Global in scope, Connecting the Dots provides readers with a concise overview of how EHS and Sustainability intersect and offers immediately actionable activities to bring to their organizations in the context of worker safety, health, and wellbeing and environmental management, connecting the dots between the subject and the professional's role.
Written with standalone chapters to allow readers to apply relevant topics in situ or in study as needed, each chapter follows a standard format with integrated case studies, examples, and implementation advice. Interviews with leaders in the field and real-world examples of success are included throughout the text to elucidate key concepts.
This book is scalable to the size and nature of a company's operations, from a small, medium-sized enterprise to a global multinational company, it is applicable to all professionals in the field from the C-Suite to the front-line worker. The impact pathways in the Value: Creation, Assessment, Valuation and Impact Pathways chapter will be of interest to the finance department, the supply chain in the Stakeholder and Stakeholder mapping chapter will interest the procurement professional, and the sustainability strategy and decision-making roadmap chapter could be a focus for the enterprise risk team and applicable to procurement, as well as internal audit, corporate communications, investor relations and others.
Written by two veteran industry EHS and sustainability leaders, coverage includes: - Commonalities and differences in the international taxonomy within the EHS and sustainability disciplines, helping bridge reader understanding and communication across their company's stakeholder groups - Integrated business and risk management models related to associated frameworks, standards, assessments, themes, issues, impacts, and materiality - Discipline processes to operationalize concepts, and the better approach of a Future Fit, Sustainability and Business excellence mindset instead of a compliance mindset - Implementation and change management, highlighting important cultural and business considerations
Connecting the Dots is an essential guidance and reference resource for all professional readers, no matter where they sit in the value chain or industry sector. The text also serves as an excellent aid for advanced courses on topics such as sustainability and safety, environmental standards, and advanced safety, health and wellbeing management.
Table of Contents
Foreword xi
Acknowledgments xv
Glossary xvii
Section I Key Concepts 1
1 Introduction 3
2 The Evolution of Sustainability 5
Key Sustainability-Related Milestones 6
1980s 6
World Resources Institute 6
United Nations (UN) 6
1990s 7
World Business Council on Sustainable Development 7
Gri 8
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol 8
2000s 9
United Nations (UN) Global Compact 9
Climate Disclosure Project (CDP) 9
ESG: The Origin of the Term 10
United Nations (UN) Principles of Responsible Investment 10
Accounting for Sustainability 11
2010s 11
International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) 11
Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) 11
Center for Safety and Health Sustainability (the Center) 12
Capitals Coalition 14
EU Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD) 15
Taskforce on Climate-Related Financial Disclosure (TCFD) 16
United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 16
The UN SDGs and World Health Organization (WHO) Social Determinants of Health 17
Human Capital Management - 2017 18
International Standards Organization (ISO) 19
United States (US) Business Roundtable 20
2020s 20
Capitals Coalition Valuing Human Capital in Occupational Health and Safety (People Sustainability - OHS) Project and Project Group 20
Project Group - Contributions to the OHS-Sustainability Body of Knowledge 22
International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) and International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation (IFRS) 23
The National Safety Council New Value of Safety and Health in a Changing World Research 24
European Union (EU) Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive 24
Conclusion 25
References 25
3 Sustainability and ESG Key Concepts: Sustainability, ESG, the Capitals, Value, Valuation, Impacts, and Dependencies 31
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) 31
Sustainability 32
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) 34
The Capitals: Value and Valuation 36
