Third-party certification is widely recognized as playing an integral role in helping companies demonstrate their environmental, sustainability, and safety achievements to their customers and stakeholders. As a certification body, the question we are most frequently asked is what qualifies us to do this work. SCS’ Quality Assurance Team assures that our operations run uninterrupted by supporting multiple accreditations in good standing and ensuring that our clients receive the most scientifically rigorous, impartial, efficient, and high-quality assessments from our auditors.

Tue, 12/19/2017 - 12:00

Aligning the capital markets more directly with the urgent needs we face as a society to halt environmental destruction and reverse decades of worsening inequality must be our priority for 2018. Alignment needs to occur at every level, across the global markets. Despite the tremendous efforts behind the Paris Climate Accord, formalization of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and a long history of other efforts to change the course of climate change and inequality, we are not making nearly the progress needed. The 1,700 signatories to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment, which represent $70 trillion of assets and a wave of press about environmental, social and governance-oriented investing, have not gotten us on track.

Wed, 12/27/2017 - 07:15

What is Facebook thinking? We live in a values laden society. To presume that those values can be discounted and ignored and factored out of the algorithmic equation ignores the current reality of our society and world. It is still people who are using the platform and people are imperfect.

Tue, 12/19/2017 - 09:10

SCS Global Services (SCS) has achieved a new milestone, crossing the 125 million metric tons CO2e mark for carbon offsets verified. This achievement reflects greenhouse gas (GHG) offset projects evaluated over nearly 10 years by SCS, including projects focused on forests and land-use, agriculture, renewable energy, ozone depleting substances (ODS), and more.

Mon, 12/18/2017 - 09:00

Each year, Give Back and Get Down focuses its attention on one or two specific causes—last year, we gave back to individuals and families affected by domestic violence, and partnered with Safe Horizon and Sanctuary for Families.

This year’s focus: transforming the lives of underserved youth.

Tue, 12/19/2017 - 09:45

Delivering on brand relevance also requires welcoming more and different voices to the table, using our collective wisdom to solve problems together and rallying consumers and employees to take action with us as brands. When net trust in global corporations is less than zero, it is understandable that brands may feel overwhelmed and afraid to go it alone. That is why thoughtful partnerships can empower brands to tackle meaningful issues without feeling like they are straining credibility or speaking out of turn.

Fri, 02/23/2018 - 10:00

More than ever before, consumers want brands to put a stake in the ground. It is not simply about reacting to today’s news cycle, but rather knowing where you stand and standing strong when issues arise.

As traditional corporate philanthropy efforts have ceased to capture the love and loyalty of consumers, it is time to rethink old models of CSR and consider how your brand’s purpose can translate to more meaningful and culturally relevant efforts that excite and engage consumers.

Tue, 02/20/2018 - 09:00

The new opportunity for brands is not only marketing incremental product benefits, but embodying a higher purpose that serves your consumers’ aspirations for a good life by directly addressing the barriers to it.

As capitalism shifts to unite profits and purpose, most brands know how to design a great product or a reliable service. Yet many struggle when their company’s deeper mission has become muddy or even irrelevant. Brand purpose lives at the intersection of a company’s authentic reason for being and the unmet human needs that it can uniquely fulfill in the marketplace and the world. Revealing this harmonic is the key to defining your north star.

Tue, 02/13/2018 - 09:00

To stay relevant in a world of limited resources and mounting concerns, brands cannot simply show up and sell more stuff. Like never before, consumers expect brands to make their lives better. Doing so means understanding consumers’ struggles, needs and aspirations and addressing the issues that matter to them in meaningful ways.

A fundamental design principle in divided times is to start with empathy and listen to what people are feeling and what they desire for their lives. Empathy is fundamentally about respect. When was the last time you truly listened? When people feel ignored, or when their basic human needs are not being met, it is time for brands to start listening.

Fri, 02/09/2018 - 09:30

During 2017, we have seen many brands stepping into divisive conversations sharing different perspectives, spreading inclusivity and attempting to offset unkindness. Acknowledging the divisiveness that our nation faced this year, KIND has launched a storytelling campaign to counter the negativity and unite the country despite opposing opinions we all may have.

Fri, 12/15/2017 - 17:15