Why Verify? The Case for Third Party Verification of Environmental Data Posted March 8, 2018 by Kealy Herman In recent years, we have seen a shift in how businesses perceive environmental and sustainability work. Once thought of as a niche issue relevant to a small subset of stakeholders, sustainability has become increasingly mainstream. Organizations are facing increased pressure from investors and stakeholders to improve transparency, completeness and accuracy Read More
Buy Clean California Act Creates Incentive to Cut Carbon Emissions by Requiring EPDs Posted February 28, 2018 by Julie Sinistore Background In 2017, California Governor Jerry Brown signed the Buy Clean California Act (AB 262) into law which encourages greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions associated with state infrastructure projects. AB 262 requires state agencies to consider embedded carbon from the production of construction materials, such as rebar, during contracting for Read More
FIVE SUSTAINABILITY AND ENERGY TRENDS TO WATCH IN 2018 Posted February 8, 2018 by Jordan Chamberlain What’s in store for 2018? We’ve highlighted five trends we expect to see in the coming year. We hope this summary helps keep a pulse on what’s new and inspires you to further explore these and other emerging trends. Increased transparency around the financial risks posed by climate change The Read More
Supplier Sustainability Assessments: Using EcoVadis to Report on Performance Posted December 7, 2017 by Kealy Herman Guidance on how to streamline your EcoVadis response and maximize your score. As supplier sustainability evaluation tools proliferate, WSP is being asked more and more which tools and frameworks to use and the reasons why. EcoVadis is one tool that can be used by customers to assess their supply chain Read More
Launching a New Name and a New Logo Posted May 11, 2017 by suzimein The next chapter in the history of our firm begins with a new name – WSP USA – and a mandate to set the firm apart from others in our industry. Known as WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff since the acquisition of Parsons Brinckerhoff by WSP in 2014, the firm will unite Read More
Navigating the Science-Based Target Updates Posted April 19, 2017 by Eric Christensen In advance of the 21st Conference of the Parties in Paris (COP21) many companies recognized the need to reconsider past greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals, transitioning to more aggressive science-based goals that align with climate science and show strong commitment to reduce global warming. According to the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi), Read More
Making the most of your 2017 CDP Climate Change response Posted April 11, 2017 by Jordan Chamberlain CDP is an international nonprofit working to transform the way organizations respond to climate change issues and natural resource degradation. Backed by 827 institutional investors with $100 trillion in assets during the 2016 disclosure cycle, CDP holds the largest collection of voluntarily reported climate change, forest, and water data in Read More
The Art of Sustainability Goal Setting Posted April 3, 2017 by Kealy Herman When discussing setting sustainability goals among our team, many clients simply want “the answer.” There are tools that allow you to provide key information and produce a numerical target. You could take that number and run with it… but you shouldn’t. Understand your motivation Setting sustainability goals can and should Read More
An introduction to science-based greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets Posted February 16, 2017 by Josh Nothwang What are they and how can they benefit your company? Since the Paris agreement reached at COP21 in late 2015, business climate action has increased significantly, and despite recent political events in the U.S. and abroad, we expect this trend to continue. Historically, companies have shown their commitment to managing Read More
CDP’s Supplier Engagement Rating – What You Need to Know Posted February 2, 2017 by Jessica Lab On January 24, CDP released its Global Supply Chain Report 2017, Missing link: Harnessing the power of purchasing for a sustainable future. This report presents the results of the 2016 CDP supply chain reporting year. CDP supply chain is a program designed to help buyers understand and manage climate-related risks, opportunities Read More
Five Sustainability and Energy Trends to Watch in 2017 Posted January 9, 2017 by Jordan Chamberlain What’s in store for 2017? We’ve compiled five trends that will be on the move (some quite literally) in the coming year. We hope this list inspires you to explore developing sustainability trends and helps keep a pulse on happenings in this space. Advancing greenhouse gas (GHG) goal setting to Read More
Three things you should know about the Scope 2 guidance Posted December 20, 2016 by Eric Christensen At the start of 2016, World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Business Council for Sustainable Development released the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol Scope 2 Guidance, an amendment to the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard. The guidance is intended to address gaps and concerns in past Scope 2 reporting such as consistency in Read More
