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The International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) is the global body bringing business, investors and regulators together to drive reform in corporate reporting. "Integrated thinking," from the point of view of the IIRC, is critical to the global business community's agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and to that end, the organization is making its case this week during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and Climate Week NYC.

TriplePundit had an opportunity to catch up with the IIRC's president, Richard Howitt, while he was in New York City for Climate Week and several affiliated events. He discussed recent achievements of ‘breakthrough moments’ in the growth of integrated reporting; the planned new global strategic phase for the IIRC to be announced next week; and preparations for a major alignment project between different reporting frameworks, which have been part of discussions in New York City this week.

3p: What were you hoping to achieve this week at this week's UNGA and Climate Week NYC?

RH: Climate Week has brought the world’s business leaders with other key decision-makers together, and the IIRC is proud to be amongst our many key partners in a collective effort to review progress towards the SDGs and Paris Agreement, and to underline how integrated thinking and reporting has and will contribute to those efforts.

The IIRC is not only working with individual organizations on a micro level to adopt integrated reporting, but has a mission to reform and change the corporate reporting system in the world. This week is where the world meets and we are proud to be here.

3p: More regulatory bodies worldwide are mandating integrated reporting. What are the reasons you hear as to why this shift is occurring?

RH: Endorsement by regulators is playing an important role in giving added impetus to the growth in integrated reporting, evidenced by the Securities and Exchange Board of India’s call for the top 500 listed companies to adopt integrated reporting, its adoption by the Ministry of Finance in China and its inclusion in the European Union’s Directive on Non-Financial Reporting. However, we see equal weight in ‘soft law’ approaches, including the inclusion of integrated reporting in corporate governance codes from New Zealand to South Africa to Brazil.

The TCFD Task Force recommendations mark a turning point in the world where the ‘multi-capital’ approach is recognized as being a financial issue for the company too, and where the IIRC’s vision of financial stability and sustainable development coming together has been realized.

Regulators now recognize the real financial risks to whole economies of failing to address this very different approach to value creation, and the need to reform capital market rules to unleash long-term investment and to protect long-term returns.

3p: From your point of view, what are the biggest "breakthrough" moment for integrated reporting in the past year?

RH: The official position paper from the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) that integrated reporting is "the future of corporate reporting" - no qualification, no conditions - is the surest sign yet that the financial community is embracing integrated reporting. The October 2017 decision of the International Accounting Standards Board to Review its guidelines for the narrative part of the company report ("the Management Commentary Practice Statement") partly to address integrated reporting, was a further huge step to move this in to the mainstream. The recommendations of the High Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance called integrated reporting “the ultimate ambition," another key step in demonstrating that integrated reporting is a key tool as the world transitions to a sustainable financial system.

Lastly, the financial standard-setters and the sustainability frameworks - SASB, CDP, the GRI and CDSB - which combine together in the "Corporate Reporting Dialogue" convened by the IIRC, agreed a joint position statement in favor of the TCFD recommendations. In the next few weeks, we will announce a major alignment project starting with these recommendations, then going much further. It has the potential to be the biggest step yet in the integration of financial and non-financial reporting, a "breakthrough moment" not just for the past year, but for many years ahead.

3p: How can companies address the SDGs through integrated reporting?

RH: The IIRC has published a very practical guide for companies who undertake integrated reporting on how to integrate business reporting of the SDGs, authored by Professor Carol Adams. In it there are a series of case examples, including how AkzoNobel uses its integrated report to map each SDG against its supply chain, different products, and human resources; how Grupo Nutresa and SAB Miller integrate the SDGs in their business strategy; and how Unilever applies integrated thinking to seek to address the business challenges and opportunities which the the SDGs present.

3p: What have you been hearing from the investor community about integrated reporting over the past year?

RH: We are working with a coalition of investor organizations who haven’t simply endorsed integrated reporting and our objective of long-term value creation, but committed to using it in their day-to-day investor decisions. More investors are signing up to this approach and we invite more again. But ‘system change’ applies to the investment sector too, which is why we work with the Principles of Responsible Investment, the International Corporate Governance Network, the CFA Institute, the World Economic Forum and major investors including BlackRock - all members of our global IIRC Council - to debate and act together to create the conditions to shift upwards long-term investment. The Corporate Reporting Dialogue has agreed a joint approach on the future of reporting with an umbrella group of seven investor coalitions led by the PRI, which will be published shortly and demonstrate the high degree of alignment in our thinking.

3p: Integrated reporting has come a long way this decade, but clearly there is still a long road ahead. What are some of the IIRC's key goals for 2018-2019?

RH: For the forthcoming year, the key goals for the IIRC are to demonstrate and catalyze continued progress in the adoption of Integrated Reporting by advancing integrated thinking as a driver of effective corporate governance and bringing the adoption of Integrated Reporting to new markets and sectors, particularly the USA and China.

