Attitude and Cultural Changes that May Impact Environmental Focus

Since the last recession, society has been a lot more focused on being ESG (Environmental Social Governance)-focused and reducing the carbon footprint. Additionally, governments around the world have increased regulation and monitoring to help reduce greenhouse gasses and other negative environmental effects. Overall, many businesses and individuals are finding that, while being ESG-focused sometimes costs more upfront, it can save money in the long-run.

As companies move forward with their ESG initiatives, they often end up improving their business in other areas as well. For example, looking at supply chain alone, ESG improvements can also improve sourcing, reduce human rights abuses and regulate compliance and reporting. These efforts then reduce costs, improving top-line growth, reduce regulatory interventions, increase productivity and optimize assets.

Government Support

As an effort to support net zero, the US Federal Government is bringing opportunities to both businesses and citizens. Grants, rebates and other opportunities all encourage climate-friendly business practices, and a lot of organizations are taking advantage of these options. The Inflation Reduction Act also allowed for more tax credits for carbon capture and storage projects, lowering the required amount of carbon captured needed to use the credits. These credits help small firms reach ESG goals by improving access to these resources.

ESG Government Regulations

Governments around the world are also creating regulations that support ESG efforts. In the United States, the SEC created Climate Disclosure Rules. These rules went into effect in 2022 and impact regulation at all levels of government while providing climate-risk disclosure guidance for publicly held companies.¹ The disclosure rules also encourage companies to look at climate change and its potential financial impacts and then share the details with investors.

The German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act in Germany, which went into effect at the start of 2023, requires organizations to evaluate their supply chains for human rights abuses.² While a lot of regulations focus on the environmental concerns, this is the first law of its kind that focuses on the social governance piece of ESG.

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards cover environmental impacts, labor practices, human rights and societal contributions. While these guidelines are voluntary, many organizations and companies use them as a benchmark for reporting on sustainability since they include specific language for sustainability reporting.³

In Australia, the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) is a non-profit organization that has developed sustainability accounting standards for public companies in Australia. These standards aim to improve sustainability reporting in Australia to help investors make more-informed decisions.⁴

Sustainability within The Supply Chain

The supply chain is one of the biggest sources of business carbon emissions, so another valuable resource when moving towards net zero is to streamline the supply chain. CEOs and other business leaders are taking a serious look at how they can reduce both costs and emissions by solving the supply chain trouble spots. Avetta helps companies evaluate their supply chain, providing insight into business risks such as ESG & Sustainability, GHG & Carbon Reporting, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Avetta supports both clients and suppliers to navigate new processes for ESG maturity, tracks progress and provides guided actions to improve sustainability impact. Avetta helps you stay organized in the planning stage, then provides easy steps for executing and analyzing. Avetta also has tools to help you measure , track and report on your GHG Scope 3 emissions.

¹SEC Proposes Rules to Enhance and Standardize Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission-https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2022-46

²German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act SCDDA Explained https://www.ibm.com/blog/german-supply-chain-due-diligence-act-scdda-explained/

³A Short Introduction to the GRI Standards, GRI Standards- https://www.globalreporting.org/media/wtaf14tw/a-short-introduction-to-the-gri-standards.pdf

⁴SASB Standards are now a part of the IFRS Foundation-https://www.sasb.org/#:~:text=SASB%20Standards%20identify%20the%20subset,in%20each%20of%2077%20industries.&text=SASB%20Standards%20are%20developed%20based,transparent%2C%20publicly%2Ddocumented%20process.

Learn more how Avetta can help you streamline your sustainability processes, here.

The Avetta Support Center Team wins Gold and Silver Stevies in the Contact Center of the Year and Customer Service Department of the Year categories

OREM, Utah and HOUSTON—March 16, 2023—Avetta®, the leading provider of contractor prequalification software, announces that its Support Center Team has won a Gold Stevie® Award for Contact Center of the Year (Over 100 Seats) for Technology Industries and a Silver Award for Customer Service Department of the Year – Computer Software – 100 or More Employees categories in the 17th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.

The Avetta Support Center Team was recognized for improving satisfaction scores and reducing customer wait times. Customer satisfaction has risen to a score of 8 or more while wait times are at industry-leading levels—less than 1 minute. Stevie judges commended the company for its investment in customer-first culture, processes, capabilities, technology and training—pointing out Avetta’s “above-par industry standard numbers for an organization of its scale.”

