CAPSTONE PROJECT: HARVARD UNIVERSITY 

Global Beauty Brand INCREASING EMPLOYEE SUSTAINABILITY QUOTIENT 2019 

 

 

Prepared by: Kelly Burton, Harvard ALM Sustainability Candidate 2019 

Executive Sponsor: Suzie Smith, Head of Sustainability, Global Beauty Brand 

Advisor: William O’Brien, JD., Harvard University   

 

 

  

 

Executive Summary 3 

Introduction 4 Background and Motivation for this Project 4 Client Requirements 5 Opportunities & Risks 6 Key Stakeholders 6 Growing Sustainability from within 7 

Enhance Employee Wellbeing 9 Enhance Employee Productivity 11 Mitigate Reputational Risk 12 

Recommendations and Road Map 14 Rolling out this SAP - when strategy and urgency converge 14 

August 2019 14 September 2019 17 October 2019 18 November 2019 19 December 2019 19 January 2020 19 February 2020 and beyond 19 

Measuring Performance and Success 20 Benchmarking 20 Using the Maturity Scale 21 Figure 8 - GBBUSA Climate Catalyst Maturity Scale 22 Charter Change 22 Measure Change 23 Optimize Change 23 Continuous Review 24 

Cost Analysis 24 

Future Initiatives 25 

Conclusion 26 

Resources 28 

Resource I 31 Glossary of Terms 31 

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Resource II 33 Sustainability Week “Menu” 33 

Resource III 35 Application & Guidelines for Chartering an Employee Network Groups 35 

Resource IV 38 Sample Charter for forming ENGs 38 

ARTICLE I: NAME 38 ARTICLE II: MISSION 38 ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP 39 ARTICLE IV: STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS 39 

Resource V 41 Sample Application for ENG 41 

Resource VI 44 Sample Swag for Climate Catalyst Members - to encourage ‘nudge’ 44 

Resource VII 45 Calendar of Dates of Action 45 

Resource VIII 48 Taking the Pulse of GBBUSA on Climate Change 48 

Resource IX 50 Reorganization Recommendation to Support Engagement 50 

Resource X 51 Job Description for Chief CSR Officer 51 

Resource XI 53 Continuing and Executive Training Beyond Climate Leaders 53 

Appendix I 55 Financial Times Article on Global Climate Strike 55 

Appendix II 56 Forbes Article: The Danger Of Not Embracing ESG 56 

 

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Executive Summary “The next ten years will be nothing like the last ten.” - Daniel Schrag, director of 

the Center for the Environment at Harvard University.  1

 

Global Beauty Brand is a world leader in the beauty category and, according to a recent 

press release, its 

 

...dynamic culture provides its employees with entrepreneurial freedom and                 opportunities to drive transformation across its €26.9B business,               encompassing over 35 brands, around the globe. The company’s visionary                   teams are building leading edge technologies, launching highly personalized                 products, reimagining consumer experiences, and developing creative             solutions to reduce its environmental footprint.  2

 

With the Beauty for All (BFA) 2020 commitments, the group has launched incredible 

initiatives in sustainability in areas like product stewardship, water preservation and 

greenhouse gas reductions. As the brand prepares to further commit to sustainability for 

2030, this marks the perfect time to assess: do employees understand what climate change 

is? Do they see climate change as the ‘why’ to sustainability’s ‘how’? Are they fully engaged 

in Global Beauty Brand’s sustainable vision? And more importantly, do they feel prepared 

for the coming impacts of climate change; on their work and in their life?   

 

The American Psychological Association notes that many Americans think of climate 

change as “global, distant and difficult to understand” rather than as “local, prescient and 

actionable”. This Sustainability Action Plan (SAP) suggests taking the temperature of Global 3

Beauty Brand employees on climate change and creating a pathway to bridge corporate 

leadership in addressing sustainability and climate change knowledge to enhance 

employee wellbeing, productivity and ultimately the bottom line. 

 

1 Personal communication, Professor Schrag is a faculty advisor to the Harvard Climate Leaders Program, the author is a member. 2 Global Beauty Brand.com. (Aug. 5, 2019). “Global Beauty Brand Named To Fast Company’s 50 Best Workplaces For Innovators List.”  3 Clayton, S., Manning, C. M., Krygsman, K., & Speiser, M. (2017) 

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Introduction   

Background and Motivation for this Project 

More than a century ago, Jean LeClerc founded Global Beauty Brand with the creation the 

first harmless hair colorant. Global Beauty Brand has gone on to become the world’s 

largest cosmetics company operating brands such as Beauty Sleep, Love my Eyes, ABC 

Cosmetics and Pout, with subsidiaries in 68 countries and over 86,000 employees. In a 

beauty market that accelerated significantly in 2018, Global Beauty Brand marked its best 

year of growth since 2007, at +7.1% with sales exceeding 29 billion euro . 4

As an example of the Group’s commitment to sustainability, in 2018 Global Beauty Brand 

became the only company worldwide, out of 7,000 companies assessed, to receive a triple 

“A” ranking from the non-profit organization Carbon Disclosure Projects (CDP) for its 

commitment and results in each of the key areas for environmental protection and the 

fight against climate change, sustainable water management and the fight against 

deforestation.  5

Global Beauty Brand has always understood the value of employees and has worked to 

address their concerns and attend to their wellbeing. This dedication to building a more 

sustainable future led to recognition by the United Nations as a Global Compact Lead for 

Global Beauty Brand’s commitment to the Ten Principles for Responsible Business. Global 

Beauty Brand has made its commitment to sustainability known as the "Beauty for All" 

program (SFA). Part of that commitment includes a vision of the future that identifies, 

 

“...to really make a difference, we know that only transforming our company is not enough. Communicating more robustly on sustainability with our customers is also our responsibility.”  6

 

4 Global Beauty Brand 2018 Annual Report.  5 Ibid. 6 The words of CEO Jeanne Silver  

 4 

  

As part of that commitment, Global Beauty Brand understands the role of sustainability 

education is equally important across the ecosystem of stakeholders that includes not just 

customers, but suppliers, regulators and employees. This project stems from the concept 

that communicating robustly is essential for the health of the business as well as for the 

employees. Taking lead from the IPCC report, that states it is essential to “provide scientific 

information relevant for the global community to meet the challenge of climate change,”  7

this SAP proposes that communication needs to start with the employees. The IPCC report 

further stresses, “As well as the global scale… [we need to look] at variability and changes 

happening at a regional level.” With over 14,000 employees including 21 manufacturing 8

and distribution facilities spread across twelve states, it is essential to address that “climate 

change” means different things to different regions and therefore take the time to craft a 

proposal that addresses the diverse needs of all Global Beauty Brand USA (GBBUSA) 

employees.  

