John Davies
John Davies leads the Trellis Network, a member-based, peer-to-peer learning forum for sustainability professionals. The network is made up of senior executives from $1 billion-plus corporations working together to share best practices and lessons learned for implementing sustainable development programs. Davies is an experienced entrepreneur and innovator who has applied his business and management skills to launching start-ups as well as improving the operations of existing businesses. Davies is a frequent keynote speaker at international events, is well-known for his supply chain and sustainability expertise and is the author of numerous articles in business, industry and educational publications. John received his bachelor’s degree from SUNY at Fredonia and his master’s degree from the University of Delaware.
Supplier Engagement Programs
One member writes, "We have a question for members who have built a supplier engagement program. One of our draft sustainability goals for the next two years is to “set sustainability goals with 20 of our top suppliers.” Before we finalize this language, we would like to learn what has been the most effective for others and why. For example, is robust (e.g., collaborative goal-setting) engagement with 20 suppliers the right course, or should we instead try to reach hundreds or thousands of suppliers with a lighter touch (e.g., survey)? How did you define your “key suppliers”? And once we establish the goal, what are best practices in building out the program? We are in the early stages of this journey, so any help would be much appreciated." Read More
Product Sustainability/Design for Environment
One member writes, "We’re looking to introduce the concept of product sustainability/design for environment at our company innovation summit. I’m looking for recommendations from the GBEN community on speakers, training sessions, or workshops that would introduce the topic to engineers and scientists. As an FYI, the company develops and manufactures electronic equipment." Read More
Reporting GHG Emissions
One member writes, "We are starting to measure and report GHG emissions. Does any member have a template to capture all sources of carbon emissions and a reporting method ?" Read More
Slim Reports
One member asks, "We are interested in developing a slimmer PDF sustainability report focused on new information and data, while making the material that does not change significantly year over year available online and revising it annually as needed (information like sustainability strategy, focus areas, and standard policies and practices). But updating web pages could raise concerns about the permanence of information and ability to compare activities from one year to the next. How have other companies managed this balance between online reporting that is more user-friendly and a PDF document that is a better “permanent record”? Are there any reasonable and effective hybrid solutions? Read More
The promise of sustainable agriculture: A report from a townie
What will it take to support sustainable agriculture in the United States? A new generation, for starters. Read More
ESG Ratings
One member asks the following about experiences with ESG Ratings from organizations such as MSCI, Sustainalytics, etc.: • Does your company have an ESG rating? • If yes, which agency? Do you have a rating from more than 1 agency? • What value do you see from the rating? • What resources does it take to manage / improve/ etc.? Read More
Internal Price on Carbon
One of our members has asked what sorts of pricing schemes members have used for setting an internal price on carbon. Whether it's a shadow price or some other mechanism, let us know if you're using one. Read More
Supplier Code of Conduct
One member writes, "I am looking to develop a supplier code of conduct and sustainable supply chain standards for my company and I was curious for those that have started from scratch, what consultants have they used?" Read More
Renewable Energy Advisors
One member writes, "Our business is looking for people who can advise, or we can collaborate with on renewables? Specifically, we need to learn more about how other organizations approaching this, how they are they managing risk, what technologies, etc." Read More