--- title: Setting the Standard for Sustainability - Quarterly Newsletter - Fall 2023 --- Let SCS Global Services guide you on your path to sustainability. Check out this quarter's newsletter to read about our latest news. | View in browser The Corporate Sustainability Panic Button Has Been Activated…Now What? For both private and public companies, 2023 could well be considered the year their sustainability panic button got activated. This is the year that everyone in the global supply chain has had to wake up and realize that it is no longer just large, publicly traded companies that are going to have to account for their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to keep investors happy. Recent pushes from both industry and new regional regulations are driving the reporting requirements down deep into the supply chain as Scope 3 emissions are beginning to be mandated to showcase climate impacts. In addition to the global regulations we discussed in our Spring 2023 newsletter, Big Pharma sent a strong message to its suppliers with a timeline for mandated greenhouse gas emissions reporting, and the EU Parliament and Council have now reached a provisional agreement on new rules for environmental product claims to combat greenwashing and improve consumer understanding, which is now being circulated for final approval by EU countries. We’ll report more on this development in our next newsletter. The EU Commission has also passed its new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) that will usher in a new GHG tariff within the next two years for specific industries, with other regions looking into similar tariffs to help reduce overall emissions by 2050. As we write this, California is in the final stages of a new Climate Accountability Package, three separate bills, SB 252, 253, and 261. Governor Newsom has already stated he will sign the first two bills (253 and 261) by October 14th. These bills, targeting U.S. companies to begin with, will require thousands of companies doing business in California to disclose their scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial risk information. Particularly for smaller companies that fall within the Scope 3 emissions of the world’s largest companies, there is a growing sense of urgency as many feel unprepared to meet the requirements and remain compliant over time. At SCS, we’ve been helping companies of all sizes account for their emissions, set science-based targets, verify, and assure their data and more for decades. Read on to learn more about some of the many ways SCS can support companies in navigating industry and regulatory calls for greener business, as well as additional services and educational opportunities from SCS leaders. CBAM: Support Services for Companies Impacted by the EU’s new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism For global companies producing iron and steel, aluminum, electricity, cement, hydrogen, and fertilizer products outside the European Union (EU), the new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will provide significant logistical, reporting, and financial challenges for importing into EU countries. The CBAM regulation is an import tariff with the transitional reporting phase beginning October 1, 2023, through December 31, 2025. During this initial phase, quarterly reporting of direct greenhouse gas emissions for all categories of products will be required, as well as indirect greenhouse gas emissions for electricity, fertilizers, and cement products. SCS can help your organization navigate the new regulations and provide the services needed to ensure that your company and products are in compliance. Learn More Big Pharma Supply Chain GHG Services On July 20, 2023, seven of the world’s pharmaceutical giants, including AstraZeneca, GSK, Novo Nordisk, Merck, Roche, Sanofi, and Samsung Biologics, published an open letter to their suppliers outlining new supply chain requirements to accelerate the transition to net zero in the healthcare sector. Beginning in 2025, suppliers will need to disclose emissions across all three scopes and commit to near-term targets through the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi). While GHG reporting may be new for some pharma suppliers. SCS offers a comprehensive range of services to assess, calculate and report on Scopes 1, 2 and 3 emissions, verify and assure sustainability report data, create successful sustainability reports using leading reporting frameworks including CDP, SASB, TFND, GRI and others, set science-based targets, implement water stewardship practices, and establish successful sustainability programs for internal and external supply chains. View Services Climate Learning Series: Learn How to Navigate New GHG Reporting Regulations, Set Science Based Targets, and More. SCS Consulting has launched a new series of webinars to help companies stay ahead of the rapidly changing regulatory landscape. These in-depth, 1-hour webinars are set up to educate corporate leaders on how to successfully comply with the new regulations and mandates with authentic, science-based reporting and target setting. Choose from the following webinars: Sustainability Reporting: The Evolution from Voluntary Frameworks to Regulated Standards Watch Replay Managing Your SBTi Engagement: From Setting a Target to Demonstrating Progress Register Understanding California SB 253 and SB 261, California’s Climate Disclosure Laws: Affecting companies over $500 Million in revenue doing business in California November 8, 2023 10 a.m. PT (1p.m. ET) Register Case Study: How Brazil’s Largest Coffee Cooperative Developed a World-Class Sustainability Program Cooxupé is the world’s largest coffee cooperative, with over 18,000 members, more than 97% of whom are small producers who make their living from family farming. The company is Brazil’s largest exporter of coffee in the global market, with 6.8 million bags of coffee beans produced in 2022 alone. Cooxupé identified the need to develop an internal program that could be benchmarked against established sustainability standards such as Starbucks C.A.F.E. Practices and