In order to increase the sustainability quotient of all GBBUSA staff, it might help to think 

about sustainability as the “how” (we deal with climate change). But in many cases the 

robust sustainability initiatives often overlook educating and communicating the “why”. For 

this reason, this SAP proposes that to increase employee engagement we must give all 

employees the knowledge and scientific basis of climate change (the why) to empower 

them to sustain.  

This project comes during the transition between Global Beauty Brand's 2020 goals and the 

launch of the new 2030 goals. It is the perfect opportunity to take stock on what has 

changed and how GBBUSA can meet the evolving sustainability landscape, with an eye to 

increasing employee participation in existing programming in Sustainability Week. Kelly 

Burton, Masters Candidate in Sustainability at Harvard University, has been invited to craft 

an SAP to increase the sustainability knowledge and engagement of Global Beauty Brand 

USA (GBBUSA) employees to enhance their wellbeing and productivity, mitigate risk under 

new ESG guidelines and to harness the power of a fully engaged army of climate leaders. 

 

Client Requirements 

7 IPPC.com. (n.d.) Working Group I The Physical Science Basis. https://www.ipcc.ch/working-group/wg1/ 8 Ibid. 

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This consulting project has two components: a macro and a micro plan. The macro plan, 

the SAP will provide a roadmap for ongoing sustainability engagement opportunities to 

become part of the culture. Recently, Global Beauty Brand was able to fully transition to a 

digital company, using a growth mindset and setting digital as the leading corporate 

strategy. The same transition is desired for sustainability - to seed it throughout the 

organization and make it part of ‘business as usual’. The timing for this SAP is perfect as it 

has the potential to be the leading GBBUSA strategy as they roll out 2030 goals. The micro 

plan aims to engage the GBBUSA’s 14,000 employees to take a measurable action during 

the annual Sustainability Week in November.  

Opportunities & Risks 

This SAP has the opportunity to create a pathway for deep employee engagement around 

climate change and sustainability, both in the US and globally. One of Global Beauty 

Brand’s main missions is to empower consumer-citizens to make sustainable consumption 

choices. Giving employees, who are at the frontline, the tools to lead the way is essential for 

ESG and for the well-being of the company. Therefore, as engaged employees create 

ripples of impact not only across the company but in their communities, this SAP has the 

potential to create far reaching impact. 

Risks include creating recommendations that are only applicable for a portion of the Global 

Beauty Brand Group or that exceed budget, or that this SAP will not be adopted or 

implemented. Inviting feedback from key stakeholders along the way was essential to help 

mitigate these risks. Human capital recruitment and retention are a significant cost, risks of 

not proceeding with the SAP include not being able to secure or retain the top talent 

required to maintain Global Beauty Brand’s leadership in the beauty sector. 

 

Key Stakeholders 

This project benefited from input from the Executive Sponsor, Suzie Smith,  

Head of CSR and Sustainability, GBBUSA and Matt Gloria, Chief Communications Officer, 

GBBUSA and as well as key stakeholders including:  

 

● Sam Binsmore, Head of Internal Communications, GBBUSA 

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● Shiréne d'Harcourt, Chef de projet CR, Sustainability Week (Global) 

● Steve Pinaldi, Global Beauty Brand Paris Green Team, GBBUSA 

● Dave Panjallo, AVP Facility Safety, GBBUSA  

● Marnie Williams, VP Fragrance and Hygiene Development, R&I, GBBUSA 

● Penny Varnou, AVP, Operations Communications, Global Beauty Brand Americas 

● Catherine Kuevas, AVP, Talent Acquisition, GBBUSA 

● Becky Maruso, VP Communications, Diversity & Inclusion, GBBUSA 

● Delia Hurt, Assistant Vice President, Diversity & Inclusion, GBBUSA 

● Danielle Puevas, Manager, Diversity & Inclusion, GBBUSA  

● Mandi Carciga, Internal Communications, GBBUSA 

● Bryan Johnstone, Director, Corporate Communications, GBBUSA,  

 

Information and insight was gathered from all stakeholders through interviews, meetings 

and calls. 

 

Growing Sustainability from within 

In 2017 there were fourteen climate and weather related events with losses exceeding $1 

billion each across the country (Figure 1a), four directly affecting regions where Global 

Beauty Brand conducts business (Figure 1b). As climate change, and specifically 9

climate-related weather events become more constant, engaging employees in climate 

training and Employee Network Groups (ENGs a.k.a. Think Tanks/Roundtables/Tribes) is 

key to ensuring their wellbeing, to increasing their engagement and productivity, and 

protecting GBBUSA from reputational risk. It is time to shift sustainability from something 

Global Beauty Brand does to something  

 

9 NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (2017) 

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Figure 1a- Billion dollar climate related events in 2017  

 

Figure 1b - Billion dollar climate related events in 2017 with Global Beauty Brand Facilities overlay 

 

the employees do. By integrating climate training across all GBBUSA teams, and 

empowering the workforce with ‘why’ BFA is important, it creates the opportunity to embed 

sustainability throughout the entire organization. This is reminiscent of the Global Beauty 

Brand Group transition and embracing of the digital transformation. It’s time to make 

sustainability part of Global Beauty Brand’s DNA (Figure 2). Giving employees climate 

training, we give them the tools to understand the complexity and regional differences that 

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climate-related weather events have on different communities across the country, and help 

to embrace the diversity of climate-related impacts. 

