Category Archives: English

SDGs: a topic of interest for companies

Posted on 2016/03/03 by camillebaillyleclerc | Leave a comment

On the 17^th of February, DFGE co-animated a webinar on Sustainable Development Goals with the World Environment Center. For those who missed it, we summarize the main conclusions of the webinar in this article.

The webinar featured sustainability experts.

Elisa Tonda (Head of Business and Industry Unit, UNEP), Lorraine Francourt (Director, EH&S & Sustainability, EMEA & AP, The Dow Chemical Company), Wolfgang Berger (VP Business Development, DFGE- Institute for Energy, Ecology and Economy) and Terry F. Yosie (President and CEO, World Environment Center) presented current trends on how companies are using the Sustainable Development Goals and on how companies can address them.

Main highlights from the webinar

(1) The SDGs are becoming important because they provide an internationally approved framework to address global challenges. Business has a vital interest in a world free from human suffering and environmental degradation and finds it essential that coordinated and measurable action takes place.

(2) Companies find value in using the SDG’s, e.g. because they help identify and meet societal expectations, especially in developing markets where the major growth opportunities lie.

(3) Companies such as Dow Chemical are already applying the SDGs. They have gone through intense stakeholder consultations (both internally and externally) and have now embedded their sustainability goal-setting-process into a structure that allows for measuring and reporting on the SDGs. Dow sets goals for each of the SDG’s but not for each indicator. Even less ambitious companies that address just a few goals would be coherent with the United Nation’s objective: every company should find its own way of contributing to the SDGs.

(4) Companies can align the SDGs with their business strategies and existing reporting frameworks such as Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), UN Global Compact, and CDP responses. While the SDGs may have similar content to the aforementioned, these pre-existing initiatives and frameworks are generally more focused in certain areas. The SDGs are, instead, a framework to report on a company’s contribution to solve global challenges and enable a strategic perspective for companies that actively want to identify business opportunities for the common good.

A worldwide topic

It seems that companies show a deep interest in this topic. Slightly more than 100 sustainability experts attended the webinar. 74% were business representatives, while 26% were from academia, advisory firms, governments, and NGO’s. Geographical distribution was 49% from Europe, 38% from the US, 8% from Latin America and 5% from Northern Africa/Middle East/Pacific.

For more information, please consult: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs or our blog article on how to address SDGs: Companies are key to the success of the Sustainable Development Goals. You can also directly consult us at info@dfge.de

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Posted in Blog, English

Tagged csr, GRI, SDGs, sustainability, Sustainable development goals, UNGC, United Nations, webinar, WEC

High tide

Posted on 2016/02/26 by DanielWiegand | Leave a comment

Background story: The majority of our blog posts deals with CSR topics; we write about the latest developments in this field and try to relate it to a company’s daily business. Our background stories have a different perspective: Here, we explain trends, scientific background and societal implications of corporate sustainability – sometimes with a personal touch.

What do the cities of Hamburg (Germany) and Lagos (Nigeria) have in common? Not much, one might think. However, they share a property which makes them both vulnerable to climate change: they both lie at a height of only five meters above sea level – and the sea level rises every year.

How would it look like, a world with six-meter higher sea levels? You can now find it out yourself at http://flood.firetree.net/.

A natural phenomenon which has been increasing in the 20^th century
Data from sediments, tide gauge records and satellites show that sea levels changed only little between 0 AD and 1900, but began rising in the 20th century[1]. Two main mechanisms have been identified to be responsible for this, both related to climate change:

Water expands along with temperature; as global temperatures are rising, the water body’s volume is expanding
Warmer temperatures initiate a thawing of the polar ice caps. The resulting melting water leads to higher sea levels

The average change rate was at about 1.7 mm per year in the last century, which amounts to a total difference of about 19 cm over the last 110 years. 19 cm – this is far from the five meters of Hamburg and Lagos, so no reason to worry? Well, far from it, unfortunately.

