Tag: 3BL

Taco Bell blog

February in the U.S. is dedicated to acknowledging and honoring the history of Black Americans and celebrating their contributions to the economy, culture, arts and society. At Yum!, we are committed to making room for all people and voices at our tables, because we are most relevant when our people – at all levels – represent the customers and communities we serve.

Black History Month started off as a one-week celebration founded by Carter G. Woodson in February 1926. Fifty years later, the week was extended into a month dedicated to honoring Black American history.

This year’s nationwide Black History Month’s focus is African Americans and the Arts, detailing African American artistic and cultural movements.

To celebrate our Black team members and these communities, we will share some of their stories. Get ready to be inspired, get involved and continue learning and celebrating the culture and achievements of the Black community.
 

Jeff W. (He/Him) – Global Director of Cybersecurity

Jeff W. was born and raised in Greenville, Mississippi, one of the most economically disadvantaged states in the country. Growing up being one of 12 kids to a single parent, he faced many hardships early on.

“We had a lack of electricity, water, food and proper clothing. In addition, I was pitted against unfair societal biases as a Black child. As early as 8 years old, I experienced blatant name calling and neighborhood segregation.”

Jeff worked in the cotton fields of a plantation to help his family, and at the same time, he attended school where he excelled in academics.

“I was a skinny “undercover” nerd who didn’t want to be beat-up by the cool kids. I secretly made the National Honor Society, doing homework in study hall to avoid being seen taking books home to do homework.”

Just 3 weeks after graduating high school with honors, Jeff joined the U.S. Marine Corps. This was his steppingstone and badge of honor.

“I joined the U.S Marine Corps for a better life. I was deployed overseas multiple times and even shattered my left forearm due to an explosion. But through it all, I was chosen for several advance communication schools until I finally found my calling in Information Assurance (Cybersecurity). I left the Marines after 8 years to pursue a career in this field.”

Jeff was the first in his family to go to college and complete multiple degrees. Over the course of six years, he received his Associate’s, Bachelor’s and two Master’s in Networking Management and Information Security. At the same time, Jeff navigated parenthood as a single father to his now 23-year-old daughter and co-parenting his now 27-year-old Marine son.

After finishing his degrees, Jeff ended up in California where he took on the first-ever Cybersecurity role for L.A. Fitness. Not too long after, Jeff found his way to The Bell.

“When I first came to Taco Bell, my role was in Cybersecurity Architecture where I was responsible for the protection of our infrastructure and collaborating with business stakeholders to lessen the risk of vendors and technology implementations. After two years in that role, I was promoted to Global Director of Cybersecurity.”

Since coming to Taco Bell, Jeff has been able to re-ignite his passion for education and giving back which he had since high school. Besides his involvement in the Business Employee Resource Group Live Más T.A.A.C.O.S, Jeff is a mentor to two amazing individuals through the Cybersecurity Mentorship Program that he started in collaboration with the Taco Bell Service Desk. Outside of Taco Bell, Jeff takes pride in giving back to his community, especially during Black History Month.

“During this time, I celebrate by giving back to the younger generation in my family and friend circle and attending community events in the Long Beach and Los Angeles area. Black history is a story of strength, resilience, and perseverance. It’s a celebration of the struggles and triumphs of my community, a reminder of the ongoing fight for equality, and a recognition of the rich contributions Black people have made to the world despite facing numerous adversities.”

Looking to the future, Jeff hopes to leave a positive impact on the Black community.

“I have “Learning” as one of my top 5 strengths, so I hope my legacy reflects a positive impact in the Black community, one that is based on empowering through knowledge, understanding, and continuing to help others achieve their goals.”

We’re *just* a little excited to be in the top 25 of the 2024 Rankings of America’s Most JUST Companies. Being ranked by JUST Capital for seven years running—and being #1 among telecom companies—reinforces that the Network Life is built on strong values that matter. Thanks for making us proud, V Team.

Learn more: https://vz.to/3HP6RI6

We’re committed to making the world better than yesterday.

It’s a pillar of our Corporate Credo and a passion of our employees. And it’s why we’re using our technology and our assets to help build a brighter future – for our customers, for our communities, and for the world around us.

From carbon abatement to disaster recovery to bringing tech education to underfunded schools, we’ve made some tremendous progress so far. And we’ve set ambitious goals to tackle some of today’s most pressing societal challenges as we work to build our shared future.

Trees provide more benefits than meet the eye.

Not only do they provide a place for rest, shade, and a place to call home for countless organisms, but they provide a variety of environmental and mental health benefits.

However, communities may not even realize that they are lacking serious benefits from these multi-branch giants simply by not having them around.

“Not everyone realizes the extent of what a tree can do for a person and the environment,” says Pam Zipse, executive director of the New Jersey (NJ) Tree Foundation. “They benefit so many forms of life, and by being out in the community we can get people on board to plant more in their neighborhoods.”

The NJ Tree Foundation has been focused on planting trees in underserved urban communities for 26 years and has planted over 260,000 trees throughout New Jersey to date.

“Awareness of the benefits trees provide is a big part of what we bring to the community,” says Zipse. “We don’t plant in a community unless we have been invited to by the people who live there, so we know the residents want the trees and will take care of them.”

Extreme care is given to each tree planted so that it thrives in its forever location. Zipse’s team ensures that the right tree is planted in each place that won’t interfere with other infrastructure, such as power lines, or doesn’t block a sidewalk or street.

Outside of plantings, the NJ Tree Foundation actively engages with the community through its TreeKeepers program, a free course that empowers community members through accessible workshops on tree care.

“The relationship-building with the community is every bit as important as the trees themselves,” says Zipse. “Every planting is an educational opportunity, and we want to teach others not only about what we are planting, but also how to care for the trees going forward.”

The workshops combine education with hands-on activities, and participants leave the three-hour sessions with a wealth of knowledge, tree care tools, and the title of Certified TreeKeeper.

In 2023, Enbridge gave a $10,000 Fueling Futures grant to the NJ Tree Foundation as part of our commitment to supporting sustainability projects that help improve, grow and nurture our environment. The funding helps to support the creation of an education outreach coordinator role and aims to increase the number of TreeKeepers workshops from four to six this year.

“With every planting, it’s amazing to see the neighborhood come together, and neighbors talking to each other who may not have interacted otherwise,” says Zipse. “Witnessing the community that grows along with the trees is my favorite part.”

Every spring and fall, hundreds of volunteers sign up to join the NJ Tree Foundation in various tree planting efforts across the state. While planting new trees is an obvious goal and priority for the organization, Zipse stresses the importance of caring for existing trees.

“We need to be taking care of the trees that we already have, because an existing tree is already doing a lot more than a new tree that we just planted,” she says.

“The trees in our cities are working so hard for people—there’s something everyone can do to help create more sustainable environmental resilience for all.”

By Brooke Opel, Grant Manager, and Miranda Wojciechowski, Grant Writer, Development and Community Advisory & Tribal Services at Baker Tilly

Originally published by Industry Today

The historic $1.2 trillion bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) supports myriad funding opportunities for public and private sector organizations – everything from improving highways, bridges and transit systems, to building broadband networks, cleaning up drinking water, updating energy grids, implementing carbon capture technologies, and more.

However, two years into this five-year (2022–2026) legislative program, securing IIJA funding has proven to be slower and more complicated than originally thought.

Continue reading here

Learn more at Baker Tilly’s Inflation Reduction Act Resource Center.

O-I expands use of carbon-lowering heat recovery system at its French operations with a new system installed at the Veauche Plant, expanding the use of existing heat recovery at other O-I plants in FranceRepurposed heat in Veauche will provide up to 94 percent of plant’s heating needsHeat recovery in Veauche is another advancement in O-I’s sustainability and decarbonization strategy 

PERRYSBURG, Ohio / VAULX-EN-VELIN, France, February 16, 2024 /3BL/ – O-I Glass, Inc. (“O-I Glass” or “O-I”) plans to install a waste heat recovery system at its Veauche, France operations. Heat recovered from the facility’s glassmaking furnace will feed a new internal energy distribution network and will supply up to 94 percent of the plant’s heating needs.