 

Figure 2- Rewriting the Global Beauty Brand DNA with sustainability embedded at every level  

Enhance Employee Wellbeing 

The American Psychological Association (APA) says the effects of climate change cannot be 

ignored,  

The tolls on our mental health are far reaching. They induce stress, depression, and anxiety; strain social and community relationships; and have been linked to increases in aggression, violence, and crime. It’s important for mental health.  10

Increasing the adoption of climate beneficial activities like using public transportation and 

clean energy is essential, but so is providing the employees the knowledge of the unlying 

scientific reasons behind climate change and the resulting health, economic, political, and 

environmental implications. In preparing this SAP, leaders from industry, including PepsiCo, 

Bank of America, Harvard and KIND were asked if they provide employees with specific 

training on climate change and all said no. They all provide between 1.5-2.5 hours of 

training on what the company is doing about climate (waste management strategies at 

PepsiCo., social good initiatives at KIND., etc.), but not why.  

10 Clayton, S., Manning, C. M., Krygsman, K., & Speiser, M. (2017) 

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According to the APA, “climate change is often perceived as global, distant and difficult to 

understand” (see Figure 3), yet this can be resolved by teaching the local effects of climate 

change. Additionally, climate change tends to be thought of as partisan whereas talking  

Figure 3- Clayton, S., Manning, C. M., Krygsman, K., & Speiser, M. (2017).  

about the health impacts can unite communities. Lastly, the fear and uncertainty of climate 

change can lead to psychological distance, which might lead to less engagement for climate 

related initiatives at work. This means that sustainability initiatives might not get the 

employee support they need. Training employees on climate change can bridge that 

psychological distance and improve their well being. Plus, knowledge leads to resiliency 

and resilient communities can create the physical and social infrastructure that makes 

them less susceptible to the negative effects of climate related events . It’s a virtuous 11

circle: incorporating climate training across the entire GBBUSA team (bridging the ‘why’ to 

the ‘how’) is an affordable solution that benefits employees, keeps them connected to 

sustainability initiatives, supports their overall wellbeing, and helps them help their 

communities - which ties into Global Beauty Brand’s mission to “communicating more 

robustly on sustainability with our customers” , all while embedding sustainability into the 12

Global Beauty Brand DNA.  

11 Ibid. 12 The words of CEO Jeanne Silver 

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Enhance Employee Productivity 

Training employees on climate is not only good for the well being of the employees, but 

gives them a baseline from which to create change. Encouraging employees to rally around 

themes and topics, whether they are called “Resource Groups”, “Think Tanks”, “Round 

Tables”, “Task Forces”, “Innovation Squads” or “Tribes” are an essential aspect of employee 

engagement. Outlined in his work, “Accelerate”, John Kotter outlines the purpose of 

external teams in creating the opportunity to accelerate change, 

 

“The existing structures and processes that together form an organization’s operating system need an additional element to address the challenges produced by mounting complexity and rapid change. The solution is a second operating system, devoted to the design and implementation of strategy, that uses an agile, networklike structure and a very different set of processes. The new operating system continually assesses the business, the industry, and the organization, and reacts with greater agility, speed, and creativity than the existing one. It complements rather than overburdens the traditional hierarchy, thus freeing the latter to do what it’s optimized to do,” (italics added).  13

 

Since launching the first Think Tank in 2012 (Women & Leadership in Operations), GBBUSA 

recognises the strategic and business need to create Employee Network Groups (ENGs). 

Not only do ENGs allow for agility, they provide the active team members to facilitate 

change without requiring further head count and additional hires (Figure 4). In addition to 

providing a pipeline for leadership development and increasing innovation, ENGs increase 

engagement.  

Organizations and teams with higher employee engagement and lower active 

disengagement perform at higher levels. Plus, engaged employees are healthier and stay 

longer: engaged employees make it a point to show up to work and do more work -- highly 

engaged business units realize a 41% reduction in absenteeism and a 17% increase in 

productivity; in high-turnover organizations, highly engaged business units achieve 24% 

less turnover. In low-turnover organizations, the gains are even more dramatic: Highly 

engaged business units achieve 59% less turnover. Plus, engaged employees are better 14

13 Kotter, J. (2012) 14 Harter, J. & Mann, A. (n.d.) 

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ambassadors when discussing the workplace outside of the office, which should result in 

higher Net Promoter Score (NPS) scores.  

 

Figure 4- The success of an ENG lies in its diversity, Kotter, J. (2012).  

Lastly, additional research from Gallop highlights, “organizations that are the best in 

engaging their employees achieve earnings-per-share growth that is more than four times 

that of their competitors,” showing engaged employees positively impact the bottom line.   15

 

In summary, this SAP recommends first train employees about climate (Climate Leaders); 

then seed sustainability ENG(s) (Climate Catalysts) so they can help embed sustainability in 

the GBBUSA DNA; and in the process, mitigate risk. 

 

Mitigate Reputational Risk 

 

In his annual letter to shareholders BlackRock’s Larry Fink sets the tone for business. 

Against the landscape of a new focus on ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance risk) 

his 2018 letter to shareholders was clear, 

  

To prosper over time, every company must not only deliver financial performance, but also show how it makes a positive contribution to society. Companies must benefit all of their stakeholders, including shareholders, 

15 Harter, J. (2018) 

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employees, customers, and the communities in which they operate. Without a sense of purpose, no company, either public or private, can achieve its full potential. (italics added) 16

 

It is against this shifting priority that makes employee engagement around values a 

business imperative. Already headlines have revealed the power of employees who call 

out employers on the ethical implications of business practices that do not resonate with 

the workforce. Recent instances of this include: Google workers pushed the company to 

reconsider a collaboration with the Chinese government; employee activation at Amazon 

around packaging; or most recently at Wayfair around ethics where an employee walk-out 

resulted in a five percent share price decline. In each case employee engagement (an 

aspect of governance) has shown itself to be an aspect of market-value risk.  

