Month: June 2023

The Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER)’s Water Replenishment Insights document was developed through a collaborative effort of BIER, Antea Group and Bluerisk in response to the increasing adoption and deployment of corporate water replenishment initiatives.

Leveraging BIER’s 10 years of experience and leadership in water replenishment, the document was developed to share, in a clear and concise format, insights BIER has accumulated from developing corporate water replenishment initiatives in ways that deliver business, environmental and social value with the hope that other companies pursuing water replenishment may benefit.

The Water Replenishment Insights Document is designed to be relevant to any company or facility, in any industry, in any location in the world, and is intended to accelerate internal conversations and decisions at the regional and facility level with regard to investments in corporate water replenishment initiatives.

The guide addresses 8 areas of insight, including:

What is water replenishment?How does water replenishment relate to water stewardship?Insights related to What worked, Key Barriers, and Opportunities moving forwardHelpful resources

“Water replenishment is a key pillar of beverage company water stewardship strategy, and the efforts of BIER members over the past 10 years provide critical insights into the practical challenges and opportunities they have encountered. BIER’s Water Replenishment Insights coalesce this experience in a single document that we hope will benefit the beverage sector at large and accelerate the adoption and impact of replenishment efforts across the sector and beyond.” Daniel Pierce, Executive Director, BIER

The desired use of the Water Replenishment Insights Document is for companies to be better positioned to establish impactful collaborations and make meaningful investments in water replenishment initiatives that result in measurable impacts at the catchment level.

The guide is available for complimentary download at

For more information, please contact: 
Daniel Pierce 
BIER Executive Director 
Daniel.Pierce@anteagroup.us

ABOUT BIER 
BIER is a technical coalition of leading global beverage companies working together to advance environmental sustainability within the beverage sector. Formed in 2006, BIER is a common voice across the beverage sector, speaking to influence global standards on environmental sustainability aspects most relevant to the sector, affect change both up and down the supply chain, and share best practices that raise the bar for environmental performance of the industry. By doing so, BIER is able to monitor data and trends, engage with key stakeholders, develop best practices, and guide a course of action for the future. BIER members include, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Bacardi, Beam Suntory, Brown-Forman, Carlsberg Group, The Coca-Cola Company, Constellation Brands, Diageo, Heineken, Keurig Dr Pepper, LION, Molson Coors, Ocean Spray Cranberries, PepsiCo, and Pernod Ricard. For more information, visit www.bieroundtable.com.

Synopsys released its annual Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report highlighting environment, social, and governance performance. Our 2022 ESG Report details the progress and performance of our Smart Future Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategy, which is our framework for how we create a smart future that is sustainable, just, and secure. Our framework provides a structure for how we address our own operational impact as well as how we use our ability to influence others around us to create a better world. This year, we moved from a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report to a designated ESG Report to better align with stakeholder reporting expectations.

Read on for key highlights from our 2022 ESG Report. Also, check out an infographic that summarizes the report.

Environment

From our innovative products to driving down our own environmental impacts, we support key environmental advances for people, communities, and the planet.

Enabled our customers to achieve an additional 25% power reduction for their systems-on-chip (SoCs) through our low-power electronic design automation (EDA) solutions.Developed new Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets for review and validation by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).Achieved CarbonNeutral® company certification for the fourth consecutive year.Mitigated approximately 50% of our 2022 North America energy demand through the Azure Sky Wind Farm, which came online in 2022.

Social

We focus on our people and our ability to recruit, support, and retain the most talented and diverse teams, while our Synopsys for Good program generates positive community impact.

Increased total representation of women globally to 24.9%.Increased representation of Black, Latinx, and Indigenous (BLI) individuals in our U.S. workforce.Launched NEX-GEN, a new ERG for young professionals in Synopsys South Asia.Employee engagement score remained strong, as indicated per our semi-annual SHAPE employee survey.Donated $4.7M total in charitable giving through The Synopsys Foundation and Synopsys India.Celebrated Synopsys’ 35th anniversary through a special 2:1 employee matching gift campaign to 35 charities around the world.Conducted a global Season of Service volunteer program with 52 projects, at 24 offices, in 11 countries.

Governance

We focus on the resiliency of our business and leverage our governance practices to drive business success and make meaningful progress on our ESG strategy.

We obtained our ISO 22301 certification, the international standard for Business Continuity Management Systems to help safeguard our business operations from disruptions including natural disasters, cyberattacks, and more.One-third of our governing Board of Directors are women.Deployed new security operations automation to achieve more proactive incident response with our 24/7 Security Operations Center (SOC).All employees continue to take the required annual Ethics and Compliance Training during Integrity Awareness Month.

