IsoMetrix: Can Small Teams Do Big Things in Sustainability?
As sustainability reporting demands increase across the globe, many organisations find themselves grappling with the challenge of meeting big requirements with small teams and limited resources.
The growing pressure comes from multiple fronts: regulatory bodies, investors - even customers - creating a complex landscape for the modern day sustainability professional to navigate.
IsoMetrix is a company that knows a thing or two about this issue. It's business offering combines software with sustainability solutions, helping to empower organisations around the world to achieve their ESG goals.
Two individuals in the thick of the action are Kevin Ferris, Director of ESG Sales, and Andy Johnston, ESG Solutions Strategist, at IsoMetrix. During a fascination fireside webinar they discussed this exact subject.
What drives the demand for sustainability reporting?
According to Kevin, the drivers for sustainability reporting are always expanding, especially in the US. Essentially, that means that the amount of influences or pressures on corporate sustainability are increasing.
"At the state level in the US, that pressure's going to increase, and you're going to have to report on your Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions if you're a billion dollars or more in revenue," he says.
The financial sector is also pushing for more comprehensive sustainability data. Investors are not only looking for transparency in reporting but are increasingly interested in how companies operationalise this data to mitigate risks. As Kevin says, "If I'm going to invest in you, I want to see you mitigating risk and really understand a plan around that to make sure that I mitigate my risk from the investment".
Perhaps the most significant driver, however, comes from customer demand.
Large corporations are requiring their suppliers to provide detailed sustainability information, often aligning with frameworks such as CDP. This trend isn't only affecting existing business relationships - it's also impacting new opportunities.
"We're finding that sales is engaging the sustainability team saying, if we don't have the sustainability data in our RFPs and our RFIs, it puts us at a disadvantage, and now we're losing new business as well," explains Kevin.
The challenge for small sustainability teams
Faced with these mounting pressures, sustainability teams – often comprised of just one or two individuals – are always seeking ways to do more with less.
Andy Johnston, IsoMetrix's ESG Solutions Strategist, identifies three core challenges these teams face:
- Being an "army of one or few"
- Resource constraints
- Increasing data demands
Andy says: "For a lot of organisations, especially the folks that are starting out at maybe the lower end of the maturity curve are facing smaller teams, army of one, army of few, where they really need to own the entire process. And that may be in addition to their day-to-day job".
How to do more with less in sustainability
To address these challenges, organisations are exploring various strategies. Some are turning to interns to support data collection efforts, though this approach has its drawbacks.
"The drawback of that is they're not permanent," Andy explains. "Eventually, their contract's up, and you see that kind trickle off in terms of the productivity and the data coming in."
Consultancies offer another potential solution, bringing subject matter expertise and programme management skills. However, as Andy says, "Face facts, they can be expensive. So it is a resource draw".
Increasingly, companies are instead looking to software solutions to streamline their sustainability efforts. Andy describes software as "the employee that never sleeps, never takes a day off," highlighting its ability to serve as a system of record accessible to multiple stakeholders within an organisation.
The importance of transparency
A move towards software solutions is often driven by a business' need for greater transparency, just as much as it is about productivity.
As sustainability reporting becomes more closely tied to financial risk, the ability to demonstrate the accuracy and reliability of data becomes really crucial.
Kevin emphasises this point: "When regulation comes into play and when financial risk comes into play, your word is good, but we're going to have an auditor come in and we're going to double-check this stuff."
Can software do the work of a team of people?
Well, in many businesses cases, across many industries, the answer is yes. But does that work in sustainability?
For sustainability professionals seeking to build a case for additional resources or software investments, demonstrating return on investment (ROI) is important. This often involves engaging with executive leadership and highlighting the potential risks of inadequate reporting capabilities.
As sustainability reporting continues to evolve and expand, small teams will need to leverage a combination of strategies and tools to meet these growing demands.
Andy summarises the challenge and opportunity succinctly: "How can we support that increasing demand or continue to support the current demand without massively expanding our programme and bringing all these new bodies in and things of that nature?"
Sounds like a no-brainer, right?
Meet the Speakers
Kevin Ferris
Director of ESG Sales at IsoMetrix USA
Kevin is the Director of ESG Sales at IsoMetrix USA, working from the Greater Boston Massachusetts office.
He has more than 20 years global experience delivering software solutions to the public and private sector. He is a specialist in digital transformation strategies and has successfully partnered with CEOs, Executives as well as ESG and EHS professionals over the course of his career.
Kevin attended Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston and has been in senior managerial roles for over 10 years.
Andy Johnston
ESG Solution Strategist at IsoMetrix USA
Andy is a member of the IsoMetrix team as the Pre-Sales SME ESG & Energy and has been working in ESG and EHS focused software for over six years.
Andy brings an in-depth and multi-faceted view of the needs and applications of ESG software within an organization. He is a trusted expert working with multiple teams and stakeholders to define, manage and implement ESG solutions.
Committed to advancing his knowledge and understanding, Andy completed his certification as a GRI Certified Sustainability Professional.
Watch IsoMetrix's webinar
Watch the webinar Mastering Sustainability Challenges with a Small Team here.
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