C4 Total Quality Consultants

10/08/2021

Let's Deep Dive into the Alphabet Soup of Sustainability

The global desire for sustainable development is based on the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, defining sustainability in 27 Principles. The declaration was signed by 89% of the United Nations member states.

Sustainability impacts and is relevant to all levels of human activity, from global to regional, national, community levels, and individual behaviour.

Sustainability could be affected by various kinds of organisations, including governments, non-governmental organisations, companies, co-operatives, federations, communities, industry-specific multilateralism formations and unions.

The following terms "sustainability", "sustainable development", and "social responsibility" are frequently used interchangeably. Although there is a close relationship between the three, they are different concepts and thus not interchangeable.

To deep dive into understanding these concepts, we will focus on the following definitions:

+ Sustainability - The state of the global system, which includes environmental, social and economic subsystems in which the needs of the present are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The subsystems interact, are interdependent and are referred to as the three pillars, aspects or dimensions.

+ Sustainable Development - The Brundtland report defines it as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

+ Social Responsibility - Responsibility of an organisation for the impacts of its decisions and activities on society and the environment, through transparent and ethical behaviour that:

contributes to sustainable development, including the health and the welfare of society,
takes into account the expectations of stakeholders,

complies with applicable law and is consistent with international norms of behaviour, and
is integrated throughout the organisation and practised in its relationships.

One of the most well-known standards in this context is undoubtedly ISO 26000:2010, Guidance on Social Responsibility.

It is intended to assist organisations in contributing to sustainable development.

It aims to encourage them to go beyond mere legal compliance, recognising that compliance with the law is the fundamental duty of any organisation and an essential element of social responsibility.

It provides guidance on:

+ concepts, terms and definitions related to social responsibility,
+ the background, trends and characteristics of social responsibility,
+ principles and practices relating to social responsibility,
+ the core subjects and issues of social responsibility,
+ integrating, implementing and promoting socially responsible behaviour throughout an organisation and,
+ through its policies and practices, within its sphere of influence identifying and engaging with stakeholders, and
+ communicating commitments, performance and other information related to social responsibility.

Its objective is to promote common understanding, complementing other instruments and initiatives targeting social responsibility, not replacing them.

At C4TQ, we have the experience assisting your organisation in re-aligning or redefining your ESG-CR ambition to realise long term business viability.

For more insight, advice or call to action, book a discovery call by emailing us at [email protected]

08/08/2021

First Principles - The Building Blocks of ESG-CR Opportunities

Aristotle defined a first principle as the first basis from which a thing is known - an assumption that cannot be deducted any further.

The human tendency for imitation is a common stumble block for Environmental, Social, Governance, Compliance and Risk (ESG-CR) first principle thinking.

When envisioning the future of sustainability, we tend to project the current form rather than the function, thereby impeding creative possibilities.

Sustainability ideas inherited as old conventions and forms are often accepted without question setting a boundary to sustainable thinking.

Sustainability is a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous concept that continuously evolves, requiring non-linear mobile thinking moving from one general idea to creating innovative solutions.

Breaking down your ESG-CR complicated problems into essential elements and then reassembling them from the ground up would provide your organisation with the opportunity to identify and pay special attention to the numerous variables that could impact your sustainability programme positively or negatively.

At C4TQ, we have the experience assisting your organisation in re-aligning or redefining your ESG-CR ambition to realise long term business viability.

For more insight, advice or call to action, book a discovery call by emailing us at [email protected]

06/08/2021

Now is the time for Organizations to Redefine or Re-align their approach to ESG-CR or sustainability

Recently, environmental, sustainability, governance, compliance and Risk (ESG-CR) sustainability themes did not receive prominence. This, however, changed overnight, driven by the global pandemic, customer, market, legislative, "glocalisation", UN SDGs, climate change, transparency and other demands - almost a perfect storm of multi-stakeholder expectations.

Organisations tend to respond to the call for transparency by publishing annual and sustainability reports. While analysing the reports of various industry players, it is evident that the general look and feel is good; however, clarity has not always prevailed; and in many cases, the content does not reflect the "real ESG-CR value" that many of the organisations create.

The global use of the term "materiality" in the realm of ESG-CR disclosure has created significant confusion as a wide range of disclosure frameworks adopted an array of proprietary definitions.

The material issues used for reporting by many organisations focus on input/output indicators rather than outcome/impact indicators, creating a sense of a muddled ESG-CR leadership approach and a poorly defined methodology of how they established the materiality criteria.

ESG-CR future-proofing, transparency and clear communication are important to meet present and future needs to ensure long term business viability, while avoiding being labelled as greenwashing.

At C4TQ, we walk the ESG-CR talk with our clients supported by a team with extensive hands-on experience and skills of what "ESG-CR good looks like". A call to action initiated by you would redefine or re-align your sustainability journey and improve associated business practices from the leadership level to frontline activities.

The team at C4TQ is committed to providing workable solutions to complex sustainability and business strategy issues. For more insight, advice or call to action, book a discovery call by emailing us at [email protected]

06/08/2021

The Way the ESG-CR Diamond Tipped Arrow Fly

Alrosa recently published a three-year action plan for its comprehensive 2021-2025 Sustainability Programme, focused on increasing responsibility and transparency across its diamond mining and production operations to reinforce consumer confidence.

Alrosa is the largest diamond mining company, which supplies about 28% of all diamonds globally; in real terms, every fourth diamond in the global market is mined in Russia.

Spending an extensive period in the Russian Federation and on the upstream side of the diamond industry, I can understand the "fly of Alrosa's ESG-CR arrow". Confucius remarked, "when the archer misses the centre of the target, he turns around and seeks the cause of his failure in himself."

We at C4TQ, commend the Alrosa leadership for redefining their ambition and taking the ESG-CR lead as one of the most significant global diamond mining companies.

At C4TQ we have hands-on experience assisting your organization in re-aligning or redefining your ESG-CR ambition to ensure long term business viability.

For more insight, advice or call to action, book a discovery call by emailing us at [email protected]

26/07/2021

Environmental Sustainability and Governance "ESG" themes until recent did not receive prominence, however, this changed overnight driven by issues like transparency, long term sustainability and glocalization. Contact us to learn more about "ESG Glocalization" and our ESCRG - New Code.

17/07/2021

17/07/2021

C4 Total Quality Consultants is a collaborative impact-focused consulting partner. Our founding principle is that every client deserves a custom-built team of the best partners - agile thinkers that yield crucial insights necessary to navigate and succeed in today’s constantly evolving landscape.

Our business model allows us to deploy bespoke client teams of best in class talent when and where they are needed and to scale according to client requirements with an aim to help our clients to create a prospect of long term value and to:

•be strategically relevant in their eco-system,
•future-proof their human capital & business models,
•accelerate growth by exploiting opportunities from a changing environment,
•Inform data-supported decisions to mitigate risk and build resilience while contributing to a better democratised and sustainable future.

Contact us at: [email protected]