To do this, we are working harder to mobilize the ‘investor pull’ for Integrated Reporting, make it easier to adopt Integrated Reporting, regardless of sector or industry, and foster a policy and regulatory environment that supports moves towards Integrated Reporting. Just next week in Paris, we will launch a new global strategic phase for the International Integrated Reporting Council, which marks our achievement of a series of ‘breakthrough moments’ which we set ourselves. This will represent an intensification of our strategy towards the global adoption of integrated thinking and reporting. I welcome the presence of so many in our coalition in New York this week, to celebrate how far we have come, but have used the conversations of this week in readiness for the next steps we must take together.

Image credit: United Nations/Flickr

 

 

As several countries mark International Coffee Day this Saturday, September 29, it’s important to remember our favorite morning brew is one of the most traded commodities in the world, and farming it allows 25 million families in more than 60 countries to make a living. Yet experts say climate change will pose an increasing risk to coffee crops.

By 2050, growing areas suitable for the world’s most popular coffee strain—Arabica—will drop by up to 70 percent in some key coffee-producing regions, the BBC reports. A warming climate could also exacerbate pests such as the dreaded coffee berry borer, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Such stark changes not only threaten your morning cup of Joe, but also put millions of livelihoods at risk. Smallholder farmers, who produce roughly 70 percent of the world’s coffee, will be forced to adapt in order to maintain their way of life.

To that end, global coffee giant Dunkin’ Donuts and National DCP, a $2 billion supply chain management company serving Dunkin’ franchisees, are launching a new partnership to protect the global coffee supply while supporting farmers.

The companies pledged to donate up to $2 million to World Coffee Research (WCR), a nonprofit collaborative research and development program for the global coffee industry, over the next five years. California-based WRC focuses on coffee genetics with the aim of developing more resilient strains that can better withstand weather extremes, as well as pest and disease problems that may increase due to climate change.

“With rising temperatures and more [frequent] extreme weather, the need to make coffee plants more resilient to threats like diseases and droughts has never been more urgent,” Tim Schilling, CEO of World Coffee Research, said in a statement.

Dunkin’s investment will move in increments, as the company donates a price percentage of every pound of Original Blend coffee beans sold to its franchisees. WRC has similar deals with other large coffee suppliers through its CheckOff Program, but Dunkin’s pledge makes the company one of the nonprofit’s largest donors to date.

“We are excited to support the work being done by World Coffee Research benefiting farmers around the world and shoring up long-term supply assurance for our franchisee cooperative members,” Matt Daks, director of strategic sourcing for coffee and tea at National DCP, said in a statement. “Through WCR’s CheckOff Program, we can help combat the impacts of climate change, develop more vibrant, vigorous, varietals and ensure farmers can grow healthier trees, resulting in better quality and higher volumes.”

WRC’s work in coffee genetics not only safeguards supply chains for large purveyors like Dunkin’, but also protects livelihoods by providing coffee farmers with better, higher revenue-earning varieties.   

The social element does not appear to be lost on Dunkin’. “As a leading coffee retailer, we have a responsibility to protect the commodities we source, and the farmers and producers whose livelihoods depend upon them,” said Karen Raskopf, chief communications and sustainability officer for Dunkin’ Brands, which owns both Dunkin’ Donuts and ice cream icon Baskin Robbins.

As a leading coffee retailer that sells 80 cups of the stuff every second, Dunkin’ is in a position to make a huge impact on the way the commodity is sourced and sold—and coffee sustainability is top of the list when it comes to the company’s corporate responsibility initiatives.

Dunkin’ continues to expand its work with the Rainforest Alliance, and all espresso beverages served in the U.S. and approximately 16 international markets were made with 100 percent Rainforest Alliance Certified beans as of last year. Dunkin’ and National DCP are also working to certify all of the brand’s Dark Roast Coffee through the Rainforest Alliance—meaning supplier farms meet rigorous standards regarding biodiversity and natural resource conservation, as well as farmer well-being. In European markets, which consume the largest share of the world’s coffee by far, Dunkin’ restaurants also serve Fair Trade certified espresso.

On the environmental side, earlier this year Dunkin’ announced plans to phase out its infamous foam coffee cups, which are difficult to recycle. The company will swap in a new, double-walled paper cup that’s already in use in most of its international markets and will reach its entire retail portfolio by 2020. The switch will remove nearly 1 billion foam cups from the waste stream annually, though “the new cups' recyclability will vary by city, state and municipality,” the company told Treehugger in February.

Image credit: The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) via Flickr

Corporate Responsibility Magazine has just announced the finalists for its annual excellence in leadership awards. The awards are given to corporate leaders committed to a progressive environmental, social, and governance (ESG) agenda, and to those who are have been taking bold steps to move forward on the most urgent conversations of the day.

