NEWS: SSC Interviewed for Deliver Magazine

We're delighted to be featured in the August issue of Deliver Magazine, the "the leading online information resource for marketing professionals".

The article, entitled "Sustainable Economics", focuses on how companies should communicate their social and environmental activities to the investment community. Here's an excerpt:

Green investing isn’t new — for 20 years some analysts have regarded socially responsible investing as a proxy for good management — but it has recently gone mainstream. Along with consumers and suppliers, investors also need to know a company’s green initiatives.

But investors aren’t necessarily looking for a totally rosy picture, says Jennifer Woofter, president of Strategic Sustainability Consulting, a Maryland-based firm that helps organizations manage their social and environmental impacts. If anything, she says, reports about a company’s eco-footprint that are too sunny are bound to raise suspicions. Instead, she says, investors just want consistent evidence that the company is committed to gauging and addressing its key social and environmental impacts.

“That means the company is probably doing some good things but also recognizing and dealing with bad things,” Woofter says. Admitting a company’s weaknesses is more effective in sustainability reports than “greenwashing.”

Read the whole article here.

We also want to congratulate Deliver on producing an all-green edition. As the magazine notes:

When we at Deliver® decided to devote an entire issue to eco-friendly marketing, we knew we should do more than just write about it. We needed the magazine to reflect the environmentally conscious efforts we were espousing. It wouldn’t seem fitting to emphasize the “green” potential of a direct mail piece such as this while using all virgin paper, or in a magazine printed entirely with energy from fossil fuels. That we needed 100-percent recycled paper was a given — as was the need for environmentally friendly inks, which, in this instance, are mostly a blend of soy and a mixed vegetable oil package. We also worked with our printer to use paper manufactured with wind-generated energy.

What did going "green" mean for this issue? Deliver cites the following impacts:

— 101,000 Pounds of paper used
— 100% Percentage of post-consumer recycled content
— 969 Number of trees preserved
— 411,862 Gallons of wastewater flow saved
— 2,799 Pounds of waterborne waste avoided
— 45,571 Pounds of solid waste prevented
— 89,728 Pounds of greenhouse gases prevented, net
— 686,800,000 BTU s of energy saved
— 46,622 Pounds of air emissions prevented
— 20 Barrels of crude oil saved

Be sure to check out the other articles in this edition--it is chock full of green marketing commentary, suggestions, and analysis. Enjoy!

NEWS: Green Supply Chain Trends

via Greenbiz:

According to an August 2007 study by EyeForProcurement, "greening" of supply chains is a growing phenomenon around the world. It got us at SSC wondering, is the SME world following suit?

The survey asked 188 procurement professionals -- primarily in the United States, Europe and Asia -- about their companies' practices, policies and plans for reducing the environmental impact of the materials used in their work.

-- half of companies have policies on greening their supply chain

-- companies are nearly unanimous in their belief that green supply chains will only continue growing

-- two-thirds of the professionals in the survey said that they are practicing green procurement to support their companies' environmental or sustainability strategies

-- half also said they're responding to customers' interest in greener products and services

But are these beliefs actually affecting procurement practices? Although companies are increasingly aware of the benefits and importance of green procurement, most of them are only acquiring a small portion of their materials in that way. Only 13 percent of respondents are sourcing half or more of their products and services sustainably, while 55 percent said they source less than 10 percent of green goods.

At SSC, we think that supply chain issues are a great place to start a sustainability strategy--and we offer a variety of related services. Unlike expensive auditing firms or niche advocacy groups, our supply chain management services allow clients to focus on the social and environmental issues important to them. More importantly, we provide guidance through each step of supply chain management--from supplier auditing to creating a "green" procurement policy--so that even organizations new to corporate social responsibility can feel confident that they are implementing best practices from start to finish.

Contact us today for a free consultation!

PEOPLE: Fall Internships at Strategic Sustainability Consulting

Strategic Sustainability Consulting (SSC) is a Washington, DC-based company that provides organizations with the tools and expertise needed to actively manage their social and environmental impacts. We specialize in helping under-resourced organizations implement sustainable solutions usually reserved for large, multinational companies. Please visit our website at www.sustainabilityconsulting.com for more information about our products and services.

We're looking for 4-5 fall interns to help on a variety of sustainability topics. If you believe you might be a good fit with our objectives (see below), please send your CV and a cover letter to info@sustainabilityconsulting.com, indicating the position for which you'd like to be considered. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.

We will accept inquiries through August 24th, with initial interviews on a rolling basis. Please be prepared to provide two writing samples and a list of references.

These internships are for 15-25 hours/week for September 15 – December 15, and may be conducted remotely (although DC-based interns are preferred). A small stipend will be offered, along with a performance-based bonus. This is a great opportunity for individuals with an interest in getting into the sustainability consulting field, but who can't make a full-time commitment.

Marketing Intern

How do you market a small consultancy to worldwide clients? How do you take advantage of e-based "webinars" to reach clients who wouldn't normally be able to benefit from expert sustainability advice? We're looking for an enthusiastic, creative, and sensible Marketing Intern to review our marketing strategy so far, and to design a plan going forward. This is a position ideally suited to a graduate student (or mid-career changer) with previous marketing experience. It will be a largely self-directed project, so applicants should be self-motivated and be capable of exploring options with minimal hand-holding.

Research Interns (3-4)

The SSC Research Interns will work closely with lead consultants to provide background material for ongoing consulting projects. Past assignments have included working on client "Green Office Audit" projects, researching stakeholder engagement in the mining industry, creating case studies on "green" supply chains, and developing surveys for employee satisfaction. If you have strong research and analysis skills, and can quickly gather and summarize data into its salient points, this is a great opportunity to dabble in a variety of sustainability topics.

----------
Jennifer K. Woofter, President
Strategic Sustainability Consulting

202-470-3248 (office)
202-380-7544 (mobile)
jkwoofter (skype)

jennifer@sustainabilityconsulting.com
www.sustainabilityconsulting.com

NEWS: Women and the Environment

We're always intrigued by the interplay between social issues and environmental sustainability, and so we were especially interested in recent posts from Grist.org and Trendwatching.com about women, purchasing power, and the environment.

Consider these facts:

¨ Consulting firm A.T. Kearney estimates that women determine 80 percent of consumption, purchase 60 percent of all cars, and own 40 percent of all stocks.

¨ Women are up to 15 percent more likely than men to rate the environment a high priority.

¨ Women comprise up to two-thirds of voters who cast their ballots around environmental issues.

¨ Women are more likely than men to volunteer for and give money to environmental causes, especially related to public health.

¨ Women report both more support for environmental activists and more concern that government isn't doing enough.

¨ Women support increased government spending for the environment, while men favor spending cuts.

According to Grist (which sites all of the following survey data), polls also show that about 68 percent of American consumers have gone green, preferring health-conscious and environmentally responsible products. "Since 90 percent of women identify themselves as the primary shoppers for their households, and women sign 80 percent of all personal checks, it's safe to say that women are leading a quiet revolution in green consumerism."

What does this mean for you? If you employ women or sell to women (and we know you do!), then looking at ways to be more environmentally responsible can pay dividends—not just in reduced energy costs and less waste, but also in terms of improved customer loyalty, a strong reputation, and happier employees.