GEMI Annual Meeting: “Bridging ESG Expectations & Performance”

Scott Nadler, GEMI

GEMI held its annual membership meeting on November 10, 2022 in Washington, DC. Mark Johnson, Senior Vice President, Gannet Fleming and GEMI’s Chair welcomed the attendees and outlined the history and importance of GEMI highlighting that GEMI is celebrating it 30 years of commitment to Environment Health & Safety, Sustainability and ESG leadership. 

The theme for the meeting “Bridging the challenges of ESG expectations and performance” comes from the clear message that emerged from all the different GEMI Work Groups in 2022: Emerging Sustainability Leadership, Sustainability Disruption Project (SDP), Scope 3, Contaminated Plastics, and the Trade Association Sustainability Forum.

Underlying this theme was the realization that corporate and organizational ESG leadership increasingly requires leaders (current or aspiring) to master “3 C’s”: Commitments, Collaboration and Credibility.

  • Commitments for corporate/organizational performance, especially but not only carbon. For some companies/organizations, those commitments are coming due as soon as 2025, and there are significant challenges in meeting them.
  • Credibility, a clear recognition of the importance of honesty in setting and reaching corporate/organization sustainability goals for both internal and external audiences.
  • Collaboration both internally and externally to solve some of the biggest sustainability challenges and opportunities. Building relationships between traditional EHS and sustainability professionals within the same organization as well as other internal and external audiences.
Natalie Pryde, GEMI

GEMI leaders Steve Hellem, Scott Nadler and Natalie Pryde facilitated a series of interactive working sessions around each of the “3 C’s” that led to productive cross-industry peer discussions around shared, collective challenges related to managing ESG expectations and performance.

A thoughtful and insightful Keynote was presented by Mitch Jackson, Chief Sustainability Officer for FedEx, entitled “Accessing Sustainable Leadership.” Mitch spoke to key building blocks of practical sustainability, including performance, transparency, innovation and leadership, which he defined as strategic and transformational stewardship that adds tangible value in the effort to be more responsible. He discussed the need for sustainability leaders to avoid “pinball leadership” and instead enable the “license to optimize”, allowing creative energy to find new ways to change what’s possible”.

The annual meeting allowed GEMI members an opportunity to share with and learn from their peers in a focused, interactive setting while also providing important input to help shape future GEMI collaborative activities and objectives going into 2023.

If you would like to learn more about GEMI and opportunities for participation as a member, please contact Steve Hellem at shellem@navista.net

GEMI’s 2022 Activities

The members of GEMI would like to invite other corporate sustainability leaders to consider joining them as they work together collaboratively to turn their organization’s sustainability and ESG ambitions into reality.

GEMI’s agenda of activities for this year are addressing five strategic priorities that have been identified by our members that include:


Strategic Priorities for GEMI

Sustainable Disruptions

Identifying, understanding and developing strategies to prepare for a range of anticipated and unknown future disruptions that may challenge short to mid-term business and sustainability goals.

Learn More.


Scope 3 Emissions

Preparing companies for actions required to engage with and collect actionable data from their value chains to inform and drive reductions in CO2, improve sustainability, and promote collaborative ESG activities..

Learn More.


Emerging Sustainability Leadership

Providing a safe space for experienced and emerging corporate sustainability leaders to prepare for increasing pressures that they are facing as they lead their sustainable businesses into the future.

Learn More.


Contaminated Plastics

Fostering dialogue on contaminated plastic waste challenges and advancing business driven solutions to achieve sustainable management of plastics across the life cycle, including logistic challenges and opportunities.

Learn More.


SEC Disclosure Preparation

Identifying, understanding and developing strategies to prepare for an increased level of regulatory disclosure and scrutiny of ESG risks and opportunities, especially focused on climate change.

Learn More.


GEMI invites corporate sustainability leaders from across industries to join us in our mission to create collaborative sustainability solutions for business. To learn more about opportunities for participation in GEMI activities as a corporate member or project participant, please contact Steve Hellem at shellem@navista.net

GEMI Scope 3 Forum December 2021 Webinar

The capacity to measure, manage and scale solutions enabling positive sustainability impacts across the value chain is increasingly critical for business sustainability leaders striving to proactively drive science-based emission reduction initiatives and transparently respond to growing stakeholder expectations related to Scope 3 emissions.

A variety of leading companies, and industry coalitions, are responding to this challenge and working to develop and scale distinct strategies to address challenges and opportunities related to value chain engagement, measurement and improvement. In this webinar, GEMI provide attendees with an opportunity to learn how some of the world’s leading supply chains are working to hit their Scope 3 carbon reduction targets.

Speakers

  • Mark Johnson, Senior Vice President, Director Private Sector Services, Gannett Fleming, GEMI Chair
  • Martin Chilcott, Chairman and CEO, Manufacture 2030
  • Kevin Butt, Senior Director Environmental Sustainability, Toyota Motor North America
  • Natalie Pryde, Director, Scope 3 Work Group, GEMI

If you have additional questions, comments or concerns please don’t hesitate to contact us.

GEMI’s Strategic Priorities

In early 2021, GEMI began a strategic planning process to ensure GEMI’s strategic direction for the next few years continues to be aligned with its members’ goals and needs, while navigating through what we can anticipate will be an increasingly complex and disruptive future.

As part of this process, GEMI conducted a series of phone interviews with member leaders regarding their current and emerging sustainability goals and needs, and conducted a workshop in March 2021 to collaboratively outline strategic priorities for GEMI over the next 3-5 years to address shared challenges and opportunities identified by GEMI’s member companies.

We are pleased to now share a summary of four of the strategic priorities identified through this process that GEMI and its member companies will be working together to address over the coming 3-5 years.


Strategic Priorities for GEMI (2021-2025)

Sustainable Disruption Project

Supporting corporate sustainability leaders in identifying, understanding and developing strategies to prepare for a range of anticipated and unknown future disruptions that may challenge short to mid-term business and sustainability goals, while creating new opportunities for leaders to position their organizations for greater resilience and success in the short and long-term.

Learn More.


Closing the Loop on Industrial Plastics

Bringing together key internal and external stakeholders to foster dialogue on contaminated plastic waste challenges and advance business driven solutions to achieve sustainable management of plastics across the life cycle, while creating value for stakeholders across the value chain.

Learn More.


Scope 3: Scaling Solutions / Positive Impacts to Value Chain (and Beyond)

Increasing transparency and understanding across industries of Scope 3 priorities, measurement and reporting methods, engagement strategies and challenges, and promoting collaborative cross-industry approaches to collectively scale meaningful solutions and drive positive impact across the value chain.

Learn More.


Emerging Sustainability Leadership

Providing a safe space for experienced and emerging corporate EH&S and Environmental Sustainability leaders to connect and learn from their peers, share experiences in managing and leading through ever increasing pressures facing sustainability leaders today, and develop capabilities required to lead sustainable business into the future.

Learn More.


GEMI invites corporate sustainability leaders from across industries to join us in our mission to create collaborative sustainability solutions for business. To learn more about opportunities for participation in GEMI activities as a corporate member or project participant, please contact Steve Hellem at shellem @ navista.net or Kellen Mahoney at kmahoney @ navista.net