{"id":5492,"date":"2022-09-15T13:25:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-15T18:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/?p=5492"},"modified":"2022-09-15T13:24:39","modified_gmt":"2022-09-15T18:24:39","slug":"building-out-your-net-zero-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/15\/building-out-your-net-zero-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Out Your Net-Zero Team"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Just like safety, productivity and other key business imperatives, reaching your net-zero emissions goals won\u2019t happen without a dedicated team pulling together, and the best way to deploy your human capital will look different depending on the nature and size of your organization.<\/em><\/h4>\n

Feature<\/h4>\n
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BY DAVID H. COBURN<\/span><\/div>\n
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SHARK9208888\/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM<\/p><\/div>\n

W<\/span>hen Michelle Tarry joined American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) in 2013, her work was on the social side of the company\u2019s environmental, social and governance (ESG) program, with a focus on the working conditions, labor and human rights issues of workers at far-flung factories. Her current title\u2014vice president for responsible sourcing and sustainability\u2014didn\u2019t exist.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fast forward nine years: With customers, investors and other stakeholders focused like never before on addressing climate change, companies throughout the supply chain are being held accountable for slashing emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHG)\u2014and being asked to prove they\u2019re doing it.<\/p>\n

To do so, they\u2019re creating new C-suite roles, adding staff and expertise through hiring and acquiring, and pulling together cross-functional teams across their operations to focus on specific aspects of their net-zero emissions-reduction strategies.<\/p>\n

Since 2020, Tarry has nearly doubled her team to help AEO achieve aggressive sustainability goals that include becoming carbon-neutral in its own operations by 2030 and reducing emissions in its supply chain 40% by 2030 and 60% by 2040. Five AEO associates have the word “sustainability” in their title and an estimated 100 others are involved in working groups tasked with specific sustainability goals.<\/p>\n

“Our focus on reducing the environmental impact of our business has been growing steadily, but just in the past few years the interest and commitment to sustainability has really accelerated,” Tarry said.<\/p>\n

As with any kind of new initiative, the effort to implement net-zero emissions goals has resulted in a variety of approaches and spawned robust differences of opinion about the best way to deploy your human capital in service to those goals.<\/p>\n

What does the optimal “net-zero team” look like? Do you really need a “chief sustainability officer,” and if you have one, who should they report to? Who on the team is leading the charge to bring your suppliers\u2014by far the largest contributor to your carbon footprint\u2014into the fold and help you meet your goals?<\/p>\n

Teams, budgets on the rise<\/h4>\n

There\u2019s no dispute that more companies are putting real resources behind carbon-reduction efforts. Sustainability experts feared the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic slowdown would hamper sustainability initiatives as the Great Recession of 2008-2009 did, but that didn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019re finding bigger [sustainability]teams, more money for salaries and more support from senior leadership and at the board level,” said Ellen Weinreb, founder of Weinreb Group, a search firm that specializes in recruiting for executive sustainability positions.<\/p>\n

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CELTSTUDIO\/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to results of a biennial survey published in the 2022 “State of the Profession” report from Weinreb Group in partnership with GreenBiz, the Global Reporting Initiative and the Environmental Defense Fund, corporate sustainability efforts have posted gains in several key metrics:<\/p>\n