“We are leveraging product and process innovations to transform our operations toward lower-carbon outcomes,” said Randy Burns, Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer for O-I Glass. “Heat recovery is one of the many levers we are using to advance the sustainability of our operations through energy efficiency.”

O-I’s sustainability roadmap has set challenging, but attainable goals for energy efficiency technology advancement, along with the sourcing of renewable electricity and emissions reduction. The company is targeting 40 percent renewable electricity use by 2030 and to reduce total energy consumption by 9 percent globally.

Transformational funds provided by the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME) supported the installation of the heat recovery system. Technical support for the system is provided through a partnership with ENGIE Solutions, which contributed its expertise in feasibility analysis, planning, and funding, and will implement and operate the equipment on site. The partnership builds upon a broader agreement with ENGIE, a leading French multinational utility company, to supply O-I facilities across Europe with green electricity generated from solar, wind and hydro sources over a ten-year period. 

For Walter Ferrer, Managing Director of O-I Glass for the South-West Europe region, “this project makes a very tangible contribution to decarbonizing the Veauche site, improves its competitiveness and is in line with the company’s overall strategy towards sustainable development. With the contribution of ENGIE Solutions’ skills in energy performance and the support of ADEME and the French government, it also illustrates our ability to forge strategic partnerships with private and public players. This operation is especially important for us because it can serve as a blueprint for other plants”.

In addition to the installation of heat recovery technology at the Veauche facility, O-I has similar systems in place in its French plants of Reims and Vayres. The heat recovered from the Reims plant is used in domestic homes in the local community. In Vayres, the heat is used to pre-heat recycled glass – an important raw material in glass manufacturing – which in turn reduces energy consumption manufacturing process. 

To learn more about the ways O-I is advancing sustainability and energy efficiency in its global operations, visit http://o-i.com/sustainability/

ABOUT O-I  

At O-I Glass, Inc. (NYSE: OI), we love glass and we’re proud to be one of the leading producers of glass bottles and jars around the globe. Glass is not only beautiful, it’s also pure, healthy and completely recyclable, making it the most sustainable rigid packaging material. Headquartered in Perrysburg, Ohio (USA), O-I is the preferred partner for many of the world’s leading food and beverage brands. We innovate in line with customers’ needs to create iconic packaging that builds brands around the world. Led by our diverse team of approximately 24,000 people across 68 plants in 19 countries, O-I achieved revenues of $6.9 billion in 2022.  Learn more about us:  
o-i.com / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / LinkedIn

CONTACT:  
James Woods 
PR Lead 
James.Woods@o-i.com  
+1 724-732-5748 

Forward-Looking Statements 

This press release contains “forward-looking” statements related to O-I Glass, Inc. (“O-I Glass” or the “company”) within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Forward-looking statements reflect the company’s current expectations and projections about future events at the time, and thus involve uncertainty and risk. The words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “may,” “plan,” “estimate,” “intend,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” and the negatives of these words and other similar expressions generally identify forward-looking statements. 

It is possible that the Company’s future financial performance may differ from expectations due to a variety of factors including, but not limited to the following: (1) the general political, economic and competitive conditions in markets and countries where the Company has operations, including uncertainties related to economic and social conditions, trade disputes, disruptions in the supply chain, competitive pricing pressures, inflation or deflation, changes in tax rates and laws, war, civil disturbance or acts of terrorism, natural disasters, public health issues and weather, (2) cost and availability of raw materials, labor, energy and transportation (including impacts related to the current Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Hamas conflicts and disruptions in supply of raw materials caused by transportation delays), (3) competitive pressures, consumer preferences for alternative forms of packaging or consolidation among competitors and customers, (4) changes in consumer preferences or customer inventory management practices, (5) the continuing consolidation of the Company’s customer base, (6) the Company’s ability to improve its glass melting technology, known as the MAGMA program, and implement it within the timeframe expected, (7) unanticipated supply chain and operational disruptions, including higher capital spending, (8) seasonability of customer demand, (9) the failure of the Company’s joint venture partners to meet their obligations or commit additional capital to the joint venture, (10) labor shortages, labor cost increases or strikes, (11) the Company’s ability to acquire or divest businesses, acquire and expand plants, integrate operations of acquired businesses and achieve expected benefits from acquisitions, divestitures or expansions, (12) the Company’s ability to generate sufficient future cash flows to ensure the Company’s goodwill is not impaired, (13) any increases in the underfunded status of the Company’s pension plans, (14) any failure or disruption of the Company’s information technology, or those of third parties on which the Company relies, or any cybersecurity or data privacy incidents affecting the Company or its third-party service providers, (15) risks related to the Company’s indebtedness or changes in capital availability or cost, including interest rate fluctuations and the ability of the Company to generate cash to service indebtedness and refinance debt on favorable terms, (16) risks associated with operating in foreign countries, (17) foreign currency fluctuations relative to the U.S. dollar, (18) changes in tax laws or U.S. trade policies, (19) the Company’s ability to comply with various environmental legal requirements, (20) risks related to recycling and recycled content laws and regulations, (21) risks related to climate-change and air emissions, including related laws or regulations and increased ESG scrutiny and changing expectations from stakeholders and the other risk factors discussed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 

It is not possible to foresee or identify all such factors.  Any forward-looking statements in this document are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by the Company in light of its experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments, and other factors it believes are appropriate in the circumstances.  Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from expectations.  While the Company continually reviews trends and uncertainties affecting the Company’s results of operations and financial condition, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or supplement any particular forward-looking statements contained in this document. 

CSRHub recently verified which public companies held valid accredited certifications from IAF CertSearch. IAF CertSearch enables us to verify which ESG certifications these companies held so we could see the impact accredited certifications had on a public company’s ESG rating. This significant enhancement to our database represents a commitment to offering comprehensive and reliable sustainability data.

Key Insight and Data Highlights:

Impact of Certifications: Our analysis indicates a positive correlation between certifications and higher sustainability ratings.

Dual Standard Certification: Approximately 114 entities have attained certification under both ISO 14001 (Environmental Management System) and ISO 50001 (Energy Management) standards, demonstrating their dedication to both environmental and energy management.

Single Standard Certification: 364 entities are certified in ISO 14001 or ISO 50001, showcasing their focus on a key area of sustainability.

Certifications with Lapsed Status: There are 296 entities whose certifications have expired. These entities still had better average scores than those who have never been certified.

Extensive Database: The data we’ve incorporated is just a fraction of the nearly 1,300,000 certification accreditations available on the IAF CertSearch platform, which is on track to reach 2,000,000 by October 2024. Developed by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), this platform is a testament to the collaborative efforts of 96 Accreditation Bodies and circa 2000 contributing Certification Bodies.

Impact on CSRHub Ratings:

Our analysis reveals that entities with ISO 14001 accreditation consistently score higher on CSRHub’s sustainability ratings. Remarkably, even entities with lapsed ISO 14001 certifications outperform those never certified. This is highlighting the positive impact of ISO 14001 on perceived sustainability performance.

Moreover, entities with dual certification (ISO 14001 and ISO 50001) have an average overall rating of 58.8, placing them in the top quartile among the 54,000 entities tracked by CSRHub.

The inclusion of IAF CertSearch is another key information source for CSRHub among others such as Moody’s ESG Solutions, esgbook , IdealRatings, ISS, S&P Global, Trucost ESG Analysis S&P Global, MSCI, CDP and FTSE Russell, Bloomberg and FactSet.

IAF CertSearch: A Tool for Transparency and Compliance:

IAF CertSearch allows users to confidently validate certifications knowing whether a certificate is valid. It contains the largest and most up-to-date collection of accredited certificates in the world. It also allows bulk verification of an entire supply chain and ensures all suppliers comply with the required level of certification. Overall the platform helps increase the transparency, trust, and integrity of accredited conformity assessment for procurers, governments and consumers globally.

Conclusion:

Our findings underscore the value of accredited certification processes in improving sustainability performance on an entity. Whether through the direct impact of the training and systems required for accreditation or through enhanced partner perceptions, the benefits are clear. CSRHub is proud to support IAF and its CertSearch system, a new source of truth in the global certification industry.

 

About CSRHub

CSRHub offers one of the world’s broadest and most consistent set of Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) ratings, covering 50,000 companies. Its Big Data algorithm combines millions of data points on ESG performance from hundreds of sources, including leading ESG analyst raters, to produce consensus scores on all aspects of corporate social responsibility and sustainability. CSRHub ratings help drive corporate, investor and consumer ESG decisions. For more information, visit www.CSRHub.com. CSRHub is a B Corporation.

New Holland, a brand of CNH, has expanded its network to El Salvador with CEMCOL, its official distributor in Honduras. On January 17th, they inaugurated the doors of their premises, located in San Salvador.

“Starting today, El Salvador will add a wide range of high-quality agricultural machinery and, in addition, a clear focus on sustainability in production. From now on, Salvadoran farmers will be able to find innovative products and technologies, accessible technical assistance services and strong support based on digital agriculture,” said Edison Boza, Commercial Director of New Holland Latin America.

The new branch has 9000 square meters, of which 1000 correspond to the workshop area, 1800 to the spare parts warehouses and 400 to the exhibition yard.

“We have high expectations. We are very happy to have the backing and support of New Holland, a company that is synonymous with excellence and quality, with which we have had a relationship for years,” said Arturo Munguia, Commercial Manager at CEMCOL.

February 15, 2024 /3BL/ – A series of airstrikes on Rafah on Feb. 12 killed at least 67 people, with the toll expected to rise. Rafah, Gaza’s southern city, is home to more than 1.3 million people, including humanitarian workers and Action Against Hunger staff. Many fled to Rafah after attacks on their homes forced them to flee and seek shelter elsewhere. Now, families are trapped without access to healthcare or food as violence escalates.

“If the military operations in Rafah continue and expand, Action Against Hunger will be forced to suspend its activities in Rafah,” says Noelia Monge, Head of Emergencies for Action Against Hunger. “Although we work throughout the whole Gaza Strip, this is one of the areas where we have the most active operations, and where many of our colleagues are located.”

Many families across Rafah were struggling to survive prior to the strikes, with more than half a million people suffering in the catastrophic food crisis. Most have little to no access to basic supplies. In the last four months, Action Against Hunger has distributed food, cash, and hygiene kits to 320,000 people across the city. The organization has also sought to prevent disease outbreaks by providing shelter and sanitation services.

“Our operations include water trucking, solid waste collection, cleaning services, and the distribution of hygiene kits and food,” says Monge. “If the escalation in violence in Rafah continues, these lifesaving activities would be disrupted, stripping a population of their most basic needs and forcing them to relocate yet again at a time when they need us most.”

Humanitarian aid workers are at risk, says Monge: “Ten of our staff and their families will be forced to flee, once again, and we will lose access to our newly established office, warehouse, and guesthouse.”

Action Against Hunger staff members have provided humanitarian assistance to some of Rafah’s most vulnerable people, including pregnant women, nursing mothers, newborns, and families with children. Disruption of these activities would have incalculable repercussions, especially with so many families facing a disproportionately dangerous food crisis. 2.2 million people across Gaza are at imminent risk of famine.

Lack of adequate clean water and safe sanitation has already led to disease outbreaks, including more than 161,000 cases of diarrhea, with 85,000 of these cases among children under five years old.

Since the start of the conflict in October, Action Against Hunger has reached at least 350,000 people in Rafah with cleaning services, mobile latrines, and solid waste collection and provided more than 87,000 people with shelters and hygiene kits. The airstrikes in Rafah threaten the continuity of these lifesaving services.

Action Against Hunger’s humanitarian response is already suffering severe constraints in Gaza due to the lack of security, access, supplies, and space to operate. Anything short of an immediate ceasefire and a massive increase in aid would be a historic failure to protect civilians in armed conflict. Action Against Hunger calls on the international community and donors to take all possible steps to achieve this goal. It is essential to protect civilians, secure humanitarian aid, and avoid even more severe repercussions from this crisis.

About Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger. We innovate solutions, advocate for change, and reach 28 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across 55 countries, our 8,900 dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good.

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Photo by Mohammed Abed / AFP

Every year on December 3, the world recognizes International Day of Persons with Disabilities, reinforcing the importance of securing and advancing the rights of people with disabilities, so they can participate fully in society without any barriers. Grounded in its vision of providing smarter technology for all, Lenovo remains committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive talent pipeline, so everyone, regardless of ability, has the opportunity to pursue a career in STEM and contribute to the development of inclusive technology. Recently, this commitment was brought to life through Ahmet, a student who furthered his passion for technology through an apprenticeship at Lenovo.

Ahmet was a student at Coxlease School, an independent specialist school in the UK that provides education, care, therapy, welfare and support for young people who have emotional, social and mental health needs. The school places a special emphasis on preparing its students for employment and equipping them with vital life skills needed to thrive once they graduate. Through the Coxlease School, Ahmet found a space to explore his interest in STEM and began to carve out a professional path that fuels that passion.

Ahmet was introduced to Lenovo when he volunteered at Lenovo’s virtual reality experience. On his last day of volunteering, Lenovo asked Ahmet to join Lenovo’s Premier Support Team for a six-month apprenticeship.

“I knew I wanted to pursue a career in technology since I was 12 years old,” Ahmet said. “I will always remember stepping into the Lenovo building for the first time and seeing the big Lenovo sign. My time there was amazing, and everyone made me feel like I was an important part of the team. This experience was the first big step into my technology career, allowing me to showcase my skills and get excited about what my future in the field can look like. This industry fascinates me because it is constantly changing, which means there is always something new to learn. The opportunities in technologies are endless, and I am excited to explore the different possibilities.”

Work Experience for Ahmet consisted of several components, tours, meeting people, buddying and lab work. The tours of the new Farnborough office gave Ahmet important insights. The modern office space, Network Operations Centre (where the agents work) and new comms room (where all the cables connect to the internet) showed Ahmet what it takes to run a modern office environment and all the IT behind the scenes required that the public don’t usually get to see. Ahmet met someone from each role in the team to understand all the different jobs and opportunities at Lenovo. Each person shared their experiences and gave useful guidance for Ahmet to take onboard about his own career. We buddied Ahmet with some team members to he could see first-hand for several hours what each person did, how they worked with customers and to get a real sense of what it’s like to work for Lenovo. Finally, Ahmet did a lot of work in the Lab. There were a number of trainings happening for the whole team that Ahmet took part in, including Minimum Configuration Procedure which involves totally rebuilding a machine. Equipped with his new skills Ahmet took on the challenge of testing and repairing and rebuilding several machines that had accumulated in the office. Ahmet restored at least 10 laptops to fully operational condition including reinstallation of the original operating system. He also restored 3 desktops to operational condition including testing numerous pieces of RAM and Storage. These experiences gave Ahmet a well-rounded experience to understand and participate in real and useful work in Lenovo.

“Working alongside Ahmet as his day-to-day manager was incredibly inspiring,” John Reilly said. “It is inspiring to see the passion Ahmet has for STEM and how he thrived here at Lenovo. I am eager to see how he continues to grow in his career at Lenovo. I am also proud to work at a company who provides inclusive career opportunities, which will only make our industry stronger.”

Looking ahead, Ahmet plans to return to Lenovo for another apprenticeship to continue exploring his passion for technology. Ahmet’s apprenticeship exemplifies the transformative power of unlocking opportunities for everyone to explore or pursue their interests, regardless of ability. When diverse perspectives and lived experiences are incorporated into all facets of a business, innovation flourishes and society becomes more inclusive and equitable.

“When I first saw the impact VR Experiences had on SEN children, I understood that VR doesn’t care if you have a physical or invisible disability or are digitally disadvantaged – your reaction is your own,” shared Kate FitzGerald, a global program manager for Lenovo’s International Sales Organization based in the UK. “Everyone that uses VR technology accesses VR content the same way yet it’s how that user feels whilst using the technology which is different. It’s this user experience of tech we need to understand more and build upon it to influence lives in positive and meaningful ways. Seeing folks like Ahmet embrace technology and make it their passion is amazing. He is proof that tech can provide folk with a passion but also an equitable platform to initiate change.”

PARIS, February 15, 2024 /3BL/ – The Consumer Goods Forum’s (CGF) Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI) is pleased to announce that Foundation FSSC has successfully completed the SSCI Benchmarking process and achieved SSCI Recognition for their FSSC 24000 Scheme. The FSSC 24000 Scheme for Social Sustainability Management System Certification, was successfully benchmarked against the SSCI Benchmarking Requirements for Processing and Manufacturing. In achieving SSCI Recognition, FSSC 24000 demonstrates leadership in the effort to build credibility among sustainability standards worldwide.

The aim of the FSSC 24000 Scheme is to ensure that social sustainability management system requirements are met, resulting in certifications that assure organisations provide safe and fair working conditions, meet business ethics requirements, and apply due diligence in their supply chain management. FSSC 24000 provides a strategic approach incorporating the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle and risk-based thinking, which ensures the identification and control of social risk and continuous improvement. This process demonstrates corporate responsibility and facilitates improving the social management systems and performance, thus driving impact.

FSSC 24000’s scope of certification includes the manufacturing and processing sector (food and non-food), including its related service provision. The certificate confirms that the organisation’s social sustainability management system is in conformance with the FSSC 24000 Scheme requirements based on the following normative documents:

BSI/PAS 24000:2022 – Social management system requirements (Publicly Available Specification)FSSC 24000 Additional Requirements (as determined by the FSSC Board of Stakeholders)

The FSSC 24000 Scheme is owned and governed by the non-profit Foundation FSSC and outlines the requirements for the audit and certification of a Social Sustainability Management System of an organisation. More information on the FSSC 24000 Scheme is available on their website.

Elles de Jonge-Bosch, Manager Quality and Sustainability for EMD and SSCI CO-Chair, said, “EMD is excited to see that another social scheme went through the SSCI Benchmarking process successfully. As the retail Co-Chair of the SSCI we are very invested in supporting the SSCI mission. Retailers rely heavily on certification and audit reports from their suppliers. FSSC 24000 now being part of the list of recognised schemes means we can be confident they meet our industry’s social requirements. This is very valuable to us, and we hope more social and environmental schemes will follow FSSC 24000.”

Aldin Hilbrands, Chief Executive Officer for Foundation FSSC, said, “At Foundation FSSC, we are extremely proud to have been successful in demonstrating that our new Scheme FSSC 24000 has been successful in meeting all the expectations of the major retailers and manufacturers in the consumer goods industry. Our innovative FSSC 24000 Scheme allows for integration with existing ISO management system certifications which provides unique efficiency benefits for the industry. In addition, we also offer our Assurance Platform to share data within the supply chain to facilitate risk management and reporting. We thank the SSCI team for their professional support along the way and look forward to working together providing trust and impact to the consumer goods industry”.

Reuben Levy, Benchmark Leader for SSCI, said, “Foundation FSSC clearly created its new FSSC 24000 program by directly embedding SSCI social and scheme management standards. Based on the strengths of its experienced team, comprehensive development process, and robust pilot, FSSC 24000 was set up for a successful launch in line with SSCI expectations. I’m looking forward to reviewing the FSSC team’s ongoing implementation in a year during SSCI’s Monitoring of Continuous Alignment (MoCA) process.”

As it ‘verifies the verifiers,’ the SSCI awards an additional, yet essential, layer of trust to sustainability standards that demonstrate alignment with the SSCI Benchmark Criteria and achieve SSCI Recognition. As SSCI-Recognised standards, third-party auditing, monitoring, and certification schemes and programmes signal a strong commitment to raising the bar in their certification processes and driving harmonisation in a diverse field of sustainability standards, while at the same time remain free to innovate their approaches to ensure sustainability in a dynamic way. Today’s announcement demonstrates that FSSC 24000 meets the industry’s expectations and FSSC 24000 is now fully recognised by the SSCI.

For more info, please contact:

Luiza Reguse

Senior Manager, SSCI

The Consumer Goods Forum