, the UN Global Compact, World Resources Institute and WWF, independently assesses and validates corporate climate targets against the latest climate science.

“Governments have a critical role to play by aligning policies and recovery plans with the latest climate science, but they cannot drive a systemic socio-economic transformation alone. To address the interconnected crises we face, we must work together as an international community to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement,” said Lila Karbassi, chief of programs at the UN Global Compact, and Science Based Targets initiative board member. “As the largest ever UN-backed CEO-led climate advocacy effort, these companies are leading the way in driving ambitious science-based action and advocacy to help reduce vulnerability to future shocks and disasters.”

“It is imperative that we not only restart the world economy — but also reset it. It would be a tragedy if after spending $10-20 trillion of public money we simply rebuild the same unequal, vulnerable and high carbon economy we had before,” said Dr. Andrew Steer, president and CEO of World Resources Institute and SBTi Board Member. “We applaud the leaders of these 155 companies, who are not only committed to resetting their own companies but are also demanding that the world’s governments act in the light of the best science and best economics which shows that climate-smart policies will create more jobs and stimulate resilient, inclusive economic growth.”

The signatories span 34 sectors and have headquarters in 33 countries: Abdi Ibrahim Pharmaceuticals, ACCIONA, Accor, Adobe, Agder Energi, Arabesque, Arc'teryx Equipment, AstraZeneca, Auchan Retail Portugal, Bayer, Beiersdorf, BIAL, Bonava, Burberry, Capgemini, Cargotec, Carlsberg Group, Cellnex, CEWE Stiftung & Co. KGaA, City Developments Limited, CMA CGM, Coca-Cola European Partners, Colgate Palmolive Company, Corbion, Cranswick, Dalberg Advisors, Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Limited, Danfoss Group, Diageo, Diam Group, dormakaba, Dutch-Bangla Pack, EcoVadis, EDF Group, EDP Energias de Portugal, Electrolux, En+ Group, Enel, ERM, Europcar Mobility Group, Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya, Firmenich, Gleeds, Glovo, Grundfos Holding, Grupo Red Eléctrica, GSMA, H. Lundbeck, H&M Group, Henkel, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Husqvarna Group, HP Inc., Iberdrola, ICA Gruppen, Inditex, Ingka Holding, Inter IKEA Group, Intuit, JLL, Kearney, Kelani Valley Plantations, Kuehne + Nagel International AG, LafargeHolcim, Legrand, Lojas Renner, Maeda Corporation, Magyar Telekom, Mars, Marshalls, Marui Group, Media 6, Movida Participações, MP Pension, Natura & Co., Nestlé, Nomad Foods, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, NR Instant Produce Public Company, O. T. Sports Manufacture, Orange, Orbia Advance, Orkla, Ørsted, Pearson, PensionDanmark, Pernod Ricard, PVH Corp., Refinitiv, Ronald Lu & Partners, Royal DSM, RSE (Ross-shire Engineering), Safaricom, Saint-Gobain, Salesforce.com inc., Sanofi, Scania, Scapa Inter, Schneider Electric, Schüco International, SIG Combibloc, Signify, Sky, SkyPower Global, Sofidel, Sonae Sierra, Sopra Steria Group, Stora Enso Oyj, SUEZ, Symrise, Syngenta Group, Takasago International Corporation, Talawakelle Tea Estates, Tate & Lyle, Tech Mahindra, Telefonica, The Co-op, The Lux Collective, TMG Automotive, Unilever, Vattenfall, Vaude Sport, Verbund, Vestas Wind Systems, Vodafone Group, Wipro, Yarra Valley Water, YKK Corporation, and Zurich Insurance Group, among others.

Sustainable Thinking while Hunkering Down

While you’re waiting for the business climate to return to a something resembling normalcy, business owners and entrepreneurs could take advantage of this unexpected downtime and ponder how commerce will behave going forward.