At the one hand, the increase rate is accelerating: between 1993 and 2010, it amounted already to 3.2 mm per year[2], which is a drastic increase compared to the values for the preceding century. Researchers from several universities just published a study stating that the 20th-century rise happened faster than any of the previous 27 centuries[3].

And secondly, we haven’t talked about tipping points yet.

Tipping points: when changes become rapid

Tipping points are maybe the biggest headache of climate scientists. This notion refers to a moment when the earth’s entire climatic system changes rapidly and irreversibly into a new state, triggered by a preceding constant change of an input variable (like the atmospheric CO2 level). Regarding sea level rise, such a tipping point might be reached once the Greenland ice sheet begins to thaw – research suggests that this could happen already with a global warming of about 1.6 degrees[4]. Greenland’s ice sheet is 3.000 meters thick; its melting would contribute to a total sea level rise of about 6 meters[5], with the well-known consequences not only for Hamburg or Lagos: About 10% of the world population live in low-lying areas, and 30% live in areas impacted by extreme flooding events. The majority of megacities is located in coastal areas[6].

On a human timescale, processes like the Greenland melting would still happen slowly, taking several thousand years. But if greenhouse gas emissions are not effectively limited, these processes are likely to accelerate. Due to a combination with increasingly frequent and severe rainstorms (also a consequence of climate change) huge investments into coastal protection will be necessary in the coming decades[7].

Thus, sea level rise does not just concern some lost islands somewhere in the ocean – it concerns the livelihoods of a substantial part of the world population. A worldwide and concerted action to mitigate climate change is crucial, if we want to ensure that our coastal areas can stay habitable for future generations. The UN Climate Conference in Paris 2015 has shown that a lot of governmental and private actors are willing to combat climate change – now the decisions made have to come into action.

DFGE can assist also your organization in quantifying your carbon emissions, and to establish a strategy to tackle them. Contact us at info@dfge.de or +49.8192.99733-20 for more information.

Sources:

[1] http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/sealevel.html

[2] http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar5/wg1/WG1AR5_Chapter03_FINAL.pdf

[3] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/02/22/seas-are-now-rising-faster-than-they-have-in-2800-years-scientists-say/?postshare=421456172051268&tid=ss_tw

[4] https://www.pik-potsdam.de/news/press-releases/archive/2012/gronlands-eismassen-konnten-komplett-schmelzen-bei-1-6-grad-globaler-erwarmung

[5] https://nsidc.org/cryosphere/quickfacts/icesheets.html

[6] http://www.uni-kiel.de/pressemeldungen/?pmid=2015-085-klimawandel

[7] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2010-to-2015-government-policy-flooding-and-coastal-change/2010-to-2015-government-policy-flooding-and-coastal-change

image source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Trends_in_global_average_absolute_sea_level%2C_1880-2013.png

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Posted in Blog, English

Tagged article, carbon, climate change, COP21, emissions, livelihood, local population, opinion, paris agreement, science, sea level

EcoVadis and DFGE partnership: boosting sustainable procurement in the German-speaking region

Posted on 2016/02/15 by camillebaillyleclerc | Leave a comment

DFGE becomes the first Consulting Partner in the German-speaking region of EcoVadis, the leader in supply chain sustainability ratings. This partnership will help companies to better answer their clients’ requests for an EcoVadis assessment, as well as to improve CSR performance.

EcoVadis, a collaborative sustainability rating platform

EcoVadis operates the first collaborative platform providing Supplier Sustainability Ratings for global supply chains. More than 25,000 companies use EcoVadis’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) assessment, including thousands in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, which provides a rating and scorecard on their environmental, social/labor, and ethical practices.

EcoVadis provides a concrete solution enabling CSR transparency in the supply chain. Companies subscribe to EcoVadis and require their suppliers to be assessed by EcoVadis on their sustainability management. This analysis is carried out by EcoVadis experts and the results are then published on a collaborative platform, accessible by both buyers and suppliers, in the shape of a scorecard.

