The Sustainability Journey - Environmental Defense Fund Supply Chain Solutions Center

The Sustainability Journey

Corporate sustainability leadership: the journey

Successful business leaders understand that a thriving economy depends on a thriving environment, and vice versa. Your customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders and potential investors are well aware that the myth of an “either/or” tradeoff between sustainability and profitability no longer exists. Now, more than ever, the world is your business.

Yet, while the need for corporate sustainability has long been proven, following a clear pathway to leadership — where your company’s business and sustainability goals are in alignment — can be challenging.

The Supply Chain Solutions Center roadmap to leadership can help you navigate that path.

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Explore The Sustainability Journey

Sustainability 101

Sustainability needs to be weaved into your business, not bolted down. These resources will help you learn how to start the sustainability journey for your company.

View All Sustainability 101 Resources

Level 1: Engage

The genesis of your company’s commitment to corporate sustainability, this stage is about getting informed on the issues, understanding the landscape (both internally and externally), assessing your areas of opportunity and influence, and discovering where you need help (and how you can get it).

View All Level 1: Engage Resources

Level 2: Execute

This stage is about advancing and innovating across your company’s landscape — from your own operations to your suppliers'. It’s a multi-faceted process that ranges from building sustainability plans and proving the business case to implementing, measuring, reporting, scaling and beginning to take a public stand on issues and policies.

View All Level 2: Execute Resources

Level 3: Lead

Leading on corporate sustainability means bringing your company’s business and environmental goals into seamless, transparent alignment. You’re accelerating environmental innovation, actively advocating for smart environmental policies, and advancing sustainable business practices to alter the landscape across entire industries and business sectors.

View All Level 3: Lead Resources
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  • Sustainability 101
    • Intro and overview 101
      • Overview: Agriculture 101
        • Introduction
        • Get Informed
        • Understand the Landscape
      • Overview: Forests 101
        • Introduction
        • Get Informed
        • Understand the Landscape
      • Overview: Chemicals 101
        • Introduction
        • Get Informed
        • Identify Key Stakeholders
      • Overview: Energy 101
        • Introduction
        • Get Informed
        • Understand the Landscape
      • Overview: Freight 101
        • Introduction
        • Get Informed
        • Understand the Landscape
      • Overview: Waste 101
        • Food Waste 101
          • Introduction
          • Get Informed
          • Understand the Landscape
        • Packaging Waste 101
          • Introduction
          • Get Informed
          • Understand the Landscape
    • Build a Sustainability Plan 101
      • Introduction
      • Assess Impact & Opportunity
        • Impact: Agriculture
        • Impact: Forests
        • Impact: Chemicals
        • Impact: Energy
        • Impact: Freight
        • Impact: Waste
      • Identify Stakeholders
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      • Set Goals
        • Goals: Agriculture
        • Goals: Forests
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      • Establish Objectives & Metrics
        • Objectives: Agriculture
        • Objectives: Forests
        • Objectives: Chemicals
        • Objectives: Energy
        • Objectives: Freight
        • Objectives: Waste
      • Identify Pilot Projects
        • Pilot Projects: Agriculture
        • Pilot Projects: Forests
        • Pilot Projects: Chemicals
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      • Make Business Case
        • Business Case: Agriculture
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        • Business Case: Chemicals
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        • Business Case: Freight
        • Business Case: Waste
      • Pitch & Launch Plan
        • Pitch & Launch: Agriculture
        • Pitch & Launch: Forests
        • Pitch & Launch: Chemicals
        • Pitch & Launch: Energy
        • Pitch & Launch: Freight
        • Pitch & Launch: Waste
    • Build a Business Plan 101
      • Business/environmental alignment
      • Drivers of change
      • Stakeholder motivation
      • Activate stakeholders
      • Identify data
  • Level 1: Engage
    • Engage: Agriculture
    • Engage: Forests
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    • Engage: Energy
    • Engage: Freight
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  • Level 2: Execute
  • Level 3: Lead
    • Advocate
      • Green Freight
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      • Safer Chemicals
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      • Sustainable Energy
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      • Green Freight
      • Safer Chemicals
      • Sustainable Agriculture
      • Sustainable Energy
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      • Safer Chemicals
      • Sustainable Agriculture
      • Sustainable Energy
      • Thriving Forests
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Main Library

The Sustainability Journey Resources

Filter by our "Sustainability 101" categories for a concise, high-level overview of Agriculture, Forests, Chemicals, Energy, Freight or Waste. You can also view all of the Engage (Level 1), Execute (Level 2) and Lead (Level 3) resources by filtering for interest areas that are relevant to your company.

Filter Library

Title

Date

Type

Smart Moves – Creative Supply Chain Strategies

EDF looks at how creative supply chain strategies can cut both transport costs and emissions.

02/09/2019

Article

Take our Green Freight Journey Assessment Survey

Start your Green Freight Journey by taking our Assessment Survey.

02/09/2019

Tool

Webinar: starting your green freight journey

In this webinar, Jason Mathers, Senior Manager at Environmental Defense Fund, introduces you to the Green Freight Journey framework, reviews real-world case examples and highlight tools EDF is making available to help companies progress on their journey.

02/09/2019

Webinar

Green Freight Best Practices

EDF has developed a suite of resources to guide you on every stage of your green freight journey.

02/09/2019

Article

Green Freight facts & figures

The movement of goods accounts for nine percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions – nearly 500 million metric tons annually in direct emissions.

02/09/2019

Article

The Green Freight Handbook

A Practical Guide for Developing a Sustainable Freight Transportation Strategy for Business

02/09/2019

Handbook

Sustainable Cattle Ranching: Novo Campo Program

The Novo Campo Program promotes sustainable practices on cattle ranches in the Amazon region, improving their economic, social and environmental performance.

02/07/2019

Initiative

Progress on Corporate Commitments and their Implementation

This paper from TFA seeks to address limited progress on company deforestation commitments in palm oil, soy, cattle, and paper and pulp supply chains.

02/07/2019

Report

The Financial Sector and Deforestation-free Supply Chains

This report examines the role of the financial sector in deforestation-free supply chains.

02/07/2019

Report

The Roadmap to Financing Deforestation-Free Commodities

This paper discusses why financial institutions are finding it difficult to take sufficient action to address deforestation, and recommends ways forward.

02/07/2019

Report

Jurisdictional leadership in net zero deforestation

This paper examines the state of jurisdictional initiatives and how companies can engage to support the transition to sustainable commodity production.

02/06/2019

Report

Tropical Forest Alliance 2020 (TFA 2020)

TFA 2020 brings together governments, private sector and civil society to remove deforestation from palm oil, beef, soy and pulp and paper.

02/06/2019

Initiative

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