 

A desire for purpose is also witnessed regularly by Catherine Kueva, AVP Talent Acquisition, 

when speaking to potential campus recruits. “The issues they most want to learn about,” 

shared Kueva, “are how Global Beauty Brand is tackling both environmental issues and 

issues of social good.”    17

This SAP aims to give employees the tools to both understand climate related risk but also 

to understand the impact of the initiatives set by the Global Beauty Brand Group. As Matt 

Gloria, Chief Communications Officer, GBBUSA remarked, we need to view engaging 

employees around climate as “grounding the spark.” Not only does training staff directly 18

as Climate Leaders empower them to answer the tough questions about BFA but it gives 

them a chance to see clearly the BFA commitment and use that knowledge to answer how 

Global Beauty Brand is addressing climate change. Embedding climate training (Climate 

Leaders) throughout GBBUSA, then seeding sustainability ENG(s) (Climate Catalysts) shows 

that sustainability is integral to the GBBUSA DNA and will serve to support the wellbeing of 

employees, increase profitability by increasing employee engagement and, in the process, 

mitigate risk. Creating the capacity for knowledge also has the possibility to increase 

employee pride. As mentioned earlier,  

16 BlackRock, (2018).  17 Interview, Aug. 9, 2019 18 Interview, July 26, 2019 

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In 2018 Global Beauty Brand became the only company worldwide, out of 7,000 companies assessed, to receive a triple “A” ranking from the non-profit organization Carbon Disclosure Projects (CDP) for its commitment and results in each of the key areas for environmental protection and the fight against climate change, sustainable water management and the fight against deforestation.  19

Understanding the why of those metrics should increase employee pride and should result 

in higher Net Promoter Score (NPS) scores.  

Recommendations and Road Map 

Rolling out this SAP - when strategy and urgency converge 

August 2019 

Urgency: A July article in the Financial Times titled, “Find out what your company really 

thinks of climate change” (see Appendix I) heralds that the moment for companies to take 

action on climate is about to arrive. On September 20, workers everywhere are being called 

to join the Global Climate Strike (also known as the ‘school strikes’ or the ‘Friday strikes for 

Climate’), a sign of the widening unrest about climate change. Companies profiled in the 

article include GLS Ethical Bank, who has said it will close on September 20 so all employees 

can march “against the climate catastrophe” and Patagonia, which actively encourages 

employees to take part in environmental protests and “has a global policy of providing bail 

for workers arrested during such actions”.   20

The global climate strike serves as an opportunity to capitalise on the attention and passion 

generated by Greta Thunburg and the youth school strikes. According to the nonprofit 

website 350.org, this event is links climate change and transactionality. In the words of 

environmentalist Bill McKibbon,  

In the U.S., youth strikes, coordinated by Future Coalition, including national youth-led groups including Friday’s For Future USA, U.S. Youth Climate Strike, Sunrise Movement, Zero Hour, Earth Uprising, and Extinction Rebellion Youth. With adults backing youth, communities are building and strengthening a multigenerational, multiracial movement to make this day as impactful as 

19 Global Beauty Brand 2018 Annual Report. 20 Clark, P. (2019) 

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possible. For the first time since the youth climate strike movement began, adults will strike alongside young people to show support and solidarity.  21

(italics added) 

 

Figure 5 - Some companies are urging employees to join the Global Climate Strike on September 20, 2019 

The weeks leading up to the global climate strike serve as the ideal opportunity to roll out 

the first aspects of this Sustainability Action Plan: 

1. Announce that GBBUSA employees are (about to become) Climate Catalysts and 

signal support for the strike by:  

○ Encouraging employees to participate in the march as part of Volunteer Day - 

offer the opportunity to log the time at the strike as volunteer hours. 

○ If employees cannot join or there is no planned action in their regions, 

remind them to support the strikes with donations to Greenpeace, which 

GBBUSA will match through Your Cause (Figure 6). 

2. Announce Climate Leader training for all GBBUSA employees. 

3. Open call for participation in the new Climate Catalyst ENG(s) (see Resource III-V)  

4. Order some Climate Catalyst swag - for the Sustainability Week winners, for the ENG 

members and for RE Day (see Resource VI). 

21 350.org. July 24, 2019. “Millions gear up to take part in September’s global climate strikes, week of escalation”. Retrieved from: https://350.org/press-release-usa-climate-strikes-1/ 

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Figure 6- In Support of the Global Climate Strike, point Your Cause to Greenpeace Intl. page  

Share the Vision: Both Kotter (2014) and McKenzie Mohr and Smith (2011) emphasize the 

importance of embedding language about sustainability in the mission, vision, and value 

statements of the organization. This communicates an authentic commitment to act 

sustainably in every decision and work activity. Kotter further suggests the first step to 

embedding sustainability in any organization is finding a committed sustainability 

champion at the highest level of management possible, as their attitude toward 

sustainability sets the tone and gives a mandate for change (2014). In this case, it could be 

Jeanne Silver, or if this is a GBBUSA announcement, Philamenia Rose.  

Again, if sustainability is the ‘how’ and climate change is the ‘why’ the wording needs to 

reflect the understanding of the long term effects of climate change. Having Jean Paul Agon 

or Frédéric Rozé restate the vision of BFA with a short, climate-focused addition will set the 

tone for GBBUSA’s commitment to its employees, suppliers and greater community who do 

or will experience the effects of climate change and signal the understanding of the long 

terms effects of climate change. Suggested modifications, in bold, include:  

Vision: 

To share the beauty of this planet for eternity. 

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Mission: 

Beauty for all, forever. 

