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.

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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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        • Stakeholders: Forests
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      • Set Goals
        • Goals: Agriculture
        • Goals: Forests
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        • Goals: Energy
        • Goals: Freight
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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
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        • Pilot Projects: Freight
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      • Make Business Case
        • Business Case: Agriculture
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        • Business Case: Waste
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        • Pitch & Launch: Agriculture
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        • 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
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  • Level 2: Execute
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      • Safer Chemicals
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      • Sustainable Energy
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      • Safer Chemicals
      • Sustainable Agriculture
      • Sustainable Energy
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      • Safer Chemicals
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      • 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

Establish objectives & metrics: energy

Learn how to set baselines, determine your significant energy uses, and select key performance indicators to measure progress towards your sustainable energy goals.

02/24/2019

Guide

Assess risks and impacts: freight

This section of the Green Freight Handbook provides a framework to help you answer the question of what strategies make the most sense to you. It starts with EDF’s 5 Principles for Greener Freight.

02/24/2019

Handbook

Identify stakeholders: freight

The biggest breakthroughs in freight efficiency will come from companies working together to ship the same volume of freight in fewer, fuller loads.

02/24/2019

Handbook

Set goals: freight

When it comes to setting goals for freight sustainability, don’t underestimate your power to change things. Set aggressive targets and challenge the organization to achieve them.

02/24/2019

Handbook

Establish metrics: freight

Start your journey by establishing performance-based metrics, and report your progress regularly.

02/24/2019

Handbook

Identify pilot projects: freight

If you’re just beginning a concerted freight sustainability effort, focus on projects over which you have complete control and can quickly demonstrate results.

02/24/2019

Handbook

Assess impact & opportunity: packaging waste

If you wish to assess a product across the value chain with a focus on packaging and/or plastic waste, please consider the true environmental cost of plastic packaging.

02/24/2019

Guide

Carbon accounting 101

A guide to corporate carbon accounting, including definitions of scopes 1, 2 and 3 emissions, companies that have set scope 3 goals, and initiatives you can turn to for help doing the same.

02/24/2019

Guide

Safer chemicals 101: a glossary of terms

Get up to speed quickly with this glossary that provides definitions for key terms related to safer chemicals.

02/24/2019

Guide

The Business of Sustainability blogs and podcasts

The Business of Sustainability podcast series explores trends in sustainability leadership. Below, read interviews with and hear from today’s corporate leaders who are tackling sustainability challenges, supporting a thriving economy and raising the bar for climate action.

02/23/2019

Guide

We Mean Business coalition

A coalition that is catalyzing business action and driving policy ambition to accelerate the zero-carbon transition.

02/23/2019

Initiative

EPA Center for Corporate Climate Leadership

EPA's Center for Corporate Climate Leadership serves as a resource center for all organizations looking to expand their work in the area of greenhouse gas (GHG) measurement and management.

02/23/2019

Initiative

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