Program Overview
Sustainability is a business imperative for corporate partners. More than 95% S&P 500 companies issued a sustainability report in 2021. If your corporate customers and prospects have not yet asked you to measure and report on your sustainable practices, they will. Large corporations increasingly are asking their suppliers to help them live their values, create a positive impact through their supply chain, and help them meet ambitious sustainability goals.
Join WBEC Metro NY and Greater DMV for a comprehensive program to:
- Discover the competitive edge that wins business with corporate and government clients.
- Delve into the environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainability.
- Understand how sustainable business practices can help you contribute to the broader corporate value chain.
- Learn what it means to be a sustainable supplier, gaining the language, resources and tools you need for long-term success and resilience in a rapidly changing business environment.
Sustainability Accelerator is an accessible and actionable program to help you understand the basics and application of sustainability.
Consisting of three modules running over nine months, it includes four interactive workshops per module and six optional drop-in clinics per module to provide expert advice on the unique needs of your business as you embed sustainability into your operation.
The program’s first session will begin in April 2024, with regular sessions running through the end of the year.
Registration is Open!
Scroll down to learn more, see the schedule, and register for your selected sessions.
What to Expect
WBEs who participate in Sustainability Accelerator will receive:
- A regular cadence of information to unpack the important aspects of sustainability as it relates to their business, providing clear direction for steps needed to create and articulate a sustainability plan.
- An organized template for a sustainability roadmap to help them organize information directly relevant to their respective businesses and to achieve positive third-party sustainability assessment scores or other certifications valued by corporate procurement.
- Guidance from corporate procurement professionals about their expectations as well as from other WBEs who have successfully developed and benefitted from implementing sustainable practices.
Is Sustainability Accelerator Right For Me?
Sustainability Accelerator is targeted towards small to mid-size Certified WBEs throughout the WBEC Metro NY and Greater DMV RPOs, who have been in business for 2 – 5 years with specified mission, vision and values, and basic business processes in place for operations, personnel and business administration.
In the spirit of creating a community of learning, past participants of Sustainability Accelerator are encouraged to attend, as well as WBEs new to sustainability or those more advanced in their sustainability journey. This community of learning presents important opportunities to learn from each other and create accountability partners – benefits that often extend beyond the scheduled program.
Registration for the full program in advance is recommended, giving you the ability to choose the modules that are most aligned with your sustainability growth goals.
Attendance
- Attendance and active engagement in the live workshops are expected, as it’s the best way to get the most out of the interactivity of hearing from and working with your peers.
- Drop-in clinics follow each live session to give participants an opportunity to ask questions specific to their business and circumstances. These tend to be small groups, making it easier to ask questions and hear the concerns of your peers.
Modules
It is strongly recommended to register and commit to this schedule in advance.
Module 1 (April – June 2024)
Creating Your Sustainability Roadmap
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Understand the environmental, social and economic basics of sustainability, and the language that speaks to your contribution to corporate partners’ value chains.
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Discover the value of sustainability from the perspective of a respected stakeholder/customer.
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Learn how to implement measurable sustainability actions and start embedding them in the business (via a guided action plan).
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Create a plan that articulates your business’ commitments, actions and impact.
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- Module 1 Workshop 1 | Tuesday, 4/2 1:00–3:00 pm
- Module 1 Workshop 2 | Tuesday, 4/23 1:00–3:00 pm
- Module 1 Workshop 3 | Tuesday, 5/14 1:00–3:00 pm
- Module 1 Workshop 4 | Tuesday, 6/4 1:00–3:00 pm
Module 2 (July – September 2024)
Checking Your Sustainability Compass
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Showcase the material issues where you have the greatest impact, engage your stakeholders and align with global frameworks.
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Identify the foundational policies, practices and systems to have or put in place for sustainable best practice.
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Gain the knowledge to create effective policies in critical areas of ethics and transparency, environmental stewardship and diversity, equity and inclusion.
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Learn valuable ways of thinking and tools to effectively organize information and measure sustainable performance.
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- Module 2 Workshop 1 | Tuesday, 7/9 1:00–3:00 pm
- Module 2 Workshop 2 | Tuesday, 7/30 1:00–3:00 pm
- Module 2 Workshop 3 | Tuesday, 8/20 1:00–3:00 pm
- Module 2 Workshop 4 | Tuesday, 9/10 from 1:00–3:00 pm
Module 3 (October – December 2024)
Ready, Set, Go!
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Put your business values into practice to provide meaningful impact in areas that matter to you as well as your corporate partners.
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Learn how to develop internal systems to manage, track and improve sustainable performance.
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Gain the knowledge to develop effective managements systems expected by corporate partners and in sustainability assessments and certifications.
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Learn how to calculate your carbon footprint with a free tool that translates your business activities into greenhouse gas emissions requested by major corporations.
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Understand how to prepare for sustainability disclosures and how to score well on third-party assessments or certifications.
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- Module 3 Workshop 1 | Tuesday, 10/1 from 1:00–3:00 pm
- Module 3 Workshop 2 | Tuesday, 10/22 1:00–3:00 pm
- Module 3 Workshop 3 | Tuesday, 11/12 1:00–3:00 pm
- Module 3 Workshop 4 | Tuesday, 12/10 from 1:00–3:00 pm
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