Essential ESG & Sustainability Training

Whether you are a chief ESG or sustainability officer, a director of investor relations, a supply chain manager, or a front line worker on social and environmental performance... training is essential. Without it, your organization won’t be able to reduce the risks of inaction or capitalize on the opportunities provided by an understanding of ESG and sustainability issues.

Most businesses under increasing pressure to improve their ESG and sustainability performance, from internal leadership and employees to external stakeholders such as investors, creditors, policy makers, supply chain partners, and consumers. This presents many challenges depending on your internal competencies and understanding of mandatory and voluntary performance expectations.

First, it is crucial to establish a firm understanding of your organization’s unique business drivers and challenges so you can more easily sift through the “alphabet soup” of ESG and sustainability frameworks, standards, and rating agencies. As you continue, it becomes increasingly relevant to learn about performance requirements and expectations of your key stakeholders so you can set targets, implement improvements, and disclose progress. Finally, you may need to develop competencies for achieving bold visions in specific areas like climate action, diversity and inclusion, or a myriad of relevant environmental, social, and governance issues.

Here is a highlight reel (9 minutes) from a recent SGS webinar: Essential Training for ESG & Sustainability Challenges.

Click here to watch the full webinar (1 hour) from SGS: Essential Training for ESG & Sustainability Challenges.

5 Top Business Drivers of ESG & Sustainability in North America

1. ESG Ratings
2. Supply Chain Customers
3. Regulations
4. Consumers
5. Top Talent

6 Key Business Challenges When Adopting ESG & Sustainability Strategy

1. Investors’ criteria
2. Other key stakeholders’ expectations
3. “Material” issues for your industry and region
4. Reporting frameworks and standards
5. Managing new ESG/sustainability data
6. Innovation and collaboration on big issues

5 Steps in the Organizational ESG & Sustainability Cycle

1. Awareness
2. Priorities
3. Strategy
4. Execution
5. Communication

ESSENTIAL TRAINING PER STEP

Steps 1-3 are for "Strategists" that often need to be part of the senior-level ESG or sustainability committee who are capable of defining, prioritizing, and operationalizing material issues for the organization: board members, chief executives, senior VPs and directors, legal counsel, and directors of ESG and sustainability.

• ESG Stakeholder Engagement - AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standard
• ESG Frameworks & Standards - Certified GRI Professional, Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting (FSA) Credential-Level I & II
• ESG Ratings - MSCI ESG, ISS ESG, Sustainalytics, Ecovadis
• Comprehensive Review - SGS Academy: ESG Foundation & ESG Strategy courses

Step 4 is for "Implementers" that manage key initiatives and projects for quality improvement related to material issues: project managers, operational managers, cross-functional subject matter experts, risk managers, and quality managers.

• Project Management - PMI Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Management Standards - ISO 14064:Greenhouse Gas, ISO 45001: Health & Safety, ISO 37001:Governance
• Target Standards - Science Based Targets, PAS 2060:Carbon Neutral, AWS Water Stewardship, TRUE Zero Waste
• Comprehensive Review - SGS Academy: ESG Foundation & ESG Implementation courses

Step 5 is for "Reporters" that communicate and disclose management and performance of material issues: communications, marketing, investor relations, government affairs, and legal compliance.

• Greenwashing Risks - FTC Green Guides
• Reporting Standards - Fundamentals of Integrated Reporting <IR> Certificate, Business Reporting on SDGs, Certified GRI Professional, Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting (FSA) Credential-Level I & II
• Assurance Standards - ISAE 3000, AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standard
• Comprehensive Review - SGS Academy: ESG Foundation & ESG Communications courses

SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. Our ESG team in SGS North America—Knowledge provides a wealth of related services to help Health Care and Medical Device companies in these areas.

We can assess your ESG strategy and programs, whether you are a large multinational corporation that is publicly-traded or a privately-held small or medium-sized enterprise working in the USA or Canada.

We provide assurance of ESG and sustainability reports, and verification of greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories (“carbon footprints”).

Get ESG training at SGS Academy.

• ESG Foundation (2.5 hr)—On Demand, Prerequisite Course
• ESG Strategy (1 day)—Live Virtual, May 16, 2023
• ESG Implementation (1 day)—Live Virtual, May 17, 2023
• ESG Communications (1 day)—Live Virtual, May 18, 2023

Contact:

Adam Hammes, ESG Director

SGS North America-Knowledge

[email protected]