The awards will be presented at during 3BL Forum, October 23 to 25 at MGM National Harbor, just minutes from Washington, D.C. The awards dinner will be held on the evening of October 24 at 7:00 pm.

The finalists for the 2018 Responsible CEO of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Awards are:

• Daniel Amos, chairman and CEO at Aflac


• Mariano Lozano, chairman and CEO at Danone North America


• Steve Rendle, president and CEO at VF Corporation


• Tim Ryan, U.S. Chairman and Senior Partner at PwC


• John Snyder, president and CEO at BCD Travel

“Delivering strong business results is just the starting point for these CEOs, who have built purpose into their organizations’ mission and culture,” said Dave Armon, publisher of CR Magazine. "This year's 3BL Forum will focus on Brands Taking Stands. Companies that commit to socially responsible and sustainable business practices take a stand every day. These accomplished leaders demonstrate their personal commitment to corporate responsibility, sustainability and impact."

 

The Responsible CEO of the Year awards are presented to CEOs – including those from public and private companies, NGOs, and governments – who, over the previous year, have placed themselves at personal and professional risk in order to deliver on their corporate responsibility promises. Last year’s winners included CEOs of Republic Services, Smithfield Foods, Toronto Hydro, and TerraCycle.

CR Magazine also awards a Corporate Responsibility Lifetime Achievement Award to recognize an individual whose risk-taking, vision, and pioneering spirit have resulted in significant achievement in the corporate responsibility field over the course of their career.

All award finalists were nominated by fellow members of the CR community and selected by an independent judging panel that includes prior honorees.

New Brands Taking Stands™ Humanitarian Award

New this year is the inaugural Brands Taking Stands™ Humanitarian Award, which is being presented to Chef José Andrés for his indefatigable work feeding those affected by natural disasters in Puerto Rico, California, Texas, and North Carolina.

Interested in Attending the CEO Awards Dinner?

For more information about the annual 3BL Forum and CR Magazine's Responsible CEO of the Year Awards Dinner, click here.

 

To purchase an individual ticket to the CEO Awards dinner and 3BL Forum, get details.

If you are interested in purchasing a table at the CEO Awards dinner, you and your guests will receive an invitation to the VIP reception and gain visibility at 3BL Forum and CEO dinner. Please contact Dave Armon for more information at darmon@crboard.com

Registration for 3BL Forum is currently underway, and a 25% off discount is available with the use of the code 3BL2018TOWNHALL.

Image credit: Lynne Filderman

Leading companies are racing to engage and create fulfilling experiences for employees in an age of artificial intelligence (AI) and technology overload. What works? Choice, incentives, gamification, flexibility, and playing to a person’s unique passions. What aspect of a company’s culture can integrate all of these? Corporate citizenship programs. They put employee passion to work at work—and for the betterment of the community. This “everybody wins” mindset is bringing more attention to employee giving and volunteer programs in recent years, and Genworth is proud to lead the way.

Looking back over just the last 10 years at Genworth, I am struck by the significant enhancements we have made to our employee volunteer and giving programs. When we first started out, we aligned our employee volunteer and giving efforts with core philanthropic focus areas, and employees had to use three separate systems to track their work. While it is very important to have focus areas, we realized our people are what make both our business and our community strong, so why not invest more in their passions?

Listening

Genworth Foundation philanthropic grants continue to focus on affordable housing, homelessness, healthy aging, and supporting caregivers—issue areas that align with our business—but we now also turn to our employees to ask them what they care about. Every other year, we gather employee feedback on where they want to focus their volunteer and giving efforts. Currently, the top causes are healthy aging, youth and education, food and nutrition, affordable housing, and animal welfare. Based on this input, we launched 21 Cause Councils across our locations to engage employees who share common social interests as Genworth community ambassadors. They meet with nonprofits as the face of Genworth and help advance their missions.

UpLift

What employees experience today is the UpLift program, which focuses on choice, collective impact, and incentives:

• Time: Employees have 40 hours of volunteer time annually to use as they like with their favorite nonprofits. If the nonprofit is aligned with the cause council focus areas, employees also get $10 per volunteer hour in a rewards giving account to donate to a nonprofit of their choice, up to $200 annually.


• Dollars: Employees can also personally donate to organizations and receive a Genworth Foundation matching gift of 50 percent. In addition, each cause council focus area is highlighted during a different month throughout the year, where the match is increased to 100 percent for that month’s cause.

Think about that for a moment. We value employees’ commitments to the community to such a great degree that we allow 40 hours of Volunteer Time Off so our employees can fulfill those commitments. We also back their financial generosity and give them ways to increase that support even more throughout the year. It’s all worth it, as we know that this support pays back dividends to the company in employee engagement and development, as well as with Genworth’s local reputation.

