International Organization for Standardization is a non governmental network of the national standards institutes of 157 countries which bridges public and private sector to build consensus on solutions that meet both the requirements of business and the broader needs of society, such as the needs of stakeholder groups like consumers and users.
Under the Department of Labor, Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) is the main federal agency charged with the enforcement of safety and health legislation.
UK - Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The UK Government department tasked with issues such as the environment, rural development, the countryside, wildlife, animal welfare and sustainable development.
European Environment Agency aims to support sustainable development and to help achieve significant and measurable improvement in Europe's environment through the provision of timely, targeted, relevant and reliable information to policy making agents and the public.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was established to provide the decision-makers and others interested in climate change with an objective source of information about climate change.
United Nations Environmental Programme provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.
Business for Social Responsibility is a nonprofit business association that serves its 250 member companies and other Global 1000 enterprises. Through advisory services, convenings and research, BSR works with corporations and concerned stakeholders of all types to create a more just and sustainable global economy.
Ceres (pronounced 'series') is a national network of investors, environmental organizations and other public interest groups working with companies and investors to address sustainability challenges such as global climate change.
Corporate Accountability
Corporate Accountability aims to facilitate the flow of information among NGOs and social movements who believe their governments, private sector and civil society need to make greater efforts to ensure the accountability of business and industry, especially Transnational Corporations, to society.
GEMI
The Global Environmental Management Initiative is an organization of leading companies dedicated to foster global environmental, health and safety (EHS) excellence through the sharing of tools and information to help business achieve EHS excellence.
Global Reporting Initiative ' provides a Framework for reporting on economic, environmental, and social performance by all organizations is as routine and comparable as financial reporting.
The National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE) is dedicated to exploring new opportunities to integrate environmental conservation and economic development, in order to sustain Canada's prosperity and secure its future.
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development The OECD brings together the governments of countries committed to democracy and the market economy from around the world to: Support sustainable economic growth, Boost employment, Raise living standards, Maintain financial stability, Assist other countries' economic development, Contribute to growth in world trade.
World Business Council for Sustainable Development is a CEO-led, global association of some 200 companies dealing exclusively with business and sustainable development.
World Resources Institute is a non-profit organization supporting research, conferences, education, training, and policy initiatives for environmental stewardship and sustainable development.
Herman Daly's Triangle emphasizes that the natural environment is the precondition for human life. It implies that the current threats to our natural capital inevitably jeopardize our desires for a good quality of life shared by all.
The triple bottom line accounting involves expanding the traditional reporting framework to take into account environmental and social performance in addition to financial performance.
Since 1988, The Natural Step has worked to accelerate global sustainability by guiding companies, communities and governments onto an ecologically, socially and economically sustainable path. More than 70 people in eleven countries work with an international network of sustainability experts, scientists, universities, and businesses to create solutions, innovative models and tools that will lead the transition to a sustainable future.
Agenda 21 is a comprehensive plan of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by organizations of the United Nations System, Governments, and Major Groups in every area in which human impacts on the environment.
Biomimicry (from bios, meaning life, and mimesis, meaning to imitate) is a new science that studies nature's best ideas and then imitates these designs and processes to solve human problems.
The Caux Round Table is an international network of experienced business leaders, who work with business and political leaders to design the intellectual strategies, management tools and practices to strengthen private enterprise and public governance to improve our global community.
Following the Exxon Valdez crisis, the CERES Principles (formerly known as the Valdez Principles) were created in 1989 by the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies. They are broad standards for evaluating corporate activity, intended to help organizations set policy and enable investors to make informed decisions on environmental issues.
Enterprise Product Stewardship comprises of an industrial ecosystem in which the use of energies and materials is optimized, wastes and pollution are minimized, and there is an economically viable role for every product of a manufacturing process.
The Board of Directors and management of Goldman Sachs have long recognized the importance of corporate governance practices that help ensure an environment of effective oversight and strong accountability.
