The Future is Transparent – ESG Reporting

In the past 24 months, there has been a significant spike in interest among investors and customers for socially responsible companies. Sustainable waste management is one of the key elements of a business’ ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) performance.

Entertainment and recreation companies that practice sustainable waste management are in a great place to benefit from this spike in interest, but only if practices are truly green, and reporting is entirely accurate and transparent.

What’s the cost if waste and other ESG reporting lacks the appropriate accuracy?

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a word of caution on “potentially misleading” ESG claims – otherwise known as greenwashing – and is stepping up its regulatory scrutiny of ESG investment strategies. As part of these efforts, it has recently employed a team to police climate risk disclosures.

The SEC has increased guidance for public companies for how they share information with investors on ESG issues like climate risk and resource management, and has made the topic a priority for 2021 and beyond.

Deloitte recently published a European insights report that shows that the market is heading strongly in the direction of net zero, and that customers and investors alike are increasingly demanding that the businesses they work with are more sustainable (click here to learn more). These external stakeholders are also becoming more knowledgeable as to whether a company is being truly accurate and transparent in their sustainability claims.

It’s therefore a dangerous time for a business to make baseless claims, or to report on sustainable waste management criteria without certainty that those statements can be supported with sufficient evidence.

What is the benefit for our business if we do it right?

Transparency is only going to become more important for businesses competing for investors and customers alike, guiding an increasing proportion of buying and investment decisions.

Instead of risking heat from the SEC or being marked down by investors, practicing sustainable waste management as part of your wider ESG initiatives and transparently reporting on your progress, your business can be perfectly placed to benefit from this surge in interest, sweeping up new investors and customers.

What do you need to do and report on?

For entertainment and recreation businesses that report on their ESG performance, waste management is a fundamental element of the operations to control and report on.

Sustainable waste management starts early on. Businesses with the most effective waste management programs will start by implementing a procurement strategy that:

• Minimizes resource usage within the operations
• Increases supply chain transparency
• Increases the proportion of materials that are made of recycled product, or can be recycled

Then it is vital to select an expert strategic waste management company that can tackle your waste stream and allocate materials to the most environmentally advantageous recycling and processing streams. Waste management companies with a laser focus on sustainability and efficiency will also maximize your payloads to reduce haulage emissions. This can drastically reduce the carbon footprint of your waste operations. Click here to read our article on how sustainable waste management can help you achieve your ESG goals.

The very final step is to have accurate, transparent data that you can feed into your ESG and sustainability reporting, or provide to external bodies such as local government compliance initiatives.

Key reporting indicators related to sustainable waste management are:

• Procurement sourcing metrics:
  • Recycled content of procured materials
  • Recyclability of procured materials
  • Associated carbon footprint
  • Transparency of supply chain
• Waste generation tonnages
• Rates of diversion from landfill
• Transport emissions related to waste haulage
• Destinations of all recyclables
• Carbon footprint of all waste-related processes

Best Practice and Transparent Waste Management Programs With NWA

Transparency is only going to become more important for businesses competing for investors and customers, including how companies tackle their waste stream. Partnering with a sustainable strategic waste management company will help you keep ahead of this trend.

National Waste Associates (NWA) has long prioritized sustainable waste practices and environmental reporting for its customers. Every waste management program that we design for our customers is tailored to the site’s exact requirements in order to minimize environmental impacts and reduce associated costs.

We have a full time Compliance Manager, whose sole purpose is to support our customers in accurately reporting on their waste management performance, filing waivers, submitting annual reports, and submitting zero waste plans. This paperwork is vital to support your company’s ESG targets and claims.

And we provide our customers with access to an online reporting portal, NWA360, where you can see all of this data for yourself, providing you with complete transparency and access to information 24/7.  This data can even be customized to your specific reporting needs.

Want to attract new investors and customerswith a transparent ESG and waste management program?
Contact us at 1-888-692-5005 x6, or
email us at sales@nationalwaste.com

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