We have seen great impact from setting a core strategy centrally, but then giving leeway locally and with individual employees to allow tailored meaning for each. While the majority of our employees live in the Richmond, VA; Lynchburg, VA; Raleigh, NC, Stamford, CT, and Waltham, MA areas, we also have a significant number of remote employees who don’t have access to our Cause councils to identify volunteer opportunities. One of the strengths of our UpLift program is that it provides the flexibility and responsiveness to engage our remote employees in contributing to their local communities.

One of our employees is a model of how this flexibility works. David Stagnitti is a remote sales employee in New York who volunteers with Angel Flight East as a pilot. The flights involve transporting ambulatory cancer patients and their family members at no cost to Philadelphia and Boston for treatments. The UpLift program and the 40 hours of time off policy has allowed David to accept critical weekday flights that many volunteers can’t fulfill due to work obligations.

Tech

UpLift has a many moving parts, so identifying a “one-stop-shop” to bring it all together was a necessity. We built this in a single website where employees can learn more about non-profits, find opportunities for and track their volunteerism, as well as make charitable contributions in the way they want: volunteer rewards, credit card, PayPal, or directly from their paycheck. People are incredibly busy; and we knew that if we had to send them to several different places to find information, we would lose them. So, we took extra care to make sure that something so important to our company was exceedingly easy to take part in.

To drive participation, we also use external social media to run charitable marketing campaigns and periodically partner with groups such as Caregiver Action Network to broaden our reach. We also use the UpLift tool to encourage friendly competition between departments in number of volunteer hours and some of the larger featured giving opportunities.

Impact

UpLift has enabled an increase in employee volunteerism participation by 10 percent and giving participation by more than 40 percent In 2017, Genworth employees volunteered 17,434 hours and donated nearly $1.5 million to 350 non-profits around the globe. The secret is to empower employees to give back how and where they want, and not in a prescribed “volun-told” way. If our experience is any indication, your company will see meaningful returns in employees who are advocates for the company and who strive to be a part of the company’s success.

Companies driven by a mindset for innovation are better placed to find new and sustainable solutions that can help solve some of the world’s most pressing problems. Due to their expanding knowledge base and widening perspectives in their zest to innovate, these companies are able to act more responsibly and make the world a better place.

Deloitte’s 2018 Global Impact Report shows that the company is demonstrating a new mindset for action and innovation, redefining corporate success, challenging expectations, and leading by example. Deloitte insists it is a key participant in the global technology and innovation ecosystem that is driven by a goal of building a better future for all.

Innovating through Business Activities

The era of digital technology continues to open up new opportunities every day. Deloitte says it is working to bring together collaborative capabilities across ecosystems and disciplines to help shape the future in areas such as energy, banking and mobility.

Digital Revolution: Deloitte makes the case that it is leading businesses into “Industry 4.0” by showing how to integrate the physical and digital environments, and utilize data from multiple sources to bring transformative changes to how businesses operate.

Addressing Healthcare Challenges: Deloitte claims it is providing innovative healthcare perspectives and strategies to produce superior health experiences and outcomes. The company is currently designing an XPRIZE system that aims to make early detection of cancer and enable greater accessibility of treatment options.

Preparing Business for AI Disruption: As the evolution of the “augmented worker” continues, Deloitte says it is helping businesses adapt their operations to the new evolving technologies, including robotics and artificial intelligence (AI). At the same time, the company is preparing their people to thrive in the wake of forthcoming AI disruption.

Promoting the Sustainability of Resources: Deloitte is advising businesses manage the impact of natural resources consumption, energy use, waste generation and release of carbon emissions in a sustainable manner. It is enabling companies to turn analytical insights into actionable risk mitigation opportunities, delivering cost savings and improving economic value.

Innovation through Cooperative Endeavors

Deloitte is engaging with global leaders, business managers, incubators, and startup hubs about new business management practices and models that help transform how people lead and innovate. For example:

Singularity University Alliance: In FY2018, Deloitte and Singularity University extended their alliance to help organizations reduce threats and benefit from new technology opportunities. The university, along with Deloitte, has already conducted 30 technology conferences, engaging over 3,700 clients.

Social Innovation: Deloitte has expanded its partnership with New Profit, a ‘venture philanthropy’ nonprofit. The company believes that social innovators should receive the same support that enables businesses to reach millions of people with their products and services.

Strategic Alliances: Member firms of Deloitte have created alliances with some of the world’s leading companies, including Amazon, Facebook, HP, SAP and Oracle to develop new approaches that forge new business models and shape markets.

“To drive individual and collective prosperity, business needs a new mindset for action,” said Punit Renjen, Global CEO and David Cruickshank, Global Chairman of the Board, in their letter to the shareholders. “For Deloitte, that mindset centers on our commitment to helping people prepare for the work of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”

Image credit: Deloitte

Next week, please join us for a 1-hour Twitter Chat with Singapore-based palm oil company Golden Agri-Resources (GAR), Nestlé, WBCSD, and 3BL Media as we discuss #PeopleBehindPalmOil.

