Business Sustainability ChallengeEconomic Development Meeting

BSC Program Overview

Introduction

▪ What does sustainability mean to you?

Introduction

▪ Does you have businesses asking about issues like:– Energy costs?– Solar panels?– Recruiting and keeping the right people?– Storms and business continuity?

▪ These are all parts of sustainability!

Introduction

▪ Each of these are opportunities to address sustainability and competitiveness - it is an opportunity to improve the bottom line and beyond▪ We are building relationships:– UI as a partner for competitive and innovative business– Business as a partner in livable and successful

communities

Business as a Force for Good

• “Business as a Force for Good - Is good for Business” The B Corp Handbook

• PricewaterhouseCoopers found a “positive, statistically significant, linear association between sustainability and corporate financial performance”

Business as a Force for Good

• Sustainability is not just about reducing your environmental footprint. Goldman Sachs notes that “research at both the corporate and university levels suggests that this next generation of employees and consumers have specific needs at work that are dramatically different from previous generations. High among them is a desire to align personal and corporate values”

Business as a Force for Good?

Primary Sustainability Drivers

1. Resource competition: commodities are more expensive now (in real terms) than they have been since WWI

2. Climate change3. Economic globalization4. Connectivity and communications

Basic Business Case for Sustainability

1. Increased revenue and market share - brand2. Reduced energy expenses3. Reduced waste expenses4. Reduced materials and water expenses5. Increased employee productivity6. Reduced hiring and attrition expenses7. Reduced risks

BSC Goals

1. Improve competitiveness2. Reduce energy consumption3. Manage resources responsibly4. Encourage renewable energy production

BSC Resources for Business

▪ Provides technical and financial resources needed to tackle common business issues like:– Utility costs– Employee engagement– Reputation

BSC Resources for Businesses

▪ Target customers:– Manufacturing – Other large energy users:

Wastewater Large buildings

BSC Resources for Businesses

▪ The BSC supports ongoing engagement through roundtables to build on and deepen technical and financial assistance through sharing best practices:– Universities– Wastewater / municipalities– Manufacturing– Healthcare (in development)

BSC Resources for Businesses

▪ The BSC supports cooperation and competitiveness across traditional business boundaries– Organic waste workgroup– Regional cooperation across traditional boundaries -

example of cooperation between RWA and Assa Abloy– BSC engages across the spectrum and works closely

with both CBIA and DEEP 

BSC Resources for Businesses

▪ Technical and financial assistance – Assessments: high cost coverage, usually 50-100%– Implementation - unlike most funding sources, with

Energize Connecticut, the more you do, the more you get. Bigger projects often get a higher % paid for. Start early in the process to maximize the value and support. 

▪ Financing opportunities for brick and mortar improvements:– Small businesses can get 0% on bill financing– C-PACE: can be used for clean energy and energy efficiency

at bigger businesses to get low interest financing.

Application

▪ What can we do to help your communities access these programs to become more competitive?

Thank You!

Questions?

Wastewater Assessments List▪ WW facilities Assessments- see progress below;              ▪ Fairfield – Complete – need follow-up visit▪ Bridgeport East – Complete – need follow-up visit ▪ Bridgeport West – Complete – need follow-up visit ▪ Shelton – Complete – need follow-up visit ▪ Milford Beaver Brook Facility – Site visit conducted on 8-7▪ Milford Housatonic Facility – Site visit conducted on 8-15 ▪ Ansonia – Customer requested we schedule with them in about a month (completed some

work at the plant) ▪ North Haven – can work with UI Energy Engineer to schedule ▪ West Haven – can work with UI Energy Engineer to schedule▪ Stratford – Can work with UI Energy Engineer to schedule ▪ New Haven – My thought on New Haven:  They are going through a significant upgrade at

the plant so it may not be appropriate to audit at this time.  However, they have several large pump stations that have significant efficiency opportunities based on discussions with staff.  The energy evaluation may be better focused on these pump stations in order to identify projects the customer would be interested in moving forward with in the short term.

▪ Derby - can work with UI Energy Engineer to schedule

  Step One Step Two Step Three Step Four Step Five

Expected Outcomes

> Improved bottom line> Process efficiencies

> Sustainability as an aspect of management decisions> Risk mitigation

> Brand value > Increased sales volume potential> Sustainability as an aspect of management and quality > Community support and social license to operate

> Brand authenticity and customer loyalty > Sustainability driven innovation> Employee recruitment, retention, and productivity

> Net-zero environmental impact> Sustainable learning organization

Energy and Carbon

> Strategic energy management> Greenhouse Gas Protocol Scope 1 and 2

> Prioritize energy criteria in assessing capital expenditures

> GHG Protocol Scope 3: transportation and business travel> Revolving fund for energy efficiency investment combined with behavior change/employee engagement

> Clean energy development, renewable energy credit purchasing, or clean energy purchasing power agreement

> Energy and carbon neutrality or positivity

Indicators

> Energy & carbon: total and intensity> Waste: intensity and/or dumpster pulls

> Direct material inputs intensity> Process water intensity> % of employees trained on sustainability

> Scope 1, 2, and 3 carbon intensity> Water intensity> Indicator for advanced employee training> Indicator for how training and management influences employees> % R&D investment related to sustainability

> % clean energy purchased or procured through PPA, etc > % of sales ($ or product) or product lines that fit sustainable criteria> Integrate sustainability into existing measures of customer satisfaction

> Self determined indicators for (a) organizational learning(b) linking operational indicator performance to innovation

Step One

▪ Strategic energy management ▪ Improve a company's

bottom line through energy efficiency and waste reduction▪ O&M, PRIME, RCx

Step Two

▪ Integrate sustainability throughout a company▪ Include sustainability as an

aspect of its decision-making▪ Small Business Energy

Advantage, Energy Opportunities, Energy Conscious Blueprint

Step Three

▪ Grow sales through engagement with customers▪ Create new sales

opportunities▪ Integrate sustainability as an

aspect of quality

Step Four

▪ Build a culture of innovation around  sustainability▪ Evaluate and redesign value

proposition▪ Improve employee

commitment and customer loyalty▪ Clean energy investment, PPA,

or purchasing

Step Five

▪ Long-term vision for world- class industry▪ Net-zero energy and zero

waste – as driven by major brands such as Walmart▪ People and processes that

thrive in an unpredictable future