Value 36
Valuation 37
References 39
4 The Theory of Change: Inputs, Outputs, Outcomes, and Impacts 41
Inputs 42
Outputs 45
Outcomes 46
Impacts and Dependencies 46
Impacts 47
Dependencies 51
Well-Being in the Context of Impact 52
Risks and Opportunities 52
Activities, Impacts, and Dependencies 53
Additional Impact and Dependency Examples 56
Measurement 58
Competitive Advantage: Business Continuity, Resilience, and Regeneration 61
Business Continuity and Resilience 61
Regeneration and the Capitals 61
Chapter Summary 63
References 64
5 Frameworks 67
Introduction 67
What Is It? 67
Regulatory 68
Consensus Standards 69
Proprietary Frameworks 71
Principles 71
Initiatives 72
ESG Raters 73
ESG Rankers 74
Who Is Generally Involved? 74
Where Is It Interconnected? 76
Applicability Analysis 77
References 78
6 The Capitals 81
The Capitals 81
Social Capital: The Glue That Binds 83
Intangible Becoming Tangible: Paying a Living Wage and the Capitals 84
The Capitals and a #TrueNorth Purpose 85
The Capitals: More Examples of Impacts, Dependencies and Value 86
Conclusion and Resources 89
References 89
7 Emerging Topics 91
Introduction 91
Who Is Generally Involved? 94
Where Is It Interconnected? 95
Why It Has Value? 95
References 95
Section II Implementation Tools and Resources 97
8 Beginning the Sustainability Journey 99
Integrated Sustainability Business Model 99
Sustainability Culture Change Framework (Framework) 100
Principle One: Align 102
Purpose, #TrueNorth, #TrueNorthTest, Good Governance and Change 102
Influencing Begins with a Compelling “Why” 104
What Is the Company’s “Why?” 105
The Decision Makers 106
Aligning Purpose, Strategy, Integration, and Performance Excellence 108
Principle Two: Integrate 111
Sustainability Assessment and Implementation Tools 111
Sustainability Maturity Analysis 112
Stakeholder Mapping, Materiality and Competitor Analysis 113
Principle Three: Engage and Principle Four: Empower 114
Summary 117
References 117
9 The Sustainability Strategy and Decision-Making Roadmap 121
Maximizing Impact and Value Through Strategy, Decision-Making, and Stakeholder Engagement 121
Leading with Impact: Accessing the Current State of Sustainability 125
The Roadmap 125
Identify, Assess, Manage Material Risks, and Resulting Impacts (Input, Output) 125
Maturity Analysis (Input/Output) 126
The Integrated Risk Management Cycle (Input, Output, Outcome) 127
Case Study 143
Conclusion 143
References 145
10 Stakeholders and Stakeholder Mapping 147
Introduction 147
What Is It? 147
Stakeholder Groups 148
Stakeholder Mapping 149
The Stakeholder Engagement 151
Circles of Influence 153
Who Is Generally Involved? 153
Where Is It Interconnected? 154
Why It Has Value? 155
References 158
11 Benchmarking 159
Introduction 159
What Is It? 160
Identify What to Benchmark - Purpose and Scope 161
Peer Groups 164
Resourcing the Benchmark 165
Conduct the Benchmark - Competitive Analysis 166
Conduct the Benchmark - Information Gathering 167
Process - Analyzing Information 167
Analyzing the Data 170
Develop Benchmark Report 172
Incorporation into Strategic Sustainability 172
Who Is Generally Involved? 173
Where Is It Interconnected? 174
Why It Has Value? 174
Integration into Other Strategic Elements (Chapters) 176
References 176
12 Materiality 179
Introduction 179
Types of Materiality 181
The Materiality Process 186
Step 1 - Goal Setting (Otherwise Known as the Purpose and Scope) 186
Step 2 - Stakeholder Identification 188
Step 3 - Benchmarking 188
Step 4 - Key Issue Determination 189
Step 5 - Engagement 191
Step 6 - Analysis 195
Step 7 - Prioritization 195
Step 8 - Activation 196
Who Is Generally Involved? 197
Where Is It Interconnected? 197
Integration into Other Strategic Elements (Chapters) 197
References 199
13 Value: Creation, Assessment, Valuation, and Impact Pathways 201
An Introduction to Value Assessment 201
Social and Societal Value 202
Communicating Value: Natura’s IP&L Report 203
Value Creation: “The Sweet Spot” 205
Unpacking a Value Assessment 208
Impact Pathways 210
Impact Pathway: Ergonomics Intervention Example 211
The National Safety Council (NSC) Research 216
Value Mapping 218
Case Study 219
Summary 221
References 221
14 Disclosures and Reporting 225
Introduction 225
What Is It? 226
Sustainability Reporting Decisions 229
Who Is Generally Involved? 236
Where Is It Interconnected? 238
Why It Has Value? 238
References 239
15 Resilience 241
What Is It 241
Process 243
Planet 244
References 249
Appendix 251
Index 271