The Twitter Chat will occur on Wednesday, October 3, at 10am GMT (London) / 1pm GST (Dubai) / 5pm SGT (Singapore and Indonesia). If you're up early on the U.S. East Coast, join us - at 5am ET.

As palm oil is an ingredient in over half of the food and consumer products manufactured worldwide, there has been increasing demand to ensure that this commodity is grown and produced responsibly and sustainably. This Twitter Chat with GAR will focus on ongoing changes across the global palm oil supply chain, along with the company’s efforts to boost transparency and traceability.

According to GAR, sustainability is an integral part of the company's business. GAR says it realizes that being a sustainable palm oil company requires a consistent approach and examination of its entire value chain. In 2015, GAR combined its forest conservation, social and community engagement and yield improvement policies into what it calls the GAR Social and Environmental Policy, or GSEP – and details about this program will be discussed during the October 3 Twitter Chat.

In addition, the 60-minute #PeopleBehindPalmOil chat will shine a light on people, from those who work on farms and in labs, alone with the stakeholders who are partnering with the global palm oil industry to ensure that it is accountable. Together, they are all are striving to realize GAR’s vision of a sustainable palm oil sector.

Practitioners in the corporate responsibility or sustainability space, supply chain managers, consumers concerned about where their food is made and professionals working at NGOs are among those who should benefit from participating in the chat, as Golden Agri is keen to share what they've learned and how their moving forward toward sourcing sustainable palm oil.

Hosting the chat are us here at 3BL Media (@3BLMedia) and TriplePundit (@TriplePundit); joining us are the following panelists:

• Anita Neville, Vice President of Corporate Communications and Sustainability Relations at Golden Agri-Resources (@Aussieneets)


• Dr. Paul Wassell, Head of Research and Development at Golden Agri-Resources (@GAR_Sinarmas)


• Anna Turrell, Head of Sustainability at Nestle (@anna_turrell)


• Matthew Reddy, Director of Climate-Smart Agriculture at WBCSD (to be confirmed)

Topics of the October 3 chat include:

• The driving forces behind changes across the global palm oil sector


• What consumers should consider when purchasing products made with palm oil


• GAR’s drive to increase its supply chain’s transparency and traceability


• Market forces that will drive the future of the palm oil industry over the next several years


• How stakeholders’ concerns are having an impact on GAR’s commitment to sustainability

Tips to get the most out of the #PeopleBehindPalmOil Twitter Chat:

• Follow the main participants and #PeopleBehindPalmOil hashtag


• Share tweets you think your followers will appreciate


• Follow interesting participants during and after the chat


• Submit questions before the event to promote a more dynamic discussion


• Use the #PeopleBehindPalmOil hashtag on comments that you want to share with the community

Of course, we appreciate you spreading the word with this tweet:

On Wednesday, 3 October at at 5pm SGT/10am BT/1pm GST, join @gar_sinarmas, @Aussieneets, @wbcsd & @anna_turrell of @Nestle as they talk about #PeopleBehindPalmOil: http://bit.ly/2QBdTnJ

WHEN: Wednesday, October 3, at 10am GMT / 1pm GST / 5pm SGT.

WHERE: Join the conversation on Twitter, or on a third-party platform such as TweetDeck or Hootsuite, by following #PeopleBehindPalmOil

New to our Twitter chats? Don’t worry! Read this.

This article series is sponsored by NRG Energy and produced by the TriplePundit editorial team. 

A growing number of consumers want to know that the energy they are using comes from green resources. Even if they aren’t able to invest in solar panels on their property, or there’s a local ordinance against wind power generators in residential areas, surveys show that many residents are willing to pay a premium to help develop better access to renewable energy.

Choosing green energy options

Many electricity providers have realized this in recent years, and now offer a variety of programs that allow their customers to “custom fit” where their money goes when they pay their power bill, in addition to offering power plans sourced from 100% green energy.

In some cases, these plans can help defray the cost of bringing in greener energy (say, from solar or wind sources), or it may be used to establish renewable energy infrastructure that wasn’t available in their area previously.

These green energy plans are the latest, and simplest, ways that consumers can choose renewable energy solutions.

Types of green power providers

Both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) stress that consumers – whether they are private residents or commercial customers – should familiarize themselves with green power pricing entities, and shop around for the provider that best fits their needs before they commit to investing through a provider.

It’s also important to remember that these days, the consumer’s location and the actual programs their energy market does or doesn’t offer, may not limit them from investing in green power.

Depending upon where they live, consumers may have more than a few programs at their disposal. That’s because what they are really buying, as the DOE explains it, is an investment in renewable energy.

