Sustainability Roundtable, Inc.

Through Sustainability Roundtable, Inc.’s Net Zero Consortium for Buyers (NZCB), seven world-leading companies have signed an aggregated virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with Southern Company for the renewable energy credits produced by the 180 MW Phase II portion of the Millers Branch Solar Facility in Haskell County, Texas. This long-term procurement enables the financing and development of the 180 MW solar project owned by SPC, and the project is expected to achieve commercial operation in the second quarter of 2026. Cisco, Juniper Networks, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Cadence Design Systems, IDEXX, PTC, and a large healthcare company joined this agreement, which democratizes access to the commercial and environmental benefits of utility-scale renewable energy by making procurement accessible to a broader range of enterprises. This aggregation is one of the largest peer-buyer organized aggregations to date globally. Today's announcement reflects the fact that the NZCB has achieved 86% of its goal of causing a gigawatt of new renewable energy capacity before 2025. Reaching NZCB’s gigawatt goal would generate enough energy to meet the annual average electricity needs of more than 200,000 U.S. homes while helping mitigate commercial Scope 2 emissions across the business operations of corporate buyers. This transaction demonstrates how the NZCB offers a breakthrough model for commercial collaboration in causing utility-scale renewables, beginning in North America and Europe. 

In mid-August, SR Inc sponsored an inspiring gathering of sustainability and higher education leaders at the Commonwealth Climate Coalition's Higher Education Roundtable, with a focus on cleantech workforce development in Massachusetts. As we heard Undersecretary of Decarbonization & Resilience Katherine Antos remark to open the meeting, climate change is Massachusetts’ greatest challenge and opportunity. To meet the demand for 34,000 new cleantech employees by 2030, we are facilitating the cross-sector collaboration needed to map new pathways for upskilling MA's workforce. We extend our gratitude to the exceptional speakers who joined us from the governor’s office, the higher education community, Massachusetts unions, and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, as well as to CCC Delegates from Roxbury Community College, Franklin Cummings Tech, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University, Harvard University, Boston University, UMass Boston, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and key players in utilities and construction management. This month's forum identified pathways including: 💡Aligning training programs with industry needs 🔨Expanding union apprenticeships 🌿Fostering ecosystem alignment  🟰Promoting greater equity and inclusion In the photo below, Kat James, Assistant Director of the Center for Smart Building Technology, presents on Roxbury Community College's program offerings and skill-building in the cleantech space. The CCC will continue this crucial work at the next Higher Education Roundtable on October 1st at the UMass Club, where we’ll collaborate with industry partners to close the loop in the workforce development ecosystem. Cleantech employers and industry leaders interested in partnering with the CCC are welcome to request an invitation to the October event. Stay tuned for more updates and visit the CCC's website to learn more: https://lnkd.in/esVruv64

A warm welcome to Sustainability Roundtable’s newest Member-Client, Fiserv! Based in Milwaukee, this global fintech and payments company aspires to move money and information in a way that changes the world. It’s no surprise, then, that they also aspire to drive positive impact through their business practices and community partnerships. Their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts center on four goals: to empower people, to advance communities and society, to champion responsible business practices, and to invest in sustainable systems. And their results are so far, so good: in 2023, Institutional Investor named them a top ESG performer in Payments, Processing, and IT Services. Given our own sustainability specialization, we wanted especially to highlight Fiserv’s accomplishments in green building design. As detailed in their 2023 CSR report, they recently earned LEED Platinum certification Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, and Dublin, Ireland offices. They’re also pursuing LEED certification for their new global headquarters in Milwaukee. As the image shows, their LEED Platinum Berkeley Heights office demonstrates just how impressive sustainability (architectural or otherwise) can be! We look forward to partnering with Fiserv as they pursue further Investment in Sustainable Systems. Congratulations to Fiserv for their hard work so far - we’re excited to help them drive even more positive change. Learn more about Fiserv’s full corporate citizenship, governance, and sustainability efforts in their 2023 CSR Report: https://lnkd.in/dBt_i_EF

We’re excited to welcome Sustainability Roundtable’s newest Member Client, Vantage Data Centers! Founded in 2010, and headquartered in Denver, CO, the company provides innovative, scalable wholesale data center campuses to hyperscalers, cloud providers, and large enterprises across North America, EMEA and APAC — in ways that prioritize sustainability and environmental responsibility. Vantage actively partners with energy providers, customers and industry groups, such as the Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA), to advocate and invest in renewable energy options, and the company is committed to reach net zero operational carbon emissions by 2030. We look forward to partnering with Vantage Data Centers and we’re excited to help them drive even more positive change. Learn more about Vantage Data Centers’ forward-looking approach to environmental sustainability: https://lnkd.in/e4bVubG

How does defining corporate sustainability enable enterprises to adapt amidst human-caused climate breakdown? In his latest Leader Comment, SR Inc CEO James Boyle outlines why enterprises should work to define corporate sustainability within their organizations. He traces the evolution and influences of corporate sustainability definitions to argue how they can and should ground your corporation’s sustainability endeavors. How does SR Inc define corporate sustainability? James Boyle writes: “It’s an approach to business that commits to building value with the corporation’s stakeholders, including employees, customers, suppliers, host communities, and investors, over the near-, mid-, and long-term in a world confronted by unprecedented existential challenges.” To learn more about how SR Inc can help your organization develop and refine its definition of corporate sustainability, read the full Leader Comment below. https://lnkd.in/ea2yAPRj 

Congratulations to our member-client Aritzia on the recent publication of their FY2024 Community ESG Report! At SR Inc, we understand the significant effort required for an annual report and applaud the research, analysis, and reflection involved. Highlights include: ☀️ 100% of Boutique, Support Office, and Distribution Center energy usage were mitigated by purchased Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) 🔎 34% of 2023 raw materials were certified as “lower impact” by an independent third party ♻️ 37% of polyester used in 2023 came from certified recycled sources To learn more about Aritzia’s sustainability policies, progress, and future goals, check out the report’s Planet section, which includes information on Climate, Water, and Materials, and Supplier Engagement We look forward to working with Aritzia as they strive towards sustainable high performance. Congratulations to their team on a report well done! Read it here: https://lnkd.in/eyayizKY #Sustainability #ESG #CleanEnergy

Looking forward to gathering with Commonwealth Climate Coalition Delegates for our second Higher Ed Roundtable! This event will focus on workforce development, and will feature cross-sector discussion on advancing equitable approaches to workforce development critical to driving the cleantech revolution. Participants will hear from key speakers on opportunities and challenges in collaborating to meet MA's workforce needs: 💡Kat James, Assistant Director, Center for Smart Building Tech, Roxbury Community College 💡Marvin Loiseau, Ed.D., Dean, Academic & Student Affairs, Franklin Cummings Tech 💡Jennifer Applebaum, Managing Director, Workforce Development, MassCEC 💡Ryan Murphy, Executive Director, Climate Jobs MA We'll discuss how Massachusetts' higher education institutions, nonprofits, unions, corporates, and State officials can light the path to leadership in the cleantech revolution through innovative workforce programs and strategies. Attending institutions and participants include MIT, Harvard, Northeastern, WPI, City of Cambridge, MassCEC, AFL-CIO, and more. Event Details: 🗓️ Wednesday, August 14th ⏰ 4:30 - 6:00 PM 📍 UMass Club, One Beacon Following the meeting, participants can join us for networking with drinks and light bites. 🔗 Interested? Email annawhitney@sustainround.com to request an invitation.

We've just published our Quarterly Newsletter, featuring SR Inc's latest Member-Clients Fiserv, Emerson, and Waters Corporation; spotlights on current Member-Clients Bloomberg, GoTo, and Wayfair; highlights from our Sustainable Business & Enterprise Roundtable (SBER) Q2 Executive Symposium; a recap of the news from our Net Zero Consortium for Buyers; an executive spotlight on Juniper Networks' Nell Triplett; a welcome to Charlie Forcey as Chief Technology Officer and Shannon Paulson as NZCB Analyst; details of our upcoming events; and more! Click here:  https://lnkd.in/eYqWUytY?

Wondering how utility scale renewable energy procurement can help your company chart a profitable path to Net Zero emissions globally? In this video, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Adviser, David Osborn, explains how Sustainability Roundtable, Inc. enables Fortune 500 and globally-scaling companies to procure utility scale renewable energy through our Net Zero Consortium for Buyers (NZCB). Topics include: ⚙️How the NZCB operates to achieve buyer decarbonization objectives through buyer-aggregated Virtual Power Purchasing Agreements (VPPAs) ⚙️What makes the NZCB distinct from other renewable energy transaction platforms ⚙️Significant upcoming announcements and milestones SR Inc provides end-to-end, 100% buyer-aligned procurement support, so companies can pursue VPPAs confident they have a trusted advisor to guide them through the complicated process. Watch this video to learn more. If you have questions on any of the NZCB services, contact info@sustainround.com.

We’re excited to welcome Sarah Lehan as Sustainability Roundtable, Inc.’s new Senior Associate for Program & Marketing. Sarah will help lead the marketing and communications efforts for SR Inc’s Sustainable Business & Enterprise Roundtable (SBER), defining and promoting Member Executives' best practices in enterprise decarbonization. She will help adapt and share Membership-based Insights, Guidance, & Tools (MIGHT) through case studies, newsletters, industry articles, and op-eds. Her work will help sustainability executives industry-wide, including those who are not yet Members, move towards sustainable high performance, while demonstrating why SBER’s radically lower-cost and better-evidenced strategic advisory is an idea whose time has come. Before SR Inc, Sarah specialized in clean energy and climate tech as the Climate Content Associate at FischTank PR. Previously, she researched corporate communications best practices at Gartner and wrote freelance on sustainability topics during a gap year in Germany. Sarah graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in History, where she wrote an honors thesis, worked for the Admissions magazine, and interned in publishing at I. B. Tauris in London. Welcome to the team, Sarah!