These highlights capture only a portion of our overall ESG efforts. We invite you to read the report for the full story of what we accomplished in 2022. We’re excited to continue building on our Smart Future strategy by creating a Smart Future that is sustainable, just, and secure.

We welcome feedback on this report and our performance. Please send comments and suggestions to ESG at Synopsys.

Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS) is the Silicon to Software™ partner for innovative companies developing the electronic products and software applications we rely on every day. As an S&P 500 company, Synopsys has a long history of being a global leader in electronic design automation (EDA) and semiconductor IP and offers the industry’s broadest portfolio of application security testing tools and services. Whether you’re a system-on-chip (SoC) designer creating advanced semiconductors, or a software developer writing more secure, high-quality code, Synopsys has the solutions needed to deliver innovative products. Learn more at www.synopsys.com.

Editorial Contact:
Kelli Wheeler
Synopsys, Inc.

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Eelco van der Enden, CEO of GRI, the global standard for Impact Reporting, recently completed a series of trips to the US where he met with key partners and investors and was a keynote speaker at several high profile conferences.

During the months of April and May, van der Enden was a keynote speaker at events held by BCCCC (Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship) and TCPI (Tax Council Policy Institute).

In addition, meetings were held in Boston, New York, and Washington DC with key policy, research, data science, consulting, and corporate leadership partners to strengthen the ties and put emphasis on the investment and commitment to the North American markets, laying the foundation for initiatives and cooperation with the GRI North American team.

Special attention was paid to the re-establishment of the relationship between GRI and CERES which, through collaboration with investors, companies, and non- profits, drive market-based and policy solutions. GRI and CERES were originally the same organization when, in 1997- along with the Tellus Institute- the organization was formed to create the first accountability mechanism to ensure companies adhere to responsible environmental conduct principles, which was then broadened to include social, economic and governance issues. GRI and CERES eventually separated to focus on their respective missions.

While in the US, van der Enden was interviewed by Time Magazine, The Financial Times, Reuters, and The Wall Street Journal.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed rule changes that would require companies to disclose certain climate-related information in their registration statements and periodic reports. The proposed rules aim to provide investors with consistent and comparable information for making investment decisions and to address the demand for disclosure of climate risks and impacts.

With the finalization of these rules projected to occur sometime in 2023 smaller organizations are learning the ropes of environmental reporting for the very first time, with SMBs (small and medium businesses) working to ensure they meet the Scope 3 requirements of their larger customers.

This blog answers the biggest questions and offers best practices for businesses on their first foray into greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting.

Emissions Scopes and ESG Defined 

Before we can discuss the nuances of GHG reporting, it’s important to be familiar with some industry terms.

Scope 1 emissions: These are direct GHG emissions that occur from sources that are owned or controlled by a company. Examples include emissions from onsite combustion of fossil fuels, emissions from company-owned vehicles, and emissions from industrial processes.

Scope 2 emissions: These are indirect GHG emissions associated with the consumption of purchased electricity, heat, or steam by a company. These emissions occur as a result of activities that are not directly owned or controlled by the company but are related to its operations. Scope 2 emissions are typically generated by the utility companies that produce the purchased energy.

Scope 3 emissions: These are indirect GHG emissions that occur as a result of a company’s activities but are outside its direct control or ownership. Scope 3 emissions include emissions from sources such as business travel, employee commuting, upstream and downstream supply chain activities, and the use of products sold or services provided by the company. These emissions are often the largest and most challenging to measure and manage, as they involve a wide range of activities across the value chain.

ESG: ESG (environmental, social, and governance) is a framework used to assess the sustainability and ethical impact of a company or investment. Environmental factors consider a company’s impact on the environment, such as its carbon emissions or resource usage. Social factors evaluate the company’s relationships with stakeholders, including employees, customers, and communities. Governance focuses on the company’s internal structure, accountability, and adherence to ethical business practices. ESG criteria are used to measure the company’s overall sustainability and responsible business practices.

What Are the New SEC Greenhouse Gas Disclosure Rules? 

Registrants would be required to disclose their direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (Scope 1) and indirect emissions from purchased electricity or other forms of energy (Scope 2). If material or if the registrant has set a GHG emissions target that includes Scope 3 emissions, they would also need to disclose GHG emissions from upstream and downstream activities in their value chain (Scope 3). The proposed rules offer a safe harbor for liability from Scope 3 emissions disclosure and exempt smaller reporting companies from the Scope 3 emissions disclosure requirement.

These proposed rules do also provide for a phase-in period based on a registrant’s filer status and an additional phase-in period for Scope 3 emissions disclosure. The disclosure requirements align with widely accepted frameworks such as the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.

FAQ: Greenhouse Gas Reporting for First-timers 

Our company doesn’t have a carbon reduction strategy in place. Do we still need to disclose Scope 1 & 2 emissions?

Now is the best time to prepare your organization for emissions reporting.

With the SEC rules change, ESG reporting is becoming an even greater priority for companies that wish to attract investor interest. ESG reporting enables stakeholders to assess a company’s sustainability performance, its alignment with environmental and social goals, and the effectiveness of its governance practices.

Companies that have not yet entered the ESG arena should take immediate action and conduct a full emissions inventory. This inventory will help companies identify key emissions sources and enable the development of a reduction strategy, as well as inform Scope 1 and 2 emissions reporting.

When should our business consider Scope 3 reporting?

There are several nuances around Scope 3 emissions reporting that require careful consideration on the part of the reporting organization.

The SEC reporting requirements for Scope 3 emissions include a phased approach with a compliance timeline dependent on the registrant’s filer status. They also carve out reporting exemptions for small organizations. However, customers and investors may still ask for Scope 3 reporting from these exempted organizations.

Taking proactive action on Scope 3 reporting is the best way to ensure your organization is prepared for future industry demand and regulatory changes. There are also differences between common reporting frameworks, such as those offered by GHG Protocol and SBTi. That’s why consulting directly with others in your industry can help shape your organization’s Scope 3 reporting targets.

What role should CDP reporting play in our disclosure strategy?

Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) reporting is a critical priority for organizations whose investors and customers require it, though voluntarily participating in CDP reporting has its own benefits. [Text Wrapping Break][Text Wrapping Break]This reporting provides an opportunity for companies to differentiate themselves from their competitors. CDP reporting is highly regarded by investors as it provides standardized and credible information on a company’s environmental performance. By participating in CDP reporting, companies can demonstrate their commitment to sustainability, attract responsible investors, and potentially improve their access to capital.

How do we turn disclosed targets into action?

Setting targets is the easy part, knowing how you will achieve targets is the challenge. A Net Zero Transition Plan can map emissions sources to decarbonization measures and help a company plan for the capital expenditure required to meet their goals.

A Net Zero Transition Plan provides a roadmap for a systematic and structured approach to decarbonization. The plan typically includes a comprehensive assessment of the organization’s current emissions profile, setting specific targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over a defined timeframe. It outlines the initiatives, actions, and investments that will be undertaken to transition to cleaner and more sustainable practices across various operational areas.

With new regulations looming, how do I measure my GHG emissions in line with regulatory standards?

The following considerations can help ensure your GHG emission measurements are in line with regulatory standards.

1. Utilize the GHG Protocol: The GHG Protocol is the most widely recognized standard for GHG accounting and reporting. It provides comprehensive guidelines and methodologies for measuring and reporting emissions. By aligning your measurement practices with the GHG Protocol, you can ensure compliance with major legislation in the USA and EU.

2. Consider Financial Control Boundaries: The SEC rule has indicated a preference for financial control boundaries over operational control boundaries. However, since most companies currently use operational control boundaries, it is advisable to wait for the final rule before making any changes. Keep an eye on updates and guidance from the SEC to understand their stance on this matter.

3. Assess Material Scope 3 Categories: The SEC rule, as currently written, requires reporting of material Scope 3 emissions. Conduct a Scope 3 screening to identify the areas within your value chain that have the most significant emissions impact and are material for disclosure purposes. This screening will help you pinpoint the relevant Scope 3 categories that need to be addressed to meet the disclosure requirements.

Start building your GHG reporting strategy with Antea Group’s Climate Change Advisory

About Antea Group 
Antea®Group is an environment, health, safety, and sustainability consulting firm. By combining strategic thinking with technical expertise, we do more than effectively solve client challenges; we deliver sustainable results for a better future. We work in partnership with and advise many of the world’s most sustainable companies to address ESG-business challenges in a way that fits their pace and unique objectives. Our consultants equip organizations to better understand threats, capture opportunities and find their position of strength. Lastly, we maintain a global perspective on ESG issues through not only our work with multinational clients, but also through our sister organizations in Europe, Asia, and Latin America and as a founding member of the Inogen Alliance. Learn more at us.anteagroup.com.