2023 was a momentous year for SCS. After nearly 40 years at the helm of SCS, founder and CEO Stanley Paul Rhodes passed away.
For Stan, protecting people and safeguarding the environment was always a personal passion and calling. He was a true pioneer in the field of sustainability, long before sustainability became a global industry imperative.
Working tirelessly over his career to advance environmental and social responsibility in both the private and public spheres, Stan took a scientific, no-nonsense approach. An accomplished Ph.D. organic chemist, Stan spearheaded numerous advancements to improve human health and safeguard the environment, including efforts to identify and mitigate hazards in industrial processes, innovations in the use of mass spectrometry to detect pesticide residues, and improved methodologies for conducting life cycle impact assessment, environmental disclosure, ecolabeling, and certification. Over the past decade, he led the development of new climate accounting protocols built on the foundation of the latest IPCC climate science.
His greatest legacy is SCS, founded in 1984. Over the past four decades, Stan built SCS into one of the world’s most prestigious third-party certification and standards development bodies, operating more than 120 programs. Through these efforts, he helped industry after industry demonstrate the enduring value of sustainability leadership and the triple bottom line. Stan was an inspiration to his staff, clients, and partners.
Stan would be pleased to know that SCS continues to thrive and grow in his absence. 2023 was our most successful year ever, and we remain fully committed to providing top-tier services to our clients. We grew from three to five divisions in 2023, with our new Climate and EBC (Energy, Biofuels and Circularity) divisions complementing our Natural Resources, Environmental Certification Services, and Food and Agriculture teams.
So far, 2024 is shaping up to be another banner year. Our exceptional management team and program administrators are well positioned to work with partners and clients to continue addressing the pressing issues of our day, with a shared vision of ensuring a safer, more sustainable future for this and future generations. We look forward to continuing to play a leadership role on several sustainability fronts – in climate accounting through our recently launched Global Heat Reduction Initiative, standards development, third-party certification, regulatory compliance, and innovation.