DFGE will offer various services

EcoVadis trusts DFGE in providing trainings and pre-checks of responses. Trainings are about EcoVadis principles, the questionnaire and platform management. They aim at empowering suppliers in completing the questionnaire and responding to clients’ requests. DFGE will also provide response checks to make sure that the answers are aligned with EcoVadis requirements and methodology. With more than 15 years of experience in sustainability data management and reporting, DFGE can help suppliers to find and improve the right documentation. DFGE also offers complete service packages that reduce company’s investment in time and resources and prepare all requested information to submit to EcoVadis.

On top of that, DFGE can also provide guidance to explain the results of the scorecard, conduct an improvement plan, consolidate the sustainability management system by providing dedicated documents such as the carbon footprint, a CSR report based on GRI guidelines, among other services.

As a consequence, EcoVadis users can benefit from guidance and dedicated feedback, in their own speaking language. DFGE has been trained by EcoVadis to provide the official products.

To read the full PR: http://www.dfge.de/en/ecovadis-partnership/

To learn more about EcoVadis: http://www.ecovadis.com/ or DFGE: http://www.dfge.de/en/

Or contact us at info@dfge.de for any question or information.

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Posted in Blog, English

Tagged ecovadis, feedback, help, improvement plan, management system, Partner, questionnaire, response check, scorecard, support, sustainability, sustainable procurement, training

COP21: speeding up climate change actions

Posted on 2015/12/18 by camillebaillyleclerc | Leave a comment

THE UNFCCC 21th Conference of Parties (COP21) was held in Paris from the 30^th of November to the 12^th of December, 2015. The 195 countries represented here reached an historical agreement to curb climate change.

The Paris agreement at a glance:

Objective to keep temperature rise below 2°C and try to limit it to 1.5°C
Five-year cycle of actions. 186 countries have published their action plans to reduce emissions.
Review mechanism every five years, with a first world review in 2023. This will help increase the transparency, countries will be required to report on their emissions.
Focus on climate change adaptation instead of mitigation, which means “adjusting systems in response to climate change, with changes in processes, practices, and structures to moderate potential damages or to benefit from opportunities associated with climate change,”(UNFCCC) while mitigation is about reducing GHG emissions.
Finance and burden-sharing. Developed countries are to provide financial resources to help resources countries, up to 100 billion dollars from 2020.
Loss and damage principle. The agreement acknowledges the Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM) on Loss and Damage, created in 2013 to deal with the cases when mitigation and adaptation fail.

What is next?

The agreement will be open to signature on next Earth day, the 22^nd of April, 2016. To be enforced, at least 55 countries must ratify it, and they must represent at least 55% of the world’s emissions.

What can you do?

Every organization can take part in mitigating climate change and reducing emissions! A first step is to assess the carbon footprint to then reduce the identified emissions by implementing many simple actions at local level.

For more information: Paris agreement and a related infographic, UNFCCC, carbon footprint, or contact us at info@dfge.de

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Posted in Blog, English, Uncategorized

Tagged #, #adaptation, #agreement, #mitigation, #paris, carbon, carbon footprint, COP21, emissions, GHG, paris agreement, UNFCCC

Video: UNFCCC’s Christiana Figueres on CDP

Posted on 2015/12/04 by Wolfgang Berger | Leave a comment

Climate disclosure goes mainstream

As seen on http://blog.cdp.net/climate-disclosure-goes-mainstream/

Also check out her blog: http://figueres-unfccc.net/

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Posted in Blog, English

Tagged CDP, Christiana Figueres, COP21, mainstream, reporting, UNFCCC

Video

Video: GRI Plenary on G4- Introducing the main features of G4

Plenary on G4- Introducing the main features of G4 from GRI on Vimeo.

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Posted on 2015/11/27 by Wolfgang Berger in Blog, English

Tagged csr, G4, GRI, reporting

Understand GRI in 2 minutes

Posted on 2015/11/25 by camillebaillyleclerc | Leave a comment

What is the purpose of GRI?

GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) is an internationally recognized standard for CSR reporting to help organizations set goals, measure performance, and manage change in order to make their operations more sustainable. The guidelines are now in their 4^th version (G4).