Indeed, you, business owners, have to deal with the usual, business-specific matters before you commit to opening your doors and addressing your customers’ needs and desires. You also can’t overlook your employees’ necessities.

Understandably, your patrons will purchase your goods and services tomorrow differently than they did in the past. All businesses, large and small, will be faced with the anxious situation of providing their customers with what they want. To be successful, your task will be to stand out, to be different in a marketplace where everyone is scrambling to do the same after the crisis wanes. Therefore, you should pick a unique approach and promote your exclusivity.

By choosing a sustainable or green approach to doing business, marketing your wares and making a buck, you will be satisfying several criteria for success. First of all, sustainability is good for the planet. Secondly, it is good for humanity in your neighborhood and around the world. Finally, it is good for business – yours – because people in general and your customers specifically are interested in the concept of sustainability. This has been substantiated many times.

First of all, sustainability does not necessarily mean hugging a tree. Ultimately it does but its definition and impact go far beyond that. It is a set of principles that create a constructive lifestyle and multifaceted relationships that benefit everyone while not impeding your doing business and making money. Sustainable business owners demonstrate that they are smarter than others in growing their companies.

If you haven’t yet heard of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, here’s a brief primer.

Launched by the United Nations in fall of 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a roadmap for solving the world’s most pressing challenges by 2030. The conviction is that when they’re solved, almost everything will be better. The 17 goals and 169 targets include important ambitions such as ending poverty, achieving universal access to energy, and eliminating inequality in education. Along with 193 UN member countries that will use the goals to frame their public policies, the SDGs explicitly call on businesses – large corporations and small neighborhood mom-and-pop stores – to play an active role in the process.

Aligning with the SDG is about value creation. When done right, strategic alignment can bring value across the sphere of influence of any business, from customers to investors, and employees to community stakeholders. Businesses, investors, customers, markets and others are interested in the SDGs and stand to benefit from promoting them.

After all, nearly half of the U.S. employment sector is make up of small businesses and the vast majority of private sector businesses across the globe are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). That constitutes eager consumers of sustainable products and services.

The SDGs are intended for all tiers of business, and each company will approach the goals differently according to their operations. It’s important to understand the goals, define priorities, integrate, and, finally, report and communicate the progress of their implementation.

Tracy Triggs-Matthews, associate director of University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler’s Center for Sustainable Enterprise, said SMEs typically do not have the time for higher level strategic thinking on sustainability unless the enterprise started out with such a mindset.

“I think many SMEs would be surprised to see how ‘good’ their company already is and how small tweaks can make them even better,” she said. “Consumers are looking for brands that are making a big difference and being able to tell that story will only help differentiate an SME among competitors.”

Although some incentives to embrace the goals lie in the realm of contributing to the greater good and a better future, there are countless potential benefits for small businesses to consider. In other words, responsible business owners may already be sustainable without knowing it and their roles in the process can be found in their local marketplaces.

“I think the way for businesses to look at the UN’s sustainable development goals is through the lens of business opportunity,” said Tensie Whelan, director of New York University’s Center for Sustainable Business.

According to the Business and Sustainable Development Commission, sustainable business models could open economic opportunities worth $12 trillion and create 380 million jobs by 2030. That is the scope of the powerful investor and consumer attraction to sustainability.

“Putting the Sustainable Development Goals, or Global Goals, at the heart of the world’s economic strategy could unleash a step change in growth and productivity, with an investment boom in sustainable infrastructure as a critical driver,” the report said.

Regardless of size or industry, all companies can contribute to the SDGs. Some of these items may be more relevant to certain industries than others, and there are certainly many other ways that businesses can approach the goals, but any step toward sustainability is a step in the right direction.

Just pick one of more of them. For example:

1. End poverty

• Set and enforce strict non-discriminatory policies.

• Recruit, train, and employ local community members, including those living in poverty, and integrate them in your value chain.

2. Zero hunger

• Support and encourage small-scale farming, practice farm-to-table or ‘farm-to-office snacks’ sourcing from local entities whenever possible.

• Demonstrate transparency in the agricultural supply chain.

3. Good health and well-being

• Offer employee health benefits.

• Make investments in health a priority in business operations.

4. Quality education

• Create programs (e.g., internships, work-study programs, traineeships, etc.) that give students earlier access to the corporate environment.

• Provide employees with continuous opportunities to improve their (job) skills for their current and future employment.

5. Gender equality

• Pay equal remuneration, including benefits, for work of equal value.

• Support access to child and dependent care by providing services, resources, and information to both women and men.

• Establish a zero-tolerance policy towards all forms of violence at work, including verbal/ and/ or physical abuse.

6. Clean water and sanitation

• Prioritize water efficiency by installing best-practice technologies for water conservation.

• Educate employees about the importance of water efficiency.

• Prohibit the use of chemicals and materials that can be particularly detrimental to water quality if improperly disposed.

7. Affordable and clean energy

• Pursue efficient certifications, like LEED or Energy Star.

• Prioritize energy efficiency across all operations, preserve light, heating, cooling, etc. whenever possible.

8. Decent work and economic growth

• Offer apprenticeship opportunities.

• Foster entrepreneurial culture and invest in/mentor young entrepreneurs.

• Install a firm policy against unfair hiring and recruitment practices.

9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure

• Establish standards and promote regulation that ensures company projects and initiatives are sustainably managed.

• Promote innovation by giving all stakeholders the opportunity to offer creative solutions to sustainability challenges.

10. Reduced inequalities

• Invest in business-driven poverty eradication activities (e.g., develop living wage policy).

• Partner with civil society networks to provide education and entrepreneurial skills training.

11. Sustainable cities and communities

• Jointly develop and/or participate in a sustainable community that brings together relevant stakeholders through a common and neutral platform to jointly analyze, discuss, and act on urban functionality, resilience, and sustainable development.

• Support and utilize public transportation services.

12. Responsible consumption and production

• Reduce manufacturing impacts by substituting virgin raw materials in products with post-consumer materials through recycling and upcycling.

• Significantly reduce waste and ensure that any unavoidable waste is utilized to the fullest degree (e.g., organic waste as fuel or fertilizer).

13. Climate action

• Retrofit the lighting systems of the company’s facilities to energy-efficient LED lighting.

• Understand climate risk and build resilience into the company’s assets and supply chain.

• Expand sustainable forest management through responsible sourcing practices and product substitution.

14. Life below water

• Track the life cycle of products and materials to understand how they are disposed and which products could likely find their way into marine environments.

• Record and disclose information on the chemical and material usage within products, packaging, and processing systems to facilitate closing the loop.

• Prevent waste mismanagement or littering that could pollute the marine environment.

15. Life on land

• Measure, manage, and mitigate impacts on ecosystems and natural resources.

• Scale up best practices for land-use planning and management.

• Commit to and implement responsible sourcing practices beyond compliance – applying environmental and social safeguards – for all raw materials and commodities.

16. Peace, justice and strong institutions

• Comply with laws and seek to meet international standards; require and support business partners to do the same.

17. Partnerships for the goals

• Partake in SDG-related partnerships like the UN’s Make the Global Goals Local campaign, the SDG reporting initiative and locally based sustainability initiatives. Network.

Once you embark on this path, tell your marketplace, neighborhood and world about your decision. Network with your business partners, supply chain, customers, officials, and community. This will bring you marketing benefits and start a sustainable snowball. Communicate your practices to consumers regardless of how you address this responsible operation, whether it be with the SDGs, a certification or employee initiatives.

You should also inform your current and future employees of your business direction since they too will be impressed by your progressive move.

In New Jersey, you can register with the New Jersey Sustainable Business Registry, which will give you assorted door or window decals that will give you marketing traction on the street.

On a larger scale, investors are becoming more interested in companies’ sustainability risk profiles as well understanding sustainability-related business opportunities.