Strategy: 

Global Beauty Brand has chosen a unique strategy: Universalisation. It means 

globalisation that captures, understands and respects differences, while preserving 

the planet. Differences in desires, needs and traditions. To offer tailor-made beauty, 

and meet the aspirations of consumers in every part of the world, while 

flourishing.*  22

September 2019 

Launch the ENG: Using the power of the people, Employee Network Groups can help drive 

sustainability knowledge, transition and action. As GBBUSA already has “Think Tanks”, the 

“Green Team”, “Out@”, “Quiet Leaders” and other such tribes (Figure 7), it is important to  

 

Figure 7 - The new ‘Tribes’ page being crafted by the Communication Team (July 2019) 

22 *Coined by MIT Professor John Ehrenfeld, who cautions we should look beyond ‘sustaining’. “Flourishing is driven by being and caring, as opposed to having and needing, rooted in the beauty of complexity and arguing for the transformative cultural shift that we can make based on our collective wisdom and lived experiences to leave the world in better shape for the next generation” (2013). 

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realize the benefit of affinity networks to the organisation in building the capacity for future 

leaders and in increasing employee engagement. Typically, employees coalesce in three 

types of configurations, there are: 

● groups that “are there to drive change” in the big picture  

● groups that “are there for people to come together and create a safe space to share 

their experiences,” and  

● groups that are there to use “a strength in numbers to help solve particular issues” 

While they can be organized and run in various different ways, ENGs usually 

encompass one, if not all three, of these missions in some way or another.  

Using the included materials including ENG Application and sample Charter (Resource III, IV, 

and V) ensure that a Climate Catalyst ENG is formed. 

It is expected that as the Climate Catalyst ENG develops and creates sub-groups, that the 

diversity of focus will create inclusiveness, enhance leadership capacity and increase 

engagement because, in the words of Delia Hurt, “each Think Tank has a purpose to 

influence the recruitment, retention and advancement of their respective population at 

Global Beauty Brand; and support and engage the Communities that we serve.”  23

Take the Pulse: Set benchmarking and include five new climate questions in the PULSE. 

(Resource VIII). 

October 2019 

All hands on deck for Sustainability Week: With the support of internal leaders and the 

Climate Catalyst ENG as well as specific input from current Dave’s Facilities Team, Steve’s 

Green Team, and the projects that Penny encounters (specifically the composting project in 

Little Rock) roll out Sustainability Week “Menu” (see Resource II). As the 2019 theme is 

around waste, organize efforts across teams, brands and facility locations to ‘mitigate 

waste’ and create opportunities to measure “diverted” (from landfill) waste, whether that’s 

from the clothing swap, the book sale, the office clean up, the amount that Little Rock 

composts in one week, etc. Use the month of October to imagine, share and track 

opportunities as teams across the organization. 

23 Email Correspondence, July 1, 2019. 

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Get ready to train: Identify team/core person to develop Climate Leader Training. Using 

the Climate Reality Leader framework (https://www.climaterealityproject.org/climate-101) 

and specific details from the Highlights of Climate Change Impacts in the USA Report 

(https://www.globalchange.gov/browse/reports/highlights-climate-change-impacts-united-s

tates-third-national-climate-assessment) decide which platform will be best to educate the 

entire 14,000 GBBUSA team on the scientific reasons for, and implications of, climate 

change (self-directed MOOC, webinar or train the trainer).  

November 2019 

Bring it home: During Sustainability Week, encourage employees to ‘Marie Kondo’ at 

home and use the tools/ideas from events in October to mitigate waste. Get employees to 

measure and weigh donated items in pounds (LBS) for entry on the app. Offer swag to the 

district, team, brand, etc. with the most ‘pounds diverted’. Have Steve Rinaldi and Dave 

Panjello oversee participation and response. 

December 2019 

Pilot the program: Once the Climate Leader training is ready, select the test group to pilot 

the training. Gather active feedback and rescore the five PULSE questions to see if the 

metric will work as planned. 

Roll it out: Work with HR and Senior Division heads on when to roll out Climate Leader 

training across GBBUSA, with a goal to complete by the end of Q1, 2020 - before new 2030 

initiative announcement in April.  

January 2020 

Set the date(s): Encourage Climate Catalyst ENG to use the Calendar of Dates of Action 

(Resource VI) to strategize educational or strategic events for the year and crafting an arc 

of focus that can also be tied to Citizen Day (June) and various times of the year to 

highlight Your Cause. 

February 2020 and beyond 

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And Repeat: Follow the Maturity Scale on page 20 to measure and optimize change - 

including finding pathways for Climate Catalysts to subdivide into streams for: education, 

advocacy, shared common values, etc. 

Think Big: Plan the inaugural RE Day, a day to celebrate resiliency across GBBUSA. 

Measuring Performance and Success 

Benchmarking 

Effective immediately, this SAP recommends taking the pulse of GBBUSA employees and 

adding five new questions to the annual Pulse survey, beginning September 2019. These 

questions are included in Resource VIII (Taking the Pulse of GBBUSA on Climate Change). The 

first question sets the benchmark for employees’ sense of corporate concern. The 

additional four questions are part of the ‘The Six Americas’ framework. Developed by the 

Yale Program on Climate Communication, this tool is being used by climate educators and 

communicators throughout the United States, including local, state, and national 

governments, academic institutions, environmental organizations, businesses, faith groups, 

doctors and scientists, and the media to measure the public’s “climate change beliefs,  

 

Figure 8 - The Six Americas benchmark as of December 2018 

 20 

  

attitudes, risk perceptions, motivations, values, policy preferences, behaviors, and 

underlying barriers to action.” (Figure 8). 24

Using this framework allows GBBUSA to both measure the internal attitudes and values 

and to also compare the responses against the rest of the country on an annual basis. 

