Chemical Engineering January 2023 - 37

minutes so that they can be shared
throughout the organization to further
enhance communication.
These three ways to create momentum
will provide you with the
needed inertia to launch the ESG
program. They will also increase employee
engagement and provide a
solid foundation to begin developing
your company's long-term success.
FIGURE 2. The vast majority of companies polled reported that they experienced financial gains after formally
implementing the ISO 14001 system (based on survey data from Ref. 4)
ESG success stories
Implementing an ESG program is
a large commitment that will challenge
all levels of the organization to
actively demonstrate their personal
values. This is a large undertaking
that should not be underestimated
when being evaluated for your organization.
With that said, your organization
will enjoy the many benefits
discussed once the hard work of implementation
has been completed.
Below are a few success stories
to consider.
FIGURE 3. After adopting a formal environmental-management strategy goverened by ISO 14001, reduced
waste and improved energy usage were among the reported benefits (based on survey data from Ref. 4)
environment. It is also a great way
to lay the foundations of a strong
company culture. In addition, it helps
to engage employees with these
philosophies, because employees
will also help to project the organization's
goals and vision.
Awareness. Creating awareness
campaigns throughout an organization
is a simple and inexpensive way
to build upon initial steps taken to
start the ESG conversation. As you
begin developing the ESG program,
do so in a manner that is transparent
throughout the organization. Let
your team know the status, challenges,
successes and how to contribute
ideas to the implementation
team. This should include, not only
your company, but also your suppliers
and vendors. Lastly, include
signs, posters and email signature
blocks that keep ESG on the forefront
of everyone's mind. These small
measures can go a long way in creating
excitement and continuing forward
momentum.
Engagement. The statement " It's
just another management idea "
should never be spoken by your
team. Not only should efforts be
transparent and well communicated,
steps should be taken to actively engage
employees at all levels of the
organization. This will provide much
needed buy-in, feedback and incredible
insight that will go well beyond
the ESG program. Consider setting
up committees at the different levels
of the organization and formalizing
them by establish areas of responsibility
and levels of authority to take
action. Where a senior executive
meeting may set the direction of the
program, a management committee
meeting can provide the program
development and a facility employee
committee can provide practical implementation
tools. It is important to
have each committee keep meeting
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Marketing firm SYKES Costa Rica
started implementing an ISO 14001
program in 2008. During that time,
the team began to actively manage
the use of energy, water, materials,
waste protocols and recycling programs
in an effort to minimize the
impacts from its operations on the
environment. In 2018, the company
achieved formal ISO 14001 certification,
but that is only the beginning.
Since then, the group has also
achieved certifications in ISO 14064
for greenhouse-gas management
and ISO 50001 for energy management,
and it became carbon-neutral
certified. One of the most impressive
aspects of SYKES' success
is that, " In the past five years, the
company's workforce increased by
30% to more than 5,500 employees,
while the non-recoverable waste decreased
from 87% to 63% " [9]. The
decreased waste is an impressive
accomplishment and it is equally
impressive
that
decreased
waste
results in an overall reduction in
material costs.
A second benefit, which is often
overlooked, is the social aspect associated
with an ESG program. Not
only do these benefits impact the
greater community, but they also
provide participants with a much
stronger and more competitive company.
The Society for Human Resource
Management published an
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Chemical Engineering January 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering January 2023