Michael Muyot’s response to Jeffrey Hollender’s 10-point plan

On Wednesday, Jeffrey Hollender, co-founder of Seventh Generation, gave an interview to CSRwire outlining a ’10 Point Plan’ to refocus and rebuild the U.S. economy. To review the plan please click here.

Yesterday, Michael Muyot, President of CRD Analytics, countered Hollender’s plan with a plan of his own. Here is what he had to say:

Jeffrey, thank you for your poignant and timely ideas on how to Rebuild the American Economy & Way of Life. Instead of adding items, I’d like to make a suggestion for an Action Plan to ensure successful execution. As someone who has also been at the forefront of the Sustainability movement I think there’s enormous challenges to being successful with making the changes you listed above. The cards are stacked against us. Here’s what I think may be a framework to get started:

NASDAQ OMX CRD Global Sustainability 50 Index expands to 100 companies, releases semi-annual evaluation results

The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. and CRD Analytics announced yesterday the expansion of the Global Sustainability 50 Index, as well as the name change to NASDAQ OMX CRD Global Sustainability Index. The Index is an equally-weighted equity index that serves as a benchmark for stocks of companies that are taking a leadership role in sustainability performance reporting and are traded on a major U.S. stock exchange, according to NASDAQ and CRD.

These companies are voluntarily disclosing performance information on ESG issues, as well as revenue opportunities and how it affects future performance. The companies must also meet other eligibility criteria which include minimum requirements for market value, average daily share volume and price.

The Index is evaluated on a semi-annual basis in May and November, and some of the companies being added are:

• Cisco Systems
• Microsoft
• GE
• Nike
• Pepsi
• Kimberly-Clark
• Medtronic
• General Mills
• Chevron
• Pfizer

As a result of the re-ranking, Merck & Company Inc will be removed from the Index as it didn’t provide full ESG data for 2009 per the SmartView index methodology.

To see a full list of companies on the Index please click here. For more detailed information on the Index and its criteria, please click here. To read the full press release please click here.

What do you think about the expansion? Do you think it helps or hinders the credibility of it? Do you think adding 50 more companies takes the prestige away from the original 50? Discuss!

Apple Should Take a Bite at Sustainability Reporting.

Not long ago, Apple was on the front line of keeping up with their competitors at trying to be the greenest electronics company. When Apple became the first electronics company to eliminate PVC plastic and brominated flame retardants (BRF’s) the world noticed that they were taking steps to become among the most environmentally conscious in their industry. Apple’s recent activity, however, would suggest they are lagging behind their competitors in their commitment to sustainability. Apple is actively opposing two shareholder petitions to embrace sustainability reporting.

Sustainability reports are one of the most important ways businesses can transparently demonstrate their commitment to sustainability. Without them, key stakeholders, including shareholders, customers and suppliers, can’t be sure whether the company can support its sustainability claims.

Michael Muyot, President of CRD Analytics, recently analyzed and compared environmental, social, governance and financial metrics contained in sustainability reports of the leading electronics companies. According to Muyot, IBM is considered a “champion” in environmental and governance because of their unfailing transparency, while HP scored highest in social performance. According to Muyot, “HP boasted a strong social performance score due to robust social policies and above industry average performance on workplace safety and employment creation metrics.” Apple ranked below Dell in all categories.

While Apple has strong financial performance, shareholders and other interested stakeholders, it has a great opportunity to reignite its early commitment to sustainability and at the same time elevate its sustainability performance.

– Ellen Stock.

New authority on integrated reporting solution to CSR?

Michael Muyot, President & Founder of CRD Analytics, posted on Justmeans yesterday about the recent announcement of a new, single global authority on integrated reporting. The International Integrated Reporting Committee (IIRC) was formed to create a universally recognized reporting framework for integrated reporting.

This past December The Prince of Wales convened a high level meeting of investors, accounting bodies, companies, decision-makers in standard setting and UN representatives. An agreement was made that the Global Reporting Initiative and the Prince’s Accounting for Sustainability (A4S) should work together with other organizations to establish an international body that oversees the creation of a universally recognized integrated reporting framework that connects financial and sustainability reporting.

Students Bring Local Food to Columbia University

Local food is all the rage in the sustainability movement, but bringing local food to scale to build upon market demand for sustainably-produced edibles is not always an easy task.

A few students at Columbia University noticed that their campus colleagues were jonesing for healthy and appetizing food alternatives.  To meet that need, the students created a business—which they titled NOM³ (i.e. Nom Nom Nom)—that would bring local and healthy food options (with a close eye on taste) to the Columbia campus, via a student-run truck.

To help their business get off the starting block, NOM³ recently entered and won the SmartView Eco Entrepreneurship Challenge.  CRD Analytics hosted the Challenge to get Eco Entrepreneurs to submit a 30-second YouTube video about their idea, explaining how it could reduce our collective carbon footprint.

Here is the NOM³ video:

NOM³ was one of the three winners selected from the Challenge to pitch their sustainable startup to around 100 leading finance professionals at the Sustainability Round Table at the NASDAQ Market Site on May 14^th.  As winners, they also had the opportunity to participate with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) in the NASDAQ closing bell ceremony, and to be personally introduced to two conference attendees of their choice.

BrownFlynn was proud to sponsor Nom³ in the SmartView Eco Entrepreneurship Challenge.  Principal Barb Brown and Director of BrownFlynn Learning Beth Meany joined them at the Sustainability Round Table and at the NASDAQ closing bell ceremony (click here to see our photos on Facebook!).

Below is our interview with NOM³: