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.
Hitting “PAUSE” on Reporting
One member asks, "We are in the midst of a materiality analysis and typically produce a full Sustainability Report annually. Has anyone taken a year off from reporting as you worked through the results of the assessment, or did you create an interim report? Did you receive any feedback from various stakeholders regarding the change in reporting? Did this decision impact your company’s ESG rankings at all? Also, if you know of any other companies that produced a compelling transitional report or interim report, that would be helpful too." Read More
Consultant to Assess Office Practices
One member sent along the following, "We’re going to kick off a project to look at “greening” our office and retail practices. I’m looking for a consultant who could come in, quickly assess low-hanging fruit, and make recommendations based on operational and financial considerations. I’m not talking about “green building,” but more of the “basics” like eliminating disposable coffee cups, switching to double-sided printing, standardizing specifications for certified cleaning supplies, improving labeling and availability of recycling/compost bins, etc. Do you happen to know of any organizations or individuals who might be the right fit? My research keeps pointing me towards firms that do waste audits or green building. I’m looking for something more along the lines of what an energy auditor would come in and do (assess, list out, price options, recommend), but for general green practices, not energy. Read More
The State of the Sustainability Profession, 2018
How much do corporate sustainability professionals make? What do they actually do? The latest research. Read More
Integrated Sustainability Reports
One member asks, "Our legal team is interested in whether there has been an uptick in the number of companies incorporating sustainability into their annual reports? Likewise, has there been an increase in number of companies moving away from stand-alone sustainability reports?" Read More
Reporting Goal Achievement
One member writes, "Several years ago we set a revenue-based intensity target with a deadline to reach by 2020. Technically (thanks to new eGrid factors) we met our goal at the end of 2017, however we are about to open a new facility and our 2018 calculation is likely to show we’ve taken a step back. My question is, do we claim that we met our goal and proceed with setting a new one, or do we keep it under wraps until we are sure we will consistently be under goal since we still have time before our public deadline of 2020?" Read More
Carpool and Ride Share
One of our members asks, "Have you by any chance come across corporate carpool or ride-share programs? You might be aware that LEED offers a point for providing fewer parking spaces than code requires to try and reduce heat island but also car miles, etc. However, it seems you’d need some sort of accommodation like public transit, or if that’s not available either a program to incentivize ride sharing or offering a bus or vanpool type setup maybe from a park & ride. So, maybe a long shot, but wondering if you’re aware of either any corporate programs to check out along these lines? Read More
ESG Investment Options for 401K Offerings
One member writes, "We are interested in providing ESG investment options as part of our 401k offerings to employees. Are there other members that have already included this in their benefits that would be willing to share their experience with internal buy in, process, employee response, etc.?" Read More
Science Based Targets
One member asks, "Has your company set science-based climate goals and are you actively tracking and reporting against those goals? If so, what solution(s) do you use for the following? If using a third-party tool or vendor, please provide their name and any comments about their effectiveness: a) Data collection and tracking (Scopes 1, 2, 3) b) Metrics analysis and reporting c) Scenario analysis (e.g. GHG impact of a potential technology or activity-based solution?) Read More
GRI Reporting Consultants
One member asks, "Anyone use an external consultant that they would recommend to produce their Sustainability Report with a GRI Index?" Let us know if you have any suggestions. Read More