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
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        • Impact: Waste
      • Identify Stakeholders
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      • Set Goals
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      • Establish Objectives & Metrics
        • Objectives: Agriculture
        • Objectives: Forests
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        • Objectives: Energy
        • Objectives: Freight
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      • Identify Pilot Projects
        • Pilot Projects: Agriculture
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      • Make Business Case
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        • Pitch & Launch: Waste
    • Build a Business Plan 101
      • Business/environmental alignment
      • Drivers of change
      • Stakeholder motivation
      • Activate stakeholders
      • Identify data
  • Level 1: Engage
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    • Engage: Forests
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  • Level 2: Execute
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      • Sustainable Agriculture
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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

Safer food packaging

Food packaging can contribute to the migration of chemicals of concern into food. Here's why you should set safer food packaging goals.

08/22/2019

Guide

Chemicals in food packaging and handling equipment

EDF has identified chemicals in food packaging and food handling equipment where the potential health impacts from their migration into food raises serious concerns.

08/22/2019

Guide

Tackling contaminants of concern in food packaging

EDF has prioritized certain chemical contaminants in food for manufacturers to take action on.

08/22/2019

Guide

Prioritize your chemicals: A guide

EDF has created a step-by-step guide for any product sector to help you prioritize action on toxic chemicals to reduce your chemical footprint.

08/22/2019

Guide

The Chemical Footprint Project

Investors and purchaser communities are becoming increasingly interested in how companies manage chemicals and mitigate risk. The Chemical Footprint Project evaluates companies’ chemicals management practices and recognizes leaders.

08/22/2019

Webinar

A safer supply chain: Managing food contaminants

EDF, Nestlé and the FDA explore industry and regulatory actions for reducing contaminants of concern in food.

08/22/2019

Webinar

Safer products and food case studies

A series of case studies that showcase suppliers who are meeting the growing demand for safer chemical ingredients in consumer products and food.

08/22/2019

Guide

Smart Innovation: greenscreen assessments

The hazard assessments completed for each of the 16 common preservatives as part of EDF’s Smart Innovation Report

08/22/2019

Guide

EDF model corporate chemical policies

The most effective tool in jump-starting and sustaining safer chemicals leadership is a written corporate chemicals policy.

08/22/2019

Guide

Poultry Sustainability Guide

A user-friendly how-to guide with best practices and actionable solutions that the poultry industry can use now on the farm or in the plant.

07/09/2019

Report

Sustainable product design resources

Resources about eco-friendly product design considerations.

06/24/2019

Handbook

Produce, Conserve, Include (PCI) Pitchbook

This pitchbook provides a “menu” of on-the-ground programs in Mato Grosso, and makes it simple for companies to connect to the broader Mato Grosso PCI strategy and achieve their own supply chain goals.

05/29/2019

Handbook

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