Strategic partnership brings sustainability closer to home

(Manila, Philippines) –  In about 20 years, between three and five billion people will be added to the global middle class, and “resource strains could accelerate the innovation race,” according to McKinsey & Co. in its report entitled, Mobilizing for a Resource Revolution. With the availability of cheap resources, few institutions have prioritized resource productivity, the report said. Companies who do so gain competitive advantage while helping mitigate global resource scarcity.

James Donovan, Chief Executive Officer of sustainability solutions provider F-I-R-S-T Carbon Solutions, said environmental sustainability is a very important step as the Philippines becomes more integrated with the world. “It’s not just about certification, but managing a sustainable, profitable business and bringing solutions that can help corporations and governments make a difference.”

“Taking sustainability from concept to reality remains a big challenge,” Donovan said. This sentiment is reflected in the results of The 2012 Sustainability Leaders: A GlobeScan / SustainAbility Survey, which showed a decline in overall perceptions on sustainability leadership over the past year. The survey was conducted among 825 sustainability experts from various sectors in 76 countries worldwide.

A number of tools and solutions are now available to help manage resource use—not only to improve operational or business performance but also to conserve the environment. Awareness of these practical interventions, however, is not as widespread as looming environmental threats. F-I-R-S-T Carbon Solutions and international certifications body Bureau Veritas recently forged a partnership that hopes to raise awareness on the value of sustainability.

“We met with F-I-R-S-T Carbon in 2011 and noticed how our services complemented each other,” said Emmanuel Danion, Bureau Veritas country chief executive. Through the partnership, F-I-R-S-T Carbon Solutions will provide the tools to help companies manage and dispose their resources such as energy, water and greenhouse gas. Bureau Veritas, meanwhile, will assess and certify that companies are following global standards for sustainability.

Getting certified for adhering to international environmental protocols is now synonymous with having a license to operate, Donovan said. Besides compliance, it adds brand value and improves a company’s bottom line through optimized savings. Danion agrees. “It will be much easier for companies to prove how much they save from certification or compliance to standards because it’s more tangible. Many firms go for sustainable standard certifications because it will be easy to show the result and the savings to their shareholders.”

F-I-R-S-T Carbon Solutions is enabling global companies, including those in the Philippine business process outsourcing (BPO) space to effectively manage their resources. “We’re helping Filipino companies understand that sustainability is not a nice-to-have but a must-have, a value proposition. It has to be developed and woven into the fabric of the enterprise and we believe that by working with Bureau Veritas we bring a total solution for that end,” Donovan said.

About Bureau Veritas
Bureau Veritas helps companies worldwide improve their performances by offering services and innovative solutions to ensure that their products, infrastructures and processes meet standards and regulations in terms of quality, health and safety, environmental protection and social responsibility. Established in 1828 “to seek out the truth and tell it without fear or favor,” the company has gained global prominence in conformity assessment and certification services with its comprehensive portfolio of accreditations and thorough knowledge of regulations, reference frameworks, standards and industrial markets; Bureau Veritas operates in 940 offices and 340 laboratories servicing 400,000 clients in 140 countries. Visit www.bureauveritas.com for more information.

About F-I-R-S-T Carbon Solutions
F-I-R-S-T Carbon Solutions is a global provider of sustainability solutions for enterprise and government clients that are increasingly under pressure to minimize resource use and environmental impacts while achieving profit and budget objectives. The company is the first to fully integrate sustainability and environmental management consulting and software with deep expertise in back office data processing to deliver integrated energy and sustainability solutions that drive better decision making by understanding how improved environmental practices affect all areas of the business. For more information, visit www.firstcarbonsolutions.com.ph.