2021 was a year when all companies had to regroup and rethink the way they did business. While some did not make it, many companies found ways to pivot and make their businesses stronger. The resilience we’ve witnessed has come with a renewed interest in delivering better business and in changing the status quo to the benefit of both people and planet.
Building upon the consistent and steadfast sustainability work we have done for nearly 40 years and navigating the pandemic to ensure that both our employees and our customers didn’t miss a beat, we’ve been able to sustain exceptional growth and forge deeper inroads into markets that were missing our science-based expertise and validation.
With the increased calls for greater corporate ESG transparency and accountability coming from the global investment world, we launched SCS Consulting, a dedicated team that is helping companies of all sizes determine and define their sustainability roadmap, navigate the numerous reporting protocols, and set goals that will drive exceptional, sustainable and climate-friendly business practices in the years to come.
This was also the year in which we released our groundbreaking Certified Sustainability Rated Standard for Diamonds, tackling decades of greenwashing and mistrust that have pervaded the industry and establishing a new template for sustainability standards going forward. We also put our own stamp on carbon neutral and zero waste standards, considerably expanding the range of covered products and claims, opening up opportunities for global organizations to successfully showcase the exceptional work they are doing and add depth to their ESG reporting.
In addition, we have accelerated our innovative efforts to address the looming climate crisis, duly noted at COP26, particularly in the wake of such problems as ongoing deforestation and the lack of methane and black carbon reduction. In fact, SCS believes this is the most important decade for climate action. What we do from now until 2030 will determine whether we avoid the most devastating effects of climate change. We will be sharing a lot more about these efforts this year, which will help organizations around the world to more effectively mitigate their Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, while simultaneously achieving significant gains in terms of regional environmental and human health issues.
We are working actively to build deeper partnerships with companies, NGOs, governmental agencies and other stakeholders in our quest to build a world that is cleaner, healthier and more inhabitable for future generations.