“Avetta’s 250 contact center employees understand the ‘why’; Their service to our 500+ enterprise companies and 125,000+ suppliers across 120+ countries is essential to the company’s powerful vision—making sure workers get home from their jobs safely, every day,” said Richard Parke, SVP, Global Supplier Services at Avetta.

“We are honored by Stevie’s recognition of our commitment to Customer Delight and leveraging customer feedback to create sustained and continued improvement for our clients’ health, safety and sustainability compliance programs,” Parke notes.

The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service are the world’s top honors for customer service, contact center, business development and sales professionals. The Stevie Awards organizes eight of the world’s leading business awards programs, also including the prestigious American Business Awards® and International Business Awards®.

More than 2,300 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry in 49 nations and territories were considered in this year’s Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Winners were determined by the average scores of more than 170 professionals worldwide on seven specialized judging committees.

“The nominations we received for the 2023 competition illustrate that business development, customer service and sales professionals worldwide, in all sorts of organizations, have continued to innovate, thrive and meet customer expectations,” said Stevie Awards president Maggie Miller. “The judges have recognized and rewarded their achievements, and we join them in applauding this year's winners for their continued success.”

Winners were announced during a gala event attended by more than 400 professionals from around the world at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Friday, March 3.

Details about the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service and the list of Stevie winners in all categories are available at www.StevieAwards.com/Sales.

The Support Center Team was also recently named a 2022 Service Excellence Up and Comer in the 2022 International Service Excellence Awards (ISEA), presented by the Customer Service Institute of America (CSIA) and the International Council of Customer Service Organizations (ICCSO).

To learn more about Avetta, visit https://www.avetta.com/.

About Avetta

The Avetta contractor prequalification SaaS platform helps clients manage supply chain risk and their contractors to become more qualified for jobs. For hiring clients in our network, we offer the world’s largest supply chain multi-risk management network to manage contractor safety, sustainability, worker competency and performance, and business and financial risk. We perform contractor prequalification and worker competency management across major industries, all over the globe, including construction, energy, facilities, high tech, manufacturing, mining and telecom.

For contractors in our network, our audit and verification services help lower their safety incidents rate by 47%. As a result, nearly 50% of members find additional job opportunities within the first year of joining. In addition, our contractors receive privileged access to the Avetta Marketplace, where dozens of partners offer special discounts for business services like insurance and work gear. Avetta serves 500+ enterprise companies and 125,000+ contractors across 120+ countries.

Visit https://www.avetta.com/ for more information.

Contacts
SnappConner PR
Mark Fredrickson, +1 801-806-0161
[email protected]

Avetta
Kendra Lamer
[email protected]

OREM, Utah and HOUSTON — March 13, 2023—Taylor Allis, chief product officer of Avetta, was named Chief Product Officer of the Year at the Silicon Slopes Hall of Fame event. Silicon Slopes is a nonprofit organization led by Utah tech and business leaders to help community members learn, connect and create opportunities.

Allis was instrumental in the launch of Avetta One—a single-source solution for managing health, safety, ESG and sustainability, and business compliance risks. The first of its kind, Avetta One led to double-digit growth for Avetta and enables customers to improve on average by 7-8% per year on key environmental and safety measures after joining the network, while customers reduce administrative expenses by up to 75%.

“Taylor strengthens Avetta through strategic innovation, feature enhancement and global expansion,” according to remarks on the award. “His unique experience, combined with an innate vision to drive safety, sustainability, and efficiency across global supply chains, saves lives in the industry and improves the environmental impact of supply chains.”

The Feb. 4 Silicon Slopes Hall of Fame event, attended by more than 1,300 leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, innovators and their guests, celebrated and honored the many accomplishments of individuals and companies in Utah over the past year.

Allis helped launch the first sustainability and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) risk management solution that allows companies to reach their supply chain sustainability goals based on an industry-focused materiality map. The solution was designed in collaboration with 15 Fortune 500 customers and is currently patent pending.

Allis’ 20-year background in technology as well as football and lacrosse coaching has helped him develop a universal method of mentoring and motivating a team toward a greater mission—something more significant than just revenue and profits. Allis’ management philosophy is managing people's energy, not their time. At Avetta, that mission is ensuring every workplace is safe and sustainable. Allis focuses on specific initiatives that positively impact human lives, the environment and the supply chain.