Rainforest Alliance, so more farms could participate in them. In addition, Cooxupé wanted to go above and beyond these programs to help educate, establish farm-based protocols, provide technical assistance, and offer financial support to implement sustainable change in a way that had never been done before. To accomplish its goal, Cooxupé partnered with SCS to build out a new program, which is called Gerações (Generations). This new case study showcases their journey and results. Download Case Study in English, Spanish or Portuguese. Webinar: ISCC EU Certification: Understanding Biofuel Lifecycle GHG Emissions based on Real-world Audits Global demand for biofuels is continually increasing and at the same time, so are biofuel regulations. In particular, for biofuel producers, processors, and traders doing business in the EU, the expanding EU RED regulations will continue to mandate more in-depth auditing, reporting and certification, placing a greater compliance burden on companies. Join SCS’ Gustavo Bacchi, Business Development Director for Europe, and Miguel Ruiz, ISCC Responsible Biofuels Lead Auditor on Thursday, October 19, 2023, at 4:00 p.m. CET (10 a.m. ET, 7a.m. PT) for 30-minute EU RED II biofuels and ISCC EU certification update. It will address: Market drivers and recent developments. Explanation of the EU RED II methodology for GHG calculation at the different levels of the supply chain. Changes due to the EC implementing regulation 2022/996 (applicable as for 1st Jan 2024). Processing emissions: common non-conformities that are uncovered during ISCC EU audits. Supply Chain Requirements: Understanding Sustainability Declaration obligations and forwarding the information Register WEBINAR: How to Effectively Challenge Your Crisis Management and Food Defense Plan SCS recently announced that food industry veteran, Denise Webster, has joined the company in the Food and Agriculture team. Denise will oversee the food safety programs and join the executive leadership team as Vice President of Food Safety. She will be hosting a series of Food Safety webinars beginning on October 5th at 11:00 a.m. ET when she will be presenting on How to Effectively Challenge Your Crisis Management and Food Defense Plan. Denise will review the GFSI requirements and provide you with innovative ways to challenge your plans to not just meet compliance requirements but to exceed them. Register For Webinar Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly Program Now Includes SCS Recycled Content Certification for Electrical and Electronic Equipment Back in June, we announced that our new Recycled Content certification for the electrical and electronic equipment industries will qualify products for recognition under the Climate Pledge Friendly program on Amazon, helping shoppers find products that are more sustainable. Read full press release New Reports Aim to Help Fashion Industry Lower Its Carbon Footprint We recently announced that two reports commissioned by the UNFCCC’s Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action and prepared by SCS Global Services are now available online to support industry decarbonization. The first report, “Identifying Low Carbon Sources of Sheep Wool, Hair, Alpaca Fiber and Silk Fiber,” provides guidance to the textile and apparel industries for lowering the carbon footprint when sourcing animal-based fibers. The second report, “Identifying Low Carbon Sources of Man-Made Cellulosic Fibres (MMCF),” examined 14 separate LCA studies, and summarized the current best conclusions for low carbon sources of MMCF. Read full press release Meet with members of the SCS Global Services team at these upcoming events: Greenbuild International Conference & Expo September 26-29 \| Washington, DC Exhibiting (Booth #1158) Reach out to Timothy Whatley to schedule an onsite meeting at this event. XLIII Convención y EXPOATAM 2023 September 20-22 \| Veracruz, MX Attending Reach out to Jorge Ramirez to schedule an onsite meeting at this event.  Who Will Own the Forest September 26-28 \| Portland, OR Attending Reach out to Lindsey Mauldin to schedule an onsite meeting at this event. XVIII Reunión Técnica Nacional de Palma de Aceite 2023 September 27-29\| Bucaramanga, Colombia Attending Reach out to Berliot Bolaños to schedule an onsite meeting at this event. BRCGS Connect September 28-29 \| Austin, TX Exhibiting (Table #5) Reach out to Bernadette Goldstein to schedule an onsite meeting at this event. Seminario Agrícola Grepalma October 11-13 \| Antigua, Guatemala Exhibiting and Speaking Reach out to Berliot Bolaños to schedule an onsite meeting at this event. Sustainable Brands Oct 16-19 , San Diego, California Reach out Bonnie Holman to schedule an onsite meeting at this event. Global Produce & Floral Show October 19-21 \| Anaheim, CA Exhibiting (Booth #3637) Reach out to Kevin Warner to schedule an onsite meeting at this event. Supply Side West October 23-27 \| Las Vegas, NV Exhibiting (Booth #1431) Reach out to Nas Chaudhary to schedule an onsite meeting at this event. Renewable Natural Gas Conference December 11 – 14 \| Dana Point, CA Attending Reach out to Scott Coye-Huhn to schedule an onsite meeting at this event. More About SCS Today, our knowledgeable staff engages with the public, private, and civil society sectors in more than 100 service areas through our certification and consulting businesses, SCS Global Services and SCS Consulting. (SCS stands for Scientific Certification Systems). In addition, our not-for-profit standards development body, SCS Standards, oversees new standards development based on rigorous procedures. Our service areas span key sectors of the economy, from natural resource extraction and food and agricultural production to the manufacturing of business and consumer products, energy generation, and climate impacts. We are committed to continued innovation, applying advanced technologies and scientific principles as we audit, certify, educate and support our clients, all while developing new leadership standards to address current and emerging sustainability issues. 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