Finally, note that global research by PricewaterhouseCoopers found that 78% of customers are more likely to buy the goods and services of companies that had signed up to the SDGs. Something to consider while you’re waiting to open up again.

Don’t Limit Business Growth by Focusing on only Half of the World

Small business ownership and growth are complicated undertakings and require entrepreneurs to be skilled and nimble jugglers that can simultaneously manage every facet of their companies’ activities. It stands to reason that an astute business owner, in order to be successful, should assemble the most comprehensive, skilled team of managers and employees possible not only to the job well but also to disseminate positive brand and civic awareness. This group should include both skilled men and women dispersed horizontally and vertically throughout the company.

Hiring and promoting women is not only good for large and small businesses but also for the planet. Women have skills and likes that men don’t share. While this is not necessarily bad, being aware of this is a win-win-win.

This process offers your business comprehensive benefits that will illuminate its presence and successes locally and globally. Such a business plan supports UN Sustainable Development Goal #5 – Achieve Gender Equality and Empower All Women and Girls. Consequently, by hiring and promoting women, your small business declares itself to be sustainable and you should invest time and money in pursuing this endeavor. By educating and empowering girls – or at least helping to do that – will help sustainable development down the road and across calendars.

HIRE WOMEN; EDUCATE GIRLS

The case for companies to act this way is compelling. Hiring women, empowering then, and declaring your business to be sustainable contribute to your growth, drive your business and add to your bottom line. The undisputable truth is that consumers favor a sustainable company. Sustainability, you may know, involves 17 goals. In this article I’ll focus on #5.

According to a post about women and climate change by Leah Rodriguez on the Global Citizen website (www.globalcitizen.org), “Evidence shows investing in girls and women is a promising climate solution. Women can use strong ties to their communities to advocate and gain trust for renewable energy technologies, for example. And experts say educating girls, empowering women in leadership, and involving women in agricultural decisions are also hopeful routes, but they are often overlooked.”

Women in the board room exude talents that fulfill the company’s business plan. Venture capital firm First Round Capital evaluated more than 300 companies and 600 founders and found that their higher performing investments tend to have at least one female founder, and companies with a female founder performed 63% better than those with all-male founding teams.

Why does the presence of women in a company contribute to its success? One reason cites a textbook example of the differences between the sexes: Men see business barriers as obstacles, while women often see them as opportunities. Women act on the basis of opportunities. Their unique strengths include blending purpose and profit to the betterment of all and they are creating competitive advantage by incorporating cause marketing – a sustainable issue. By linking their brand and marketing to a cause, women can boost customer awareness, drive sales, polish their reputation, give back to the community, and lower marketing costs, all at the same time. Deliverables sought by all business owners.

Successful women are more likely than successful men to own a business so they can pursue a personal passion and to make a positive impact on the world – like fostering the 17 SDGs, according to 2013 U.S. Trust Insights on Wealth and Worth. Seventy percent of the women and only 62% of the men are committed to increasing the level of their sustainable activities, according to Cox Conserves, a national sustainability program run by Cox Communications and Media.

There is a lot more persuasive evidence that demonstrates that gender equity is not just politically correct window-dressing, but good business. But there are pitfalls. Companies are trying to increase the number of women in executive positions, yet many are struggling to do so because they’ve failed to adapt workplace conditions to ensure that qualified women do not drop off the corporate ladder, surveys have shown.

Rodriguez pointed this out by saying that women are often excluded from major government and decision making, but when they are empowered to participate, they bring more empathy and inclusiveness to the table. Equal leadership representation benefits both men and women.

WOMEN EXECUTIVES MAKE DIFFERENCE

She wrote that research shows that companies with more women executives on their boards are more likely to reduce carbon emissions, improve energy efficiency, and invest in renewable energy. According to one study by researchers at the University of Oregon and University of California at Davis, countries with higher female parliamentary representation are more likely to ratify international environmental treaties. And when women have secure rights and access to land, they use their resources sustainably.