Using the Maturity Scale 

A key component to making Global Beauty Brand resilient and ESG compliant is to increase 

the climate related knowledge of the employees. Building on the best practices of a 

maturity scale (Figure 9) it is essential to review the existing level of employee 

understanding of sustainability, develop a charter and key performance indicators to track 

progress, review against goals, optimize for change and continue. 

What this looks like in practical terms is: 

1. Initial Review: Include some questions in the annual Pulse survey, next opportunity 

September 2019, to set a benchmark for employee knowledge around sustainability 

and their engagement in the topic. 

2. Charter Change: Using the Global Climate Strike (09/20/2019) as the impetuous to 

launch.  

a. Announce new employee sustainability training program (Climate Leaders) 

b. Craft the charter for the new Climate Catalysts ENG 

3. Measure Change: Work closely with Executive Sponsor(s) on roll-out for 

Sustainability Week and capture metrics and engagement as benchmark. 

4. Optimize Change: Create pathways for ENG to subdivide into streams for: 

education, advocacy, shared common values, etc. 

5. Continuous Review 

24 Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. (2016) 

 21 

  

 

Figure 9 - GBBUSA Climate Catalyst Maturity Scale 

Initial Review 

Using the annual employee Pulse survey as the opportunity to pose five questions 

specifically related to employee knowledge and understanding of climate related issues 

(see Resource VII - Taking the Pulse of GBBUSA). This will create several pathways to fit into 

existing models of measurement. Primarily, since senior executive performance is already 

tied to achieving sustainability objectives, this will allow employee engagement to be 

included in that criteria. Secondly, when used in conjunction with the NPS scores, senior 

management teams will be able to assess if climate and sustainability knowledge is 

correlated to job satisfaction and the desire to recommend working at Global Beauty Brand 

to friends and family. Additionally, this data can be shared with investor relations as a KPI 

of employee engagement, reducing Global Beauty Brand’s risk. Lastly, these questions will 

stand as their own benchmark for success of this SAP. 

Charter Change 

Building on the existing successes of the various types of employees teams, such as Out 

@Global Beauty Brand, the Diversity and Inclusion Think Tank, the Green Team currently 

convening under Stephanie Rinaldi in Global Beauty Brand Paris USA, the west coast NYX 

Green Team, or the Quiet Leadership tribe under Matthew DiGirolamo, this SAP provides the 

optimal opportunity to standardize how employee groups get formed. Included in the 

Resource section of this SAP are: a standard process recommendation for creating all ENGs 

 22 

  

including the new Climate Catalysts (Resource III), a sample ENG application form (Resource 

V), a sample Charter (Resource IV) and a sample campaign calendar (Resource VI).  

Using the upcoming Global Climate Strike as the urgency to launch, this will also provide 

enough time to rally for Sustainability Week activation. The anticipated press and global 

coverage around this event provides the ideal opportunity to unveil GBBUSA-wide Climate 

Leader training. In the second instance, it provides an opportunity to explore the systems 

in place to support employees in climate crisis, for example the crisis management budget 

for extreme weather-related events as they affect employees and their families (such as 

zero-interest loans for evacuations, etc.) 

Measure Change 

Once the Climate Leader training is ready, select the test group to pilot the training. Gather 

active feedback and rescore the five PULSE questions to see if the metric will work as 

planned and continue year over year. 

Optimize Change 

As the Climate Catalyst Employee Network Group (ENG) gets established, working with the 

Head of CSR & Sustainability (Danielle Azoulay) the Climate Catalyst leadership team will be 

able to assess missing components to full engagement and adjust as necessary. For 

example, breaking into subgroups to address different areas of engagement, such as 

identity, education, advocacy, etc. The ENG can then set proposals for addressing these 

areas. In the case of identity, perhaps they will make sub-groups that map onto the 11 

SDGs the Global Beauty Brand Group has committed to. In the case of education, the ENG 

could be guided to create content to address education gaps or set a proposal for follow up 

education series to build on Climate Leader (see Resource VII for a suggested calendar of 

dates). The strength of ENGs in Global Beauty Brand is well documented,  

In an effort to support employees and foster an inclusive workforce and business, Global Beauty Brand USA has launched employee-led Think Tanks with a variety of tailored focuses, including the advancement of executive women; the recruitment and support of veterans reentering the workforce; employees with disabilities; and the advancement of LGTBQ initiatives and policies. To date, these Think Tanks have had a direct impact on the company’s policies.  25

25 Global Beauty Brand.com. (Aug. 5, 2019) 

 23 

  

So there is every reason to expect that the Climate Catalysts will thrive and foster inclusion, 

leadership and support.  

Lastly, for advocacy, the group could create an activist toolkit to roll out across GBBUSA and 

as a tool for other countries. This and other future initiatives are outlined below (page 24). 

In addition to increasing engagement and realizing the effects of a workforce that is 

engaged (greater productivity, higher retention rates, etc.), the cascade effects of effective 

seeding and growing of the ENG should be also seen in greater participation in Your Cause 

and Volunteer Day. 

Continuous Review 

When the 2030 goals are unveiled in April 2020, additional Pulse questions could be added 

to set a benchmark for measuring engagement against the new goals for the coming 

decade. An annual audit of participation and assessing goals against the charter should be 

undertaken jointly by the Head of CSR & Sustainability (Danielle Azoulay), a member of the 

ESG team and the Climate Catalyst Executive Sponsor. 

Cost Analysis 

According to the Association for Talent Development’s State of the Industry Report 2018, 

organizations spent $1,296 per employee and allocated 34.1 hours in training per year. This 

SAP suggests allocating: 

● $25,000-$50,000 ($1.79-$3.57 per GBBUSA employees) per year for Climate Leader 

Training Development (custom online program developed for GBBUSA) 

● $5,000-$15,000 to launch the Climate Catalyst ENG (based on existing Think Tank 

Budgets) 

● Allocating 5 questions in the Pulse Survey for benchmarking and success 

measurement  

● Assigning 2 hours per year per employee for Climate Leader Training 

● Allowing 2 hours per month for Climate Catalyst ENG activity 

● $10,000-$50,000 annual Climate Catalyst budget 

 24 

  

Total investment for SAP recommendations: $40,000-$115,000 and ~26 employee hours. 