The Hannover Principles aim to provide a platform upon which designers can consider how to adapt their work toward sustainable ends. Designers include all those who change the environment with the inspiration of human creativity.
The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Commission on Environment and Energy's Charter is to develop business positions on major environmental and energy issues, and maintain ICC as the primary representative of business producers and consumers in key intergovernmental negotiations in these areas.
the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) Principles for Global Corporate Responsibility press companies to be socially and environmentally responsible. Each year ICCR- member religious institutional investors sponsor over 200 shareholder resolutions on major social and environmental issues.
Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award is a National Institute of Standards and Technology program to enhance the competiveness, quality, and productivity of U.S. Organizations.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) ' which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015 ' form a blueprint agreed to by all the world's countries and the entire world's leading development institutions. They have galvanized unprecedented efforts to meet the needs of the world's poorest.
The Guidelines are recommendations addressed by governments to multinational enterprises operating in or from adhering countries. They provide voluntary principles and standards for responsible business conduct in a variety of areas including employment and industrial relations, human rights, environment, information disclosure, combating bribery, consumer interests, science and technology, competition, and taxation.
The OECD Principles of Corporate Governance were endorsed by OECD Ministers in 1999 and have since become an international benchmark for policy makers, investors, corporations and other stakeholders worldwide. They have advanced the corporate governance agenda and provided specific guidance for legislative and regulatory initiatives in both OECD and non OECD countries.
The precautionary principle is a moral and political principle which states that if an action or policy might cause severe or irreversible harm to the public, in the absence of a scientific consensus that harm would not ensue, the burden of proof falls on those who would advocate taking the action
Product stewardship is a product-centered approach to environmental protection. It calls on those in the product lifecycle'manufacturers, retailers, users, and disposers'to share responsibility for reducing the environmental impacts of products.
Sustainability at Work helps organizations embed sustainability throughout its activities. The project is a product of The Prince of Wales' Accounting for Sustainability project.
The Talloires Declaration is a ten-point action plan for incorporating sustainability and environmental literacy in teaching, research, operations and outreach at colleges and universities. It has been signed by over 350 university presidents and chancellors in over 40 countries.
The Global Compact is a framework for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that Governments, other organs of society and individuals shall strive, by teaching and education to promote respect for human rights and freedoms, and, by progressive measures, to secure universal and effective recognition and observance, including of equal rights of women and men and the promotion of social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.
The AA1000 Series, are principles-based standards that provide the basis for improving the sustainability performance of organizations. They are applicable to organizations in any sector, including the public sector and civil society, of any size and in any region.
EPEAT is a system to help purchasers in the public and private sectors evaluate, compare and select desktop computers, notebooks and monitors based on their environmental attributes. EPEAT also provides a clear and consistent set of performance criteria for the design of products, and provides an opportunity for manufacturers to secure market recognition for efforts to reduce the environmental impact of its products.
The Directive 2005/32/EC on the eco-design of Energy-using Products (EuP), such as electrical and electronic devices or heating equipment, provides coherent EU-wide rules for eco-design and ensure that disparities among national regulations do not become obstacles to intra-EU trade.
Food Alliance operates the most comprehensive third-party certification program in North America for sustainably produced food. Food Alliance Certified distinguishes foods produced by farmers, ranchers and food processors who use environmentally and socially responsible practices.
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international organization that brings people together to find solutions which promote responsible stewardship of the world's forests.
The Green Globes system is a building environmental design and management tool. It delivers an online assessment protocol, rating system and guidance for green building design, operation and management.
Green Sea is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to safeguarding the environment and transforming the marketplace by promoting the manufacture, purchase, and use of environmentally responsible products and services.
The ISO 14000 family addresses various aspects of environmental management. The very first two standards, ISO 14001:2004 andISO 14004:2004 deal with environmental management systems (EMS). ISO 14001:2004 provides the requirements for an EMS and ISO 14004:2004 gives general EMS guidelines.
ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, has decided to launch the development of an International Standard providing guidelines for social responsibility (SR). The guidance standard will be published in 2010 as ISO 26000 and be voluntary to use. It will not include requirements and will thus not be a certification standard.
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria.
USDA's National Organic Program regulates the standards for any farm, wild crop harvesting, or handling operation that wants to sell an agricultural product as organically produced.
REACH is a European Community Regulation on chemicals and their safe use (EC 1907/2006). It deals with the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical substances. The new law entered into force on 1 June 2007.
Directives 2002/95/EC on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment and 2002/96/EC on waste electrical and electronic equipment are designed to tackle the fast increasing waste stream of electrical and electronic equipment and complements European Union measures on landfill and incineration of waste.
Published in late 1997 and revised in 2001, the SA8000 Standard and verification system is a credible, comprehensive and efficient tool for assuring humane workplaces.
A leading investment firm that offers a broad range of products, from expertly managed bond funds to the nation's largest array of socially responsible mutual funds.
The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) is an independent not-for-profit organization aiming to create a lasting relationship between shareholders and corporations regarding the implications for shareholder value and commercial operations presented by climate change. Its goal is to facilitate a dialogue, supported by quality information, from which a rational response to climate change will emerge.
Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes are the first global indexes tracking the financial performance of the leading sustainability-driven companies worldwide. Based on the cooperation of Dow Jones Indexes, STOXX Limited and SAM they provide asset managers with reliable and objective benchmarks to manage sustainability portfolios.
An investment firm specializing exclusively in socially responsible investing for individual and institutional investors who wish to integrate social and environmental standards into their investment decisions.
The FTSE4Good Index Series has been designed to measure the performance of companies that meet globally recognized corporate responsibility standards, and to facilitate investment in those companies.
The Genuine Progress indicator, developed by Redefining Progress, is a partnership with grassroots organizations, policymakers, businesses, labor unions, and educators to empower people and strengthen communities throughout the United States.
The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) is the most widely used international accounting tool for government and business leaders to understand, quantify, and manage greenhouse gas emissions. The GHG Protocol Initiative, a decade-long partnership between the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
The Sustainability Reporting Framework - of which the Sustainability Reporting Guidelines are the cornerstone - provides guidance for organizations to use as the basis for disclosure about their sustainability performance, and also provides stakeholders a universally-applicable, comparable framework in which to understand disclosed information.
Innovest Strategic Value Advisors is an internationally recognized investment research and advisory firm specializing in analyzing companies' performance on environmental, social, and strategic governance issues, with a particular focus on their impact on competitiveness, profitability, and share price performance.
KLD Research & Analytics, Inc. is an independent investment research firm providing management tools to professionals integrating environmental, social and governance factors (ESG) into their investment decisions.
There are three major elements of design for the environment: design for environmental manufacturing, design for environmental packaging, and design for disposal and recyclability.
Life Cycle Assessment is an objective process to evaluate the environmental burdens associated with a product, process, or activity by identifying energy and materials used and wastes released to the environment, and to evaluate and implement opportunities to affect environmental improvements.
Total Cost Assessment Methodology (TCA) provides a disciplined and standardized approach to identifying all life-cycle costs and benefits associated with decisions related to environmental, safety and health (ESH) issues for industrial products and processes.
Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission is sponsored and funded by 5 main professional accounting associations and institutes;
The Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan professional organization that enhances knowledge and expertise by providing a neutral forum for information exchange, professional development, networking opportunities, public education, and outreach to more than 9000 environmental professionals in 65 countries.
AFE provides education, certification, technical information and other relevant resources for plant and facility engineering, operations and maintenance professionals worldwide.
The NAM's mission is to advocate on behalf of its members to enhance the competitiveness of manufacturers by shaping a legislative and regulatory environment conducive to U.S. economic growth and to increase understanding among policymakers, the media and the general public about the vital role of manufacturing in America's economic and national security for today and in the future.