Rodriguez also pointed out that for the sake of SDG #5 it’s not enough to hire women. Governments, industry groups and companies should focus on girls’ education. I thought, OK, but that’s an issue for a less-developed country. But not really. Here, in the United States, we have many so-called inner city schools that lack resources to adequately educate and train youth – including girls – to be worthwhile members of society, to contribute to their jobs and communities, to earn a decent living for themselves and their families. Perhaps even to uncover solutions to today’s problems.

“Investing in girls’ education could be a potentially powerful solution to some of the adaptation strategies and mitigation strategies that many climate actors are really invested in,” Christina Kwuak, global economy and development fellow at the Brookings Institution's Center for Universal Education, told Global Citizen.

Sadly people who are involved in climate policymaking are not broadly thinking about education because they’re overlooking girls’ education. Investing in girls’ education can ensure the next generation has the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and ecologically-oriented skills necessary to transition to a green economy, Kwuak explained.

For example, many climate efforts are focused on women who are in agricultural sectors, but Kwuak warns against only considering women, not girls. She elaborated saying that considering women means limiting solutions to the later years of their lives, as opposed to ensuring that they have the skills and energy to hit the ground running earlier.

The organization Mothers Out Front aims to unite mothers, grandmothers, and other caregivers to use their expertise to support the climate movement. Kim Sudderth, senior organizer at Mothers Out Front’s Virginia chapter, works to encourage women who are not used to being in leadership roles to step up for their communities. 

“Typically women and mothers are more in tune with what’s happening with our children in particular and our family as a whole,” Sudderth was quoted as saying. “Having us left out of the conversation, you lose that important perspective that should be involved in helping to shape decisions.”

“For decision-makers, folks who are in elected positions, what they can do is make a special effort to prepare women and people of color to be ready to serve on those boards and commissions to be part of the process,” she added.

Business and industry must contribute to this effort and don’t belittle such maternal-based organizations. Consider the prevalence and accomplishments of organizations that begin with “Mothers Against…”

Indeed, opening your company door to women employees and helping girls’ education may be as simple as decided to do so. However, share your views with your company. You, the business owner, may have a progressive disposition about diversity, inclusion, equal rights for women and gender equality, but your managers and staff may not. To nip possible disruptive dissension in the bud, owners must begin by openly addressing this issue with all of the senior and subordinate employees, explaining why you’re launching this program and what will be the benefits – not threats – for the company and all of the employees.

BUSINESS & GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATION

Since you support SDG #5, your task is to ensure that women fully participate and are equally represented in all levels of business as well as national leadership and decision-making in economic, political and social aspects of life. A major reason why women are still lagging behind socially and economically is because they lack political, economic, social and civil support for their plans and goals. Largely due to educational qualification barriers, women representative positions are either given to under-qualified women or even men who have little or no knowledge of what exactly the challenges faced by women are. Consequently, businesses support for girls’ education is equally valuable.

You’ve also committed to formulate and execute social reforms to grant women equal ability to access economic resources, financial services, and ownership and control of properties such as lands and homes, in accordance with respective national laws. Work with municipal governments and school boards to ensure that girls have equal access to education. Your community, marketplace and business and soon afterward the globe will benefit.

None of this means that you have to turn your company upside down. It means that you run your business in a locally and globally responsible, inclusive manner with genuinely equal opportunities for every employee.

And you will reap the benefits. As I have written before, businesses that participate in the Sustainable Development Goals stand to experience an unbelievable windfall. The SDGs hold great possibilities and have the potential to unleash innovation, economic growth and development at an unprecedented scale. Studies show it could be worth at least $12 trillion a year in market opportunities and generate up to 380 million new jobs by 2030. In today’s marketplace, the affluent demographic cohort known as Millennials is drawn to this type of business and puts its money where its beliefs are.

Scroll through my blog to read about more ways to boost your outreach.

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http://thoughtleadership.yolasite.com/              

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