Future Initiatives 

1. Tie Employee Sustainability Quotient to performance. Using the responses from 

Taking the Pulse of GBBUSA on Climate Change to measure growth in employee 

sustainability knowledge and engagement, this metric should also be tied to 

performance for Senior Management/Executive Committee. 

2. Organizational Change. Create the Corporate Responsibility Department, reporting 

directly to the CEO (see Resource VII) . Not only does it signal organizational 

prioritization of the division, but creates opportunities for expanded budgets and 

flexibility to match rapidly changing circumstances. In addition to having D&I, CSR 

and Philanthropy as direct reports, this office should also hire a Culture person (to 

oversee increasing the capacity of GBBUSA Climate Leaders) but also an ESG 

specialist to liaise with Investor Relations. The CR Department should also create an 

annual State of the Union Meeting for the Senior Leadership Team, and ensure that 

all initiatives are adequately shared on the Corporate website.  

3. Segment additional Climate Leader training by demographic (Gen Z, Millennial, 

etc.) and region to ensure ongoing engagement. This could entail updating resiliency 

training and seeking enhanced methods of engagement as part of Climate Leader 

Training 2.0. 

4. RE Day. Similar to the efforts to produce TEDx, RE day is a chance to celebrate 

Resilient Employees, like the Butterfly Garden in Dallas or the Composting Program 

in Little Rock (see Nicole Rannou for further details). Create a 1-day event to 

celebrate and share all the Climate Catalyst initiatives across GBBUSA.  

5. Develop GBBUSA Climate Support Program, which would include interest-free 

loans for weather related disasters and/or evacuation. Plus mental health support 

for post-traumatic stress in the form of telephone support or therapy. Ideally this 

would be extended to family benefits, especially children. 

6. Introduce Resilient Women and Girls as part of extending Climate Leaders to all 

GBBUSA Communities (an extension of BFA). Women, who in most cases are first 

responders in crisis’ or decision-makers at home, are more likely than men to be 

affected by the changing climate. Studies show that women and girls are 14 times 

 25 

  

more likely than men to die during a disaster and extreme weather events - these 

gender differences are directly linked to women’s economic and social rights.  So an 

additional way to Share Beauty With All is to extend Climate Leader Training with 

suppliers, distributors and the extended community, offering workshops on 

emergency preparedness, financial preparation, community activism, etc. 

7. Introduce Hand Printing. If footprints are the environmental and social impacts of 

the processes that sustain us, Handprints are changes to environmental and social 

impacts that we cause outside of our footprints. Developed by Harvard Professor 

Greg Norris and used by brands like Interface and Corning, the Handprinting.org 

desktop subscription allows GBBUSA to track the positive benefits created by 

climate-aware employees. It also allows employees to ‘refer’ friends and family to 

use the platform showing the enhanced footprint that their ongoing climate 

knowledge has engendered. See: https://handprinter.org/pages/home 

8. Encourage Executive/Extended climate education. Ensure that climate learning is 

part of the Leadership Training and Development options provided to employees. A 

sample list of online and local programs both at the executive and continuing 

education level are provided in Resource X - Educating Climate Leaders Beyond 

GBBUSA. 

9. Build an activist toolkit. One of the ways to truly activate change is to involve 

GBBUSA employees in local government and advocating for policy change. Building 

an activist toolkit will increase the capacity for GBBUSA employees and their 

communities to activate change.  

Conclusion 

It is clear by the many awards, accolades and robust stock returns that Global Beauty 

Brand is at the forefront of sustainable initiatives and employee inclusivity. However, the 

full cusp of climate change is only just beginning to have its impact and as the IPCC notes 

and as outlined in this Sustainability Action Plan, GBBUSA regions, facilities and employees 

will face climate reality differently. Climate change has the capacity to affect the wellbeing 

of employees, impact productivity and affect the bottom line. This is why is it essential to 

equip all employees with the scientific background and basis for climate change - to make 

them Climate Leaders. It will help build resiliency of the workforce and help them help their 

 26 

  

families and communities. As the company transitions towards 2030 goals, let’s train, 

engage and empower the employees to join the journey. 

 27 

  

Resources 

Amabile, T., & Kramer, S. (2011). The progress principle : Using small wins to ignite joy, 

engagement, and creativity at work. Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business Review Press. 

Arruza, E. (May 8, 2018). “Harvard scientist: Climate change may be worse than we think.” 

Wttw.com. Retrieved from: 

https://news.wttw.com/2018/05/08/harvard-scientist-climate-change-may-be-worse-

we-think 

Association for Talent Development. (2018). State of the Industry Report. PDF. Retreived from 

https://www.td.org/research-reports/2018-state-of-the-industry 

Fink, L. (2018). “Larry Fink’s 2018 Letter to CEOs: A Sense of Purpose.” BlackRock.com. 

Retrieved from: https://www.blackrock.com/corporate/ 

investor-relations/2018-larry-fink-ceo-letter. 

Clark, P. (July 8, 2019). “Find out what your company really thinks of climate change.” 

Financial Times, page 18. 

Clayton, S., Manning, C. M., Krygsman, K., & Speiser, M. (2017). Mental health and our 

changing climate: impacts, implications, and guidance. Washington, D.C.: American 

Psychological Association, and ecoAmerica. PDF. Retrieved from: 

https://www.apa.org/images/mental-health-climate_tcm7-215704.pdf 

Doppelt, B. (2010). Leading change toward sustainability : A change-management guide for 

business, government and civil society (Updated 2nd ed.). Sheffield, England: 

Greenleaf. 

Ehrenfeld, J., & Hoffman, A. (2013). Flourishing : A frank conversation about sustainability. 