An example would be Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s Green Energy Program, which was launched in 2012. Consumers pay into the program, which allows PG&E to purchase Renewable Energy Certificates (REC) for the investment, showing that a certain portion of its energy supply comes from renewable resources. The more customers it can sign up for its Green Energy Program, the more renewable energy it can invest in.

But consumers may also be able choose to invest through competitive retail electricity market, where a third party -- either an independent power producer or a non-utility producer -- can charge to trade power and promote greener sources to consumers.

Green Mountain Energy by comparison, which is based in Austin, TX, offers consumers and businesses who have access to competitive retail electricity, the ability to purchase renewable energy that then allows Green Mountain, through its REC system, to buy and sell wind and solar power to utility companies. Technically, the consumer is investing in renewable energy, although it may not actually be powering their home or business.

To get an idea of what these investments look like in terms of energy, a REC generally represents one megawatt hour (MWh) of electricity from an eligible source of green energy, such as solar, wind, or geothermal. That’s funded through a premium that usually ranges from one to two cents per KWh of electricity (or higher). The pricing depends on the provider and the type of renewable energy.

At the present time, at least 12 states require utility providers to offer renewable energy pricing to their customers. In other states, renewable energy programs are incentivized by local interest in green energy. Some states also have REC tracking systems to ensure authenticity of the program.

Determining which power provider offers the best deal depends on the end goal. NREL publishes a yearly list of the utility power providers that have excelled in their mission to promote renewable energy. They are ranked not only by their renewable energy investment, but their green customer base, as well as the types of energy they offer. According to the EPA, consumers should make sure the investment is backed by a third-party certification program verifying these elements.

Green power pricing programs vary from company to company

According to the EPA, programs can vary in what they offer in at least eight ways:

• Supply and demand variability

• Product type


• Volume of total kilowatt-hours to purchase


• Term of commitment


• Resource and technology type


• Geography


• Age of renewable energy project and generation dates


• Certification: How the source of power is verified

Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs)

Of course, purchasing green power through a utility or a competitive market isn’t the only way to support renewable energy. Power purchase agreements (PPAs) allow non-residential customers to invest in off-site power projects; for example, a utility company or other generator that seeks capital to further its renewable energy goals.

PPAs are regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), but a number of states provide regulatory oversight as well. Some states, like Michigan, have realized that PPAs carry powerful clout when it comes to financing much-needed utility projects. Others, like Colorado, are more restrictive in who can offer a PPA.

As hard as it is to imagine in this era of renewable energy, a handful of states ban renewable energy sales from any source other than the consumer’s utility provider. Florida, ranked third in the country for hours of sunshine and solar opportunity, prohibits residents from buying or contracting energy from anyone other than their utility company. For that reason, consumers should check first before signing on the dotted line of a PPA, to make sure such agreements are legal in their state.

That law however, doesn’t prohibit consumers in Florida from signing up for a green power program that supports renewable energy in another area through a REC. In that case Florida residents aren’t technically receiving energy – they are just ensuring someone else can.

Residential Solar

Residential solar has come a long way in recent years. Once considered a neighborhood oddity that took deep-pocket financing to accomplish, it’s now a common sight on both homes and commercial establishments in many neighborhoods. As installation costs have plummeted and residential PPAs have become available, the numbers of customers for rooftop solar have risen. As of 2014, the Union of Concerned Scientists estimated that by 2020, as many as 3.4 million households will have rooftop solar installations.

Shared Renewables

Shared Renewables provide flexibility for those who may feel they don’t exactly fit into a specific niche. It’s an appealing option for renters in an apartment complex, or small communities who want to pool their resources and invest in green technology.

A number of these programs can be “mixed and matched” for more benefit; for example, through the “bundling” of an REC product with green power, through their utility provider.

Whatever approach energy consumers decide to take, there are now plenty of ways to invest in renewable energy. What was once a fantastic concept harnessed only by those who had the ingenuity, grit and technical know-how to figure it out, is now a critical part of the energy grid for many cities, counties and states. Renewable energy’s continued growth as an industry, and the low-carbon energy it supplies, will only increase as more consumers invest in its future.

Image credit: Flickr / Tim Fuller

 

Pulp and paper manufacturing is a water-intensive process. All of our mills are located in watersheds with sufficient supplies, but responsible water management and water conservation will always be a significant part of our sustainability efforts at Domtar.

In 2017, our mills used enough water to fill 164,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Although our mills have access to sufficient water from local rivers and lakes, that water is not immediately suitable for pulp and paper making and requires both mechanical and chemical treatment.

How we treat water differs at each location and depends on factors such as:

• Natural water chemistry


• Effluent from upstream users


• Surrounding land use


• Season of the year


• Weather events, including droughts and floods


• Which products the mill makes

But there are some steps in our water management process that are consistent from location to location. Here’s a look at water usage and water conservation at a typical mill, from intake to discharge.

