Organizations are increasingly invested in making a positive, lasting, and meaningful impact.
By reducing emissions, improving water security, enabling circularity, or elevating inclusion and diversity, top leaders understand the benefits of controlling sustainability risks and opportunities in ways that simultaneously create environmental, social, and economic value.
As one of the industry’s largest firms focused on natural and cultural resources, SWCA is uniquely qualified to help build science-based sustainability and resilience strategies, plans, programs, and initiatives that result in greater impact — impact that can be monitored, measured, reported, and communicated in ways that clearly demonstrate progress.
Our sustainability and management consulting team is honored to have a distinguished group of advisors assist them on issues of strategic importance. We have formalized this group as an Advisory Board, bringing together diverse experiences and insights from leaders in business, industry, academia, NGOs, and consulting.
Relevant Services
- Sustainability Strategy and Plans
- Risk/Opportunity Analyses
- Sustainable and Resilient Value Chains
- Business Case for Sustainability
- Nature-Positive Solutions
- Data, Disclosure, Reporting, and Strategic Communications
- Innovative Decarbonization, Water, Circularity, Cultural, and Social Initiatives
- Collective Action Facilitation
- Transactional and Operational Program Activation
Project Spotlights
2023
Sustainability Pays Off: Return on Sustainability Investment (ROSI) Methodology Makes the Business Case
For companies, investing in sustainability isn’t only about doing what’s right for the planet and people; it’s also about doing what’s right for their business and the bottom line.
When a company invests in sustainability strategies and practices, it can positively impact a range of areas, including customer loyalty, employee retention and productivity, innovation, media coverage, operational efficiency, risk management, sales and marketing, supplier relations, and stakeholder engagement. To identify, quantify, and monetize these particular benefits, enter the ROSI methodology.
2023
THE BUSINESS CASE FOR GREEN HYDROGEN
A recent project secured senior leadership support for a large green hydrogen project in the UK. Specifically, our analysis revealed significant financial upside for the project, including forecasted sales growth, fewer greenhouse gas taxes and the ability to secure government grants that could provide a sizable ROI for this global consumer products company. With the project now moving ahead the company is:
- Anticipating elimination of more than 25,000 metric tons of greenhouse gasses annually, representing an approximate 35% reduction in Scope 1 emissions across all their operations in the UK.
- Receiving public recognition for their leadership as the first among competitors to pursue decarbonization of thermal energy sources, planning this switch from natural gas to hydrogen made with renewable power.
2023
COLLECTIVE ACTION DRIVES RECOVERY OF A CHALLENGING WASTE STREAM
To address the complex challenges of plastic waste while maintaining consumer demands in an environmentally sustainable and socially responsible manner, we have helped form and facilitate the National Lubricant Container Recycling Coalition (NLCRC). This industry-led technical coalition of lubricant and packaging manufacturers drives solutions for post-consumer recovery and recycling of the industry’s packaging. NLCRC aims to establish a program in the United States that recovers and recycles plastic packaging used to transport lubricants for commercial and consumer use that, at a minimum, meets the definition of recyclable.
2023
Winds of Change: SWCA Assists Standing Rock Sioux Tribe with Environmental Services for Anpetu Wi Wind Farm
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is developing a 235-megawatt, 60-turbine wind farm named Anpetu Wi (“morning light”) to provide clean energy, independence, and sustainability for their community.
As part of their commitment to self-determination, the Tribe made history by creating their own public power authority, the Standing Rock Renewable Energy Power Authority (also known as SAGE), to own and operate all the energy production assets within the reservation.
After several years of planning, SAGE selected SWCA in the fall of 2021 to assess the potential environmental impacts associated with developing this large-scale wind project.
2022
Where the Water Goes: Planning Resilient Coastal Communities in North Carolina
Shaped by rivers, sounds, and the Atlantic Ocean, the coastal regions of North Carolina offer thousands of miles of scenic waterfront. Yet, due to the increasing impacts of climate change, these very waterways threaten the livelihood of a coastline dotted with historic towns and millions of residents. North Carolina launched its Resilient Coastal Communities Program (RCCP) in 2021 as a framework for counties and municipalities to prepare for coastal hazards through technical and financial support.