G4 process in a few words:
– Identify your company’s “Material Aspects”, e.g. the environmental, social and other CSR impacts that your organization is facing and how they relate to the broader sustainability context. In this sense, you will be focused only on what truly matters and how it impacts your stakeholders. When defining such issues, it is fundamental to consult them to match your organization’s priorities with theirs. This step is also called “Defining Report Content”.
– Prepare the data to be submitted in the report: the “General Standard Disclosures” (including “Material Aspects” and “Stakeholder Engagement”) and “Specific Standard Disclosures”, whose contents will depend on the “Identified Material Aspects”. Here you can choose the extent to which your company wishes to report, with “Core” and “Comprehensive” option. During this step, “Principles for Quality” are to be complied to make sure that the report is comparable, accurate, understandable,…
– Write and shape the report. You can choose any structure, for instance according to your strategy’s pillars. You just need to include the GRI index showing the indicators can be found. If the report is not complete, a given statement will be added.
– Publish your report and notify GRI.

What are the benefits?

Identify CSR priorities
Track performance
Benefit from competitive advantage
Enhance relations with stakeholders
Facilitate comparability

DFGE is happy to answer your questions and provide more support.

For more information, please consult the GRI-Website or check this video focusing on the differences between GRI3 and GRI4:

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Posted in Blog, English, Uncategorized

Tagged aspects, comprehensive, core, csr, CSR report, disclosure, engagement, environmental, G4, general standard disclosure, GRI, GRI index, guideline, identified material aspects, impacts, indicator, KPI, material, Materiality, Materiality Matrix, Norm, performance, principles, quality, report, reporting, social, specific standard disclosure, stakeholder, Standard, strategy, sustainability

Get ready for the new version of ISO 14001:2015

Posted on 2015/11/04 by camillebaillyleclerc | 1 comment

ISO 14001 is an internationally recognized standard for environmental management systems. Since 2012, a technical committee has been revising the existing norm to publish a new version in September 2015.

How will it impact certified companies?

Companies certified in accordance with ISO 14001 former versions (2004 or the amended version of 2009) are given a three-year period to adapt their environmental management system according to the 2015 version.
All certificates in accordance with 14001:2004 will be invalid from 15/09/2015

What are the main changes of this version?

Integrated approach with other standards like ISO 9001 by using the same definitions and terms
A more strategic environmental management by identifying and leveraging opportunities that are beneficial to the environment and the company
New clause on leadership with specific roles to promote environmental management within the organization
A focus on protecting the environment through committing to proactive initiatives
A focus on objectives measurement and change
A new requirement on communication
An extension of the scope of application: the organization also needs to take into account product design and development as well as controlling outsourced processes

For more information you can review: http://www.iso.org/iso/iso14001_revision or watch the ISO video

The DFGE is happy to help you to align your environmental management with the new framework http://www.dfge.de

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Posted in Blog, English

Tagged certificate, certification, change, climate, csr, Environment management system, environment protection, ISO 14001, ISO 14001:2004, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 9001, methodology, Norm, Standard

UN Global Compact: DFGE publishes 2015 CoP report

Posted on 2015/01/29 by wellbrockdfge | Leave a comment

As a participant of the UN Global Compact, DFGE publishes annual “Communication of Progress” reports. The 2015 report is now available for download (German), and also listed in the UN GC database.

In the CoP reports, companies describe the current situation, measures taken and progress made in the fields of human rights, labour standards, environment and anti-corruption. Through its wide scope and clear requirements, the CoP report can serve as a good introduction to sustainability reporting (learn more).

DFGE supports your company in setting up the UN Global Compact membership and developing a substantial, representable CoP report. Contact us at info@dfge.de or +49.8192.99733-20.

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Posted in Blog, Corporate, English

Tagged COP, UN Global Compact

NASA Video: A Year In The Life Of Earth’s CO2

Posted on 2014/11/19 by Wolfgang Berger | Leave a comment

This ultra-high-resolution NASA computer model shows how carbon dioxide the atmosphere travels around the globe. The plumes of CO2 swirl and shift all over the globe. It makes clear why greenhouse gases are always a global challenge.