SAC Overview
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WHAT IS SAC?
The Stewardship Action Council (SAC) seeks to drive sustainable and socially responsible business practices and results through encouragement and recognition of accomplishments that extend beyond or exceed those attainable through normal compliance activities; and through the design and implementation of a performance based index, created by a coalition of multi based stakeholders including academics, state and federal government, NGOs, investment groups and industry representatives.
The Stewardship Action Council (SAC) seeks to drive sustainable and socially responsible business practices and results through encouragement and recognition of accomplishments that extend beyond or exceed those attainable through normal compliance activities; and through the design and implementation of a performance based index, created by a coalition of multi based stakeholders including academics, state and federal government, NGOs, investment groups and industry representatives.
WHAT DOES SAC DO?
Based at its core on the use of integrated management systems to identify, manage and reduce the risk of adverse impacts of their facility operations to the public, workers, and the environment, SAC seeks to both establish a basis for claims of sustainability and provide an incubator for advancing improved sustainable performance among its membership. SAC seeks to provide:
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A program for organizations to commit to, improve, and perpetuate their social/environmental performance, driving toward performance excellence.
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An active learning network, and mechanisms for the sharing of best practices.
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Critical contacts and collaborative opportunities with like-minded organizations across industry, academia, government, and non-government organizations to achieve measurable improvements to social, economic or environmental conditions.
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A coordinating group for state excellence and other related government programs.
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A performance based standard that drives sustainable delivery of products and services.
WHY IS SAC NEEDED?
A variety of organizations are addressing various aspects of sustainable practices.
There are organizations that establish:
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Standards for sustainability reporting
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Elements required for a functioning environmental management system
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Performance based standards for green buildings, and
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Learning networks around the challenges of sustainable development
However, many of the organizations:
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Focus only on a particular topic (reporting, buildings, environment)
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Limit those who may join
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Are cost-prohibitive, and
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Do not include performance based standards
WHAT’S MISSING?
A COLLABORATIVE INITIATIVE FOCUSED ON:
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The design and implementation of a SUSTAINABILITY STANDARD that lays out the elements of and path for achieving sustainable business practices
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Fostering a Learning Network
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Creating partnerships, and
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Improving performance over time
SAC MEMBERSHIP
1. Alliance Member
2. Participating Non-Industrial Member (Level 1)
3. Participating Industrial Member (Level 2, Level 3, Level 4)
Alliance Member - Alliance members category is open to states, academic institutions, social investment companies and environmental/social advocacy organizations. Note: Environmental and social advocacy involves both protecting people and the natural world. Advocates organize a group around a cause and work to implement changes that have a lasting and positive effect.
Participating Non-Industrial Member (Level 1) is for nonindustrial entities that wish to work to improve their social or environmental performance, and seek membership within SAC to assist them in these efforts.
Participating Industrial Member (Level 2 and Level 3) is the industrial/commercial category. Level 2 and Level 3 set goals and report their progress in meeting their goals. Levels 2 & 3 are facility based. Level 4 (which is currently being designed) will be corporate based.
Alliance Members and Participating Members will be identified on the SAC website. Participating Members will be listed by Level, along with the goals they have set and their annual progress and supporting information.
SAC retains the right to review member candidacy to ensure that membership is mutually beneficial for the entity SAC, and SAC's membership.
REASONS TO SUPPORT SAC
Why would industrial organizations like this?
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Provides program to drive development of EMS’s and introduce sustainability as a concept and process
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Provides mechanism to share company efforts to improve performance
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Creates opportunities for and encourages participation in collaborative efforts to address some of the organizations more pressing social or environmental issues that it can not adequately address alone
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Provides for participation in the collaborative development of a sustainability standard
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Creates an organization where the investment community, business community, NGO community and state governments can work together to accomplish common goals
Why would states like this?
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Networking with other states
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Networking with leading companies in their states
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Different costs at conference for states that participate vs. those that do not
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Limited resource demands
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Better communication and links to regulated communities
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Organization is an incubator for new initiatives and ideas
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Resource area of website open to state members only to share ideas
Why would academics like this?
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Research opportunities with the data
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Opportunity to engage students in real life exercise aimed at driving sustainable business practices
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Opportunity to have students network with leading companies
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Opportunity to help design and guide a program to drive CSR
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Resource area of website open to academics to share ideas
Why would NGOs like this?
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Opportunity to identify companies interested in working on issues of mutual interest (via interactive database with members)
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Opportunity to help design and implement program used by industry to direct and drive more sustainable business practices
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Opportunity to network with companies and facilities that have demonstrated commitment to improving their operations from a sustainability standpoint
Why would financial institutions like this?
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Demonstrates companies desiring to lead
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Provides additional information that can be used to assess company performance
American University
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