Stanford, California: Stanford Business Books, an imprint of Stanford University 

Press. 

Goldberg, Matthew H, Van der Linden, Sander, Maibach, Edward, & Leiserowitz, Anthony. 

(2019). Discussing global warming leads to greater acceptance of climate science. 

PNAS. 116 (30), 14804-14805. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1906589116. 

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Harter, J. (2018). “Employee engagement on the rise in the U.S.” Gallop.com. Retrieved 

from: 

https://news.gallup.com/poll/241649/employee-engagement-rise.aspx?utm_source=

link_wwwv9&utm_campaign=item_245786&utm_medium=copy 

Harter, J. & Mann, A. (n.d.) “The Right Culture: Not Just About Employee Satisfaction”. 

Gallop.com. Retrieved from: 

https://www.gallup.com/workplace/231602/right-culture-not-employee-satisfaction.

aspx 

Humes, E. (2011). Force of nature : The unlikely story of Wal-Mart's green revolution(1st ed.). 

New York: HarperBusiness. 

IPPC.com. (n.d.) “Working group I the physical science basis”. Retrieved from: 

https://www.ipcc.ch/working-group/wg1/ 

Kotter, J. (1996). Leading change. Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business School Press. 

Kotter, J. (2012). ACCELERATE! Harvard Business Review, 90(11), 44-58. Retrieved from: 

https://hbr.org/2012/11/accelerate 

Kotter, J. (2014). Accelerate : Building strategic agility for a faster-moving world. Boston, 

Massachusetts: Harvard Business Review Press. 

Kotter, J., & Rathgeber, H. (2016). Our iceberg is melting : Changing and succeeding under any 

conditions. New York: Penguin US. 

Global Beauty Brand.com. (Aug. 5, 2019). “Global Beauty Brand named one of Fast 

Company’s 50 best workplaces for innovators list.” Retrieved from: 

https://www.GBBUSA.com/media/press-releases/2019/july/fastco50best 

McKenzie-Mohr, D. (2011). Fostering sustainable behavior : An introduction to 

community-based social marketing (3rd ed.). Gabriola Island, BC: New Society. 

Melillo, J., Richmond, T., & Yohe, G., Eds. (2014). Highlights of climate change impacts in the 

United States: The third national climate assessment. U.S. global change research 

 29 

  

program. PDF. Retrieved from: 

https://www.globalchange.gov/browse/reports/highlights-climate-change-impacts-u

nited-states-third-national-climate-assessment 

Mohrman, S., O'Toole, J., & Lawler, E. (2015). Corporate stewardship : Achieving sustainable 

effectiveness. Sheffield, UK: Greenleaf.  

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). (2019). “U.S. Billion-Dollar 

Weather and Climate Disasters”. Website: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/ 

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. (2016). Global Warming’s Six Americas. 

Retrieved from: 

https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/about/projects/global-warmings-six-america

s/ 

The Yale Program on Climate Change. (n.d.) The six Americas super short survey (SASSY) group 

scoring tool. Retrieved from: 

https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/sassy/ 

 

 

**Source for Resource III-V, ENG guidelines, adapted from similar guidelines used by 

NASA. Retrieved from: 

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/erg_guidance_7-17-13.pdf 

 

 30 

  

Resource I 

Glossary of Terms 

Citizen Day - The day of service, when GBBUSA employees join together to volunteer in the 

community. 

Climate Leader - The term an employee gets when they have completed the new 

company-wide climate training program. 

Climate Catalyst(s) - the term Communications uses to describe the team members who 

are certified as Climate Leaders and/or members of the climate-related employees 

network groups (ENGs) 

ENG -  Employee Network Groups are grassroots groups formed by employees and help 

GBBUSA grow stronger by providing teammates opportunities to connect with each 

other, develop leadership skills, build strong ties with the communities we serve 

and bring lasting value to our business strategies. Sometimes referred to as 

“Tribes” or “Think Tanks”, ENGs are established by submission and approval of an 

Employee Network Group Charter Application by the Office of Diversity and 

Inclusion and/or the Office of Sustainability. 

ESG -  Environmental, social and governance criteria are a set of standards for a 

company’s operations that investors use to screen potential investments. 

Environmental criteria consider how a company performs as a steward of nature. 

Social criteria examine how it manages relationships with employees, suppliers, 

customers, and the communities where it operates. Governance deals with a 

company’s leadership, executive pay, etc. 

RE Day - Similar to GBBUSA’s TEDx, RE Day (fashioned after WE Day- the youth 

empowerment event ) is a chance to celebrate Resilient Employees. Features 

highlighting specific Resilient Efforts like the North Little Rock Composting Program. 

Resilience: The ability of a person (or a community) to function in the face of adversity, to 

survive, and, perhaps, even to thrive.  

 31 

  

Resilient Women and Girls Program - Extended Outreach program for US Communities 

where GBBUSA operates to provide the tools for climate resiliency. This can be 

shared in a series of workshops to build: 

● Knowledge - on climate change and how it impacts extreme weather events, 

our public health (i.e. asthma, Zika and pregnancy risks, heat stroke, etc.) 

including mental health, and how to cope with these shocks & stressors 

through mindfulness and other techniques. 

● Preparedness - emergency preparedness for extreme weather events (i.e. 

heat waves, hurricanes) and also earn the basics of personal finance and how 

to plan a household budget ahead of these events. 

● Citizen skills - share how government works at city, state and federal level, 

and the importance of civic engagement so participants know their rights 

and civic duties. 

● Leadership - Leadership skills workshop to empower the next generation of 

leaders.  

 

 32 

  

Resource II 

Sustainability Week “Menu” 

By 2020, Global Beauty Brand will have reduced the waste generated by its plants 

and distribution centres by 60%, compared to 2005. - BFA 

The theme for the 2019 Sustainability Week is Waste. The metric is pounds (LBS). 

Where Marie Kondo meets Zero Waste, here are some