Entries by Bob Willard

7 Ways Net-Zero Public Procurement is a Super-Leverage Point

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A refreshingly upbeat, hopeful report on the climate crisis was recently released: “The Breakthrough Effect: How To Trigger A Cascade Of Tipping Points To Accelerate The Net Zero Transition.” It was published in January by the Bezos Earth Fund, SystemIQ and the University of Exeter. It describes ten timely tipping points that provide "an opportunity to rapidly increase the deployment of zero-emission solutions and drastically cut global emissions.” The report also identifies three “super-leverage points” ‒ opportunities for actions that have relatively low cost or difficulty, and a relatively high chance of catalyzing a tipping cascade. I would humbly suggest that they missed a fourth super-leverage point: Net-Zero Public Procurement.


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7 Benefits to Any COP Government of Net-Zero Procurement

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(For a quick refresher on Net-Zero Procurement, see the previous blog, “3 Superpowers of Net-Zero Procurement.”)

In 1994, 198 national governments signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It is a treaty to combat "dangerous human interference with the climate system" and stabilize greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations in the atmosphere. Ever since, at each annual Conference of the Parties (COP), these governments / parties have renewed their commitments to stabilizing climate change. COP27 will be held in Egypt, November 6-18. The parties will sign a statement at the conclusion agreeing on their actions. Here are the seven benefits to any COP government of Net-Zero Procurement (N-ZP), that support its inclusion as an action item in COP27’s closing agreement:


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3 Superpowers of Net-Zero Procurement

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Net-Zero Procurement is an untapped super market force that could save the day for humankind, or at least fix climate change. Net-Zero Procurement (N-ZP) is defined as obtaining the best value for money when purchasing the most climate-friendly goods and services from suppliers who are the most committed to science-based net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) targets, in support of the buyer’s / customer’s stated organizational purpose and strategic net-zero goals. There are 3 superpowers of Net-Zero Procurement.


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7 Uses for the New / Improved Master Slide Decks

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Announcing: New / Improved Master Slide Decks

I’m often asked which of my many tools and resources for sustainability champions are the most useful. The answer is easy: my Master Slide Decks. The six slide decks are a goldmine of over 900 slides with topical insights and context about accelerators and barriers to progress on sustainability issues in the business community. There are 7 uses for the new / improved Master Slide Decks that make them my most valuable resource.


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5 Reasons Net-Zero Procurement Can Achieve System Change

Greta Thunberg coined the sign-worthy call to action: “System Change, Not Climate Change.” Good idea. But how can we transform the system that has brought us to this precipitous climate emergency? We’ve been unsuccessfully inching our way toward system change for years, mostly on the margins. There are five reasons that Net-Zero Procurement is a force for system change that can succeed.


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“Sustainability” vs “ESG”

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Once upon a time, I began presentations on sustainability-related topics with a snorkel in the terminology swamp. I’d compare and contrast about a dozen terms in the “sustainability” alphabet soup – CSR, SDGs, CR, 3BL, 3Ps, 3Es, etc. Then I’d declare that they were all close enough to be synonyms for “sustainability” and move on.  After a while, I stopped doing that. Now, I find it necessary to do it again, primarily to clarify “sustainability” vs. “ESG” usage these days.


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3 COP26-Inspired New Year’s Resolutions

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(This is a long-overdue blog. The International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) provided the nudge. They asked me to write a blog with my reflections on COP26. That blog is available on the ISSP website. With the kind permission of ISSP, I am republishing a version of it here.)

The August Intergovernmental Panel report (IPCC) report, Climate Change 2021, was a code red for humanity. The November COP26 meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, was billed as humanity’s last and best chance to keep the all-important goal—of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels—alive. The press hyped it as an opportunity to avert climate catastrophe. The urgency was clear. Hopes were high. The results were disappointing. However. they led to three COP26-inspired new year's resolutions to unleash market forces in the drive to net-zero.


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21st Century Sustainable Enterprise Force Field

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Cover of the PDF Document for The 21st Century Sustainable Enterprise Force Field by Bob Willard of Sustainability Advantage

“How’s it going?”

I expect you also get that question a lot these days, especially with the pandemic still dominating our daily lives. For those of us in the sustainability arena, the question is often about our efforts to transform companies to more sustainable enterprises. I’m an optimist. I think the seven helping forces in the 21st century sustainable enterprise force field are overcoming the six hindering forces. Why?


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White Paper: “7 Bold Strokes to Save Our World”

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Here are the opening paragraphs of my first white paper, “7 Bold Strokes To Save Our World.”

“We are at a pivotal point in the course of human civilization. We need to acknowledge that the system that got us into this global quagmire is not fit for our future. Let’s capitalize on this rare opportunity to truly transform global systems.

“It’s easy to criticize the status quo. There have been glaringly obvious national and global failures to mitigate our current crises effectively, let alone prepare for them. But it’s time to challenge ourselves to propose what we would do if we were in charge of the world. If we had a magic wand, what are the actions that we would immediately take to transform our world to a more resilient, just, inclusive and safe socioeconomic system?”

A 16-page paper is too long to be a blog and too short to be a book, so I decided to make it a “white paper.” According to Wikipedia, a white paper “is an authoritative report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision.” That summarizes my intent perfectly. Read More

3 Versions of Performance Dashboards for 21st Century Companies

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Suppose a company decides to use a 21st century business model, as shown above and described in my last blog. Then, suppose someone asks, "How's it going?" To answer the question comprehensively, wouldn't it be nice to invite the questioner into a control room where the business model is the centerpiece, surrounded by company performance indicators? The company's direct and indirect impacts on key stakeholders ‒ employees, the environment, society-at-large, communities and customers ‒  would be quantified and connected to where and how those impacts occur in the company's business model. The resulting dashboard would provide a decision-ready overview of company financial and non-financial performance.

To illustrate this suggestion, a generic version of the dashboard template is shown above. Now, let's take a look at how the dashboard might look if non-financial performance were assessed using three different sustainability frameworks: the Future-Fit Business Benchmark (FFBB), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Integrated Reporting <IR> Capitals. Read More