Water’s Journey From River to Mill

Water’s journey through the pulp- and paper-making process begins most often at a nearby river or lake. The water, which is often cloudy when withdrawn from the river, requires significant filtering and clarifying so that it is suitable for making high-quality pulp and paper. We need to remove debris, particles and chemicals that will damage manufacturing equipment. Our water filter plants are the first step to cleaning the water.

Water is drawn through a bar screen to remove large debris, such as branches, sticks and, sometimes, trash. The water continues to flow through finer screens, removing leaves and other small debris.

Next, the water is pumped to a raw-water clarifier where chemicals, such as alum, are added to remove suspended solids from the water. Other chemicals are added to adjust pH levels, prevent corrosion and scale, and control microbiology that might create slime.

Finally, water travels through a sand filter bed (a much-larger version of a typical backyard-pool sand filter) for a final cleaning before collecting in a clear well or storage reservoir. It stays in the well until it is needed by various water users in the mill.

 

Water Conservation and Management in the Mill

Once the water enters the mill, it’s time to go to work. We use water to:

• Wash and transport pulp


• Dilute and prepare process chemicals


• Make steam and electricity


• Carry raw materials throughout the mill


• Clean and cool equipment

Because of our careful water conservation and management plan, we can reuse water an average of 10 times in the mill.

In addition to using filtered water in our pulp- and paper-making processes, we send some of it through an additional purification process to prepare it for making steam in our power and recovery boilers. These boilers require ultra-pure water that is free of dissolved solids, including minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium and manganese. These minerals can cause corrosion and scaling in our boilers and steam systems, which can decrease their efficiency.

We remove minerals through an ion exchange process in a demineralizer plant or a reverse osmosis system. The demineralizer plant uses chemicals, such as caustic and sulfuric acid, to remove the minerals from the water. This demineralized water is now nearly ready for use in the boiler. But first, additional chemicals are added to protect the boilers and steam systems.

After heating, what is now known as feed water turns into steam for generating electricity and heat for various mill processes. After we use the steam, our systems recover most of it and condense it back into feed water (condensate), which requires minimal conditioning before it is reused in the boilers.

Reclaiming Water for Return to the Environment

After several rounds of recycling, about 90 percent of the water we use in the mill heads back to the lakes and rivers from which it came. But first, we treat it to ensure that it’s safe for aquatic organisms and other downstream water users.

All Domtar mills have an on-site wastewater or effluent treatment plant to clean and reclaim mill effluent. The plant removes the fiber, minerals and other chemicals added to the water in the pulp- and paper-making process.

Each mill has a site-specific permit that identifies the water quality levels that must be attained before the water can be sent back into the river, based on federal, state and provincial water quality standards and other local conditions.

The first stage of the treatment process, called primary treatment, settles and separates solids (mainly fiber) from the water. This process takes place in a clarifier or a lined settling pond.

In the secondary or biological treatment stage, we remove organic substances that could compete with aquatic organisms for dissolved oxygen in rivers and streams. Bacteria and other microbes (collectively called bugs) do the bulk of the work in this stage. And to keep the bugs happy, we add oxygen by mechanically churning the water or by blowing in compressed air. Sometimes we also add nutrients, such as nitrogen or phosphorus, to keep the bugs healthy.

This stage is a balancing act of adding and removing substances. The bugs eventually die and settle out as secondary solids in a final settling basin, such as a clarifier or a lined settling pond.

This clearer, cleaner water — with most of the solids and organic substances removed — can be returned to rivers and lakes so fish, wildlife, communities, farmers and other industries can utilize this shared resource.

The solids that have been removed from the effluent treatment process also are being put to good use. In 2017, Domtar’s mills beneficially reused 78 percent of the solids removed from our effluent treatment systems to improve the productivity of farmland and forests, make compost, provide daily cover for municipal landfills and provide energy for our boilers.

Water Costs More Than What We Pay For It

As you can see, our mills do a lot of work to screen, chemically treat, filter, heat and pump water so it is ready for use in our pulp- and paper-making processes. And for the water that can’t be reused in our mills, we remove process materials and chemicals so we can return it to the watershed with no adverse effects. Through effective water conservation and management, we can protect this precious natural resource.

While most of our mills pay little to no fees to access water, the cost to process water for use and reclaim it for return to the environment is anything but free. By assigning a cost to using water, we can further improve the way we manage this vital resource.

We recently developed a model to help our mills understand the full cost of using water. This helps our managers make smarter decisions that can lower our manufacturing costs and water access risks through additional water conservation measures.

Previously posted on Domtar's Newsroom. 

An innovative treatment has been devised to enable companies to remove pollutants from wastewater and enhance their ethical and environmental responsibility policies.  

Its creators hail the process as a breakthrough that is far quicker and cheaper than previous attempts to tackle water pollution. 

