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Studies show that about 40% of consumers actively seek environmental information about the products they buy, and that they favor products with credible and specific environmental data. Sustainability measurements are often put to the test, and statements lacking credibility are off-putting to the extent that as much as 77% of consumers would boycott products with misleading claims. The reliability and quality of the underlying data and methodology play a crucial role in determining the credibility of sustainability metrics. Credible metrics are also important for identifying impact hotspots, and facilitating decisions that could reduce an organization's future risks and liabilities. It all begins with quality data.
But what exactly does quality data mean in the context of sustainability measurements? In this webinar, we will help you understand the characteristics of good data and the tradeoffs between using different data sources to measure your organization's sustainability performance. Join us for a discussion about the role of quality data and hear from company insiders about their experiences with environmental impact data.
In this webinar, attendees will be presented with these takeaways:
Byron Thayer, Manager - Sustainability Performance & Reporting, Levi Strauss & Co.
Byron Thayer directs a team at Levi Strauss & Co. that provides sustainability data analytics and directional insights by leveraging labor, environmental, Higg Index, and chemical data from 600 factories. He is the architect of the company's Water Strategy that integrates over a dozen internal water initiatives to manage risks throughout the global supply chain and drive vendor engagement, corporate transparency initiatives, and collective action projects in the riskiest watersheds. Byron also oversees the annual greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory across 700 worldwide facilities and helped manage the company's first-ever Scope 3 assessment recently.
Shreya Sonar, Sustainability Analyst, Reformation
Shreya became passionate about the environment as a child watching Captain Planet. In college, she studied Biotechnology Engineering with a focus on environmental microbiology – researching microbes that clean up pollution and produce biofuels. She also started her university's first environmental club and represented the university at several business competitions across India. She realized she enjoyed people-facing opportunities more than laboratory research and began to dream of sustainable consumer products. In a career switch move, Shreya went to UC Santa Barbara's Bren School in 2014 to gain a Master's degree focusing on Corporate Sustainability and Management. For her graduate group project, Shreya took up 2 internship opportunities at Patagonia to conduct research on microfiber emissions from synthetic outwear. The group's collective work is published in the Journal of Environmental Science & Technology. Currently, Shreya works as a Sustainability Analyst at Reformation – a vertically integrated women's clothing company in LA. She is responsible for all product LCAs and business operations footprinting. She also builds tools for data-based decision making throughout the business and supports the social, chemical and quality compliance programs.
Andy Cummings, Account Manager - Supply Chain, CDP
Andy Cummings is an account manager for the supply chain program at CDP, a not-for-profit international NGO that runs a global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts. Previously, Andy worked for 100 Resilience Cities, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Burkina Faso. He graduated from Columbia University with a master's degree in Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy.
Summer Broeckx-Smith, Head of CDP Services, VitalMetrics Group
Summer leads CDP services at VitalMetrics Group, specializing in Scope 3 emissions measurement and reporting, and manages maintenance of the Comprehensive Environmental Data Archive (CEDA). She supports sustainability impact assessment efforts at VitalMetrics using data analytics and life cycle assessment principles, such as IO-LCA, supply chain emissions quantification, and accounting of carbon and energy footprints. Summer holds a Master of Environmental Science & Management degree from the Bren School at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she specialized in energy and climate with a focus in eco-entrepreneurship. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from Stony Brook University and is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Associate.
Kathy Tejano Rhoads, Principal Consultant, VitalMetrics Group
Kathy has over eight years of consulting experience creating, launching, and managing innovative data management and sustainability solutions for domestic and international corporate clients. She holds a M.S. in Environmental Science and Management from the Bren School (UCSB), specializing in energy and climate change, corporate environmental management, and eco-entrepreneurship, and a B.S. in Systems and Information Engineering from the University of Virginia. Prior to joining VitalMetrics, Kathy worked on corporate sustainability reporting and communications, served as a Climate Corp Fellow for the Environmental Defense Fund, worked at a solar energy start-up, and implemented database software solutions for Fortune 500 companies as part of IBM's Global Business Services division.
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Thank you for your interest in this special Sustainable Brands webinar. Recorded webinars are always available after the live webinar in SB Library.