To view Silicon Slopes Hall of Fame winners, visit https://newsroom.siliconslopes.com/hall-of-fame-award-winners-2022/.

Avetta serves 500+ enterprise companies and 125,000+ suppliers across 120+ countries. To learn more about Avetta, visit https://www.avetta.com/.

About Avetta
The Avetta contractor prequalification SaaS platform helps clients manage supply chain risk and their contractors to become more qualified for jobs. For hiring clients in our network, we offer the world’s largest supply chain multi-risk management network to manage contractor safety, sustainability, worker competency and performance, and business and financial risk. We perform contractor prequalification and worker competency management across major industries, all over the globe, including construction, energy, facilities, high tech, manufacturing, mining and telecom.

For contractors in our network, our audit and verification services help lower their safety incidents rate by 47%. As a result, nearly 50% of members find additional job opportunities within the first year of joining. In addition, our contractors receive privileged access to the Avetta Marketplace, where dozens of partners offer special discounts for business services like insurance and work gear. Avetta serves 500+ enterprise companies and 125,000+ contractors across 120+ countries.

Visit https://www.avetta.com/ for more information.

PR Contact:
SnappConner PR
Mark Fredrickson, +1 801-806-0161
[email protected]

Avetta
Kendra Lamer
[email protected]

As the unfortunate news of wide-scale underage worker exploitation has broken this week, many are shocked at the sheer scale of the issue. While typically thought to be associated with developing economies, underage labor issues have a long-standing history in developed economies as well. And these issues are growing exponentially as systemic ramifications from the pandemic continue to drive labor shortages.

This recent news is a sober reminder that while climate-related monitoring and goals have taken center stage in recent years, continued diligence around performance monitoring around social factors remains necessary.

But how could such egregious violations go unchecked, especially given the numerous Fortune 500 brands associated with this issue? Oftentimes, these violations lie hidden in the complexities of a company’s supply chain, where 70-90% of ESG impact metrics live across environmental, social, and governance factors, which include labor practices, EHS, business ethics, and working conditions.

With a 70% increase in underage labor since 2018, data shows this phenomenon is not relegated to specific industries or supplier types, but rather lies throughout supply chains with suppliers that may be outside a company’s traditional monitoring strategies or marked as lower tier risk historically.

With heightened scrutiny on labor practices and conditions, companies can expect additional reporting requirements and stronger enforcement measures of existing labor laws based on initial responses from federal agencies responsible for monitoring and penalizing labor violations.

But what can you do as a business leader to manage the changing dynamics of risks in this space?

• Recognize that when using and sourcing suppliers, there’s always a potential to import risk around underage labor.
• Review and refine your supplier code of conduct and get commitments in writing.
• Review your sourcing and procurement safeguards, consider expanding your list of Tier 1 suppliers to include a broader array of service types, and don’t' assume US-based companies are automatically lower risk.
• If purchasing through an agent, validate their sourcing procedures and consider cyclical audits.

Adding these simple controls can significantly reduce your exposure.

While an incredibly complex issue, there are tools and technology available to support your risk reduction and compliance efforts at scale. Avetta’s supply chain risk management experts are available to reassess your supply chain risk through an updated lens using the Avetta One platform. Utilizing our Potential Impact Evaluation methodology, we can provide supply chain risk strategy and ensure proper monitoring across an expanded view of risk by vertical, geography, and function.

Learn more here

Sources:

• California Transparency in Supply Chains Act https://oag.ca.gov/SB657
• CBP on Hoshine WRO https://www.cbp.gov/trade/programs-administration/forced-labor/hoshine-silicon-industry-co-ltd-withhold-release-order-frequently-asked-questions
• Child labor exploitation in the US https://www.yahoo.com/news/alone-exploited-migrant-children-brutal-172915245.html
• President Biden/US Federal Government Response https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/27/us/biden-child-labor.html
• USMCA Forced Labor Provision https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/files/agreements/FTA/USMCA/Text/23-Labor.pdf
• USTR on Tridonex https://www.cbp.gov/trade/programs-administration/forced-labor/hoshine-silicon-industry-co-ltd-withhold-release-order-frequently-asked-questions
• Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act https://www.cbp.gov/trade/forced-labor/UFLPA
• Withhold Release Orders/TariffAct of 1930 https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF11360