They believe their technology will be particularly beneficial to mining companies, which expel huge amounts of water saturated with acids and heavy metals, and textile factories, which pump out water laden with chemical dyes. 

The new solution, from scientists at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Western Australia, is based on a method previously used to develop metallic glasses with an altered atomic structure and the ability to cleanse water of impurities. 

The technique produces crystallized metal alloy ribbons, which are heat-treated to bind more strongly with pollutants. 

The scientific explanation is that at an atomic level the electrons are stimulated to move more quickly and to transfer inside and across the grains that are generated. 

 Professor Laichang Zhang, the project lead researcher, said: “The fast electron transportation is usually what we desire in the wastewater treatment. A fast electron transportation from our materials to contaminants leads to an effective conversion of contaminants into harmless substances such as water, carbon dioxide etc. That is to say, the faster the electron transfers, the higher contaminant removal efficiency is.” 

Testing at the university showed that the material purifies wastewater within a few minutes. 

The other advantages recommended by the university team to environmentally minded businesses are that the process leaves no waste, the material can be reused up to five times, and the cost is minimal – enough alloy to clean a ton of wastewater can be produced for about A$15 ($11, £8, €9). 

To make the product even more acceptable to business the Australian researchers are working with industry partners to make the process more efficient and to lower the cost. 

 

 

The socially responsible investment industry is exploding. By any measure, the growth is exponential, and increasing rapidly. The reasons are straightforward: Sustainable investing is increasingly seen as a superior methodology to manage risk and drive returns.

A few numbers tell the story. Socially responsible assets under management (AUM) are estimated at $8.7 trillion as of 2016—a 33% increase from 2014. That overall total is approaching 25% of all U.S. AUM. Here’s another key figure: 75% of investors are interested in what is often referred to as socially responsible investing (SRI), according to a report by the Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing. That total includes these breakouts: 84% of women and 86% of millennials. The related, significant number is the estimated $50 trillion of wealth that will transfer to women and millennials over the next 30 years, as baby boomers pass on their assets to theirs spouses and offspring. As noted above, an overwhelming majority of these two groups are interested in SRI in its various forms, including sustainable, impact, and ESG investing. Here’s the good news for those brands taking stands on social issues: investors are now actively evaluating companies for the “S” factor in their ESG (environmental, social, governance) strategies. Historically, good corporate governance has marked a good company to invest in, and in recent years, environmental issues—from risk mitigation to profit opportunities—have become increasingly quantified and baked into balance sheets. Social purpose has been the hardest factor to define and evaluate relative to a company’s bottom line. That’s changing. A new investing approach aligns ESG factors with the UN’s Sustainable Business Goals to boost evaluations of the “S” factor at the bottom line. A poll of 118 asset owners—public and corporate pensions, endowments, foundations, sovereign wealth entities, insurance companies—found that 84% are pursuing ESG integration in their investment process while 78% are aligning that process with the UN SDGs. Potential profit is a strong driver: a recent report by the Business & Sustainable Development Commission estimates that achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals could open up $12 trillion of market opportunities in food, agriculture, cities, energy, materials, health, and well-being, while creating 380 million new jobs by 2030. The latest evidence of this shift was on display at last week’s 2018 Sustainable Investing Conference held at the UN in New York. Nearly 600 financial professionals gathered to hear a Who’s Who of the financial community discuss the use of ESG as the “GPS” of investing and the SDGs as the destination. The event was sponsored by Gitterman Wealth Management, which has adopted the slogan, “ESG: The GPS of Investing.” It proposes using ESG guidance as risk mitigator and alpha return generator, and the SDGs as the defined, specific social purposes at which to aim investments. Comments from ESG research and analysis firms Sustainalytics, MSCI, Morningstar, and others summed up developments as 1) much progress has been made in quantifying ESG factors and 2) it’s complicated—individual methodologies abound, as do sustainable investing products (green bonds, impact investments, index funds). All cautioned that the design of rules and scoring systems makes a big difference to ESG evaluation, and that ESG scores are not “settled facts” but analysis that offers useful insights into the policies of each business. All were also certain that ESG-driven investing, especially that targeting social purpose as well as profit, is becoming widespread throughout the investment community. The case of Nike offers a textbook case study. The company’s pointed socio-political statement in its recent “Believe” ad campaign resulted in its rising share price (highest ever) were noted. While not explicit, links can be made between the purpose of that campaign and its support of diversity and inclusion: SDG 16 ("Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development”). Linking ESG investment to SDG goals to drive financial support for companies taking positions on social issues is an exciting development in the unfolding brands taking stands story, and one that will undoubtedly create many more examples like the Nike case. Using principle to generate profits is becoming business-as-usual. Stay up to date on the latest in corporate activism by signing up for the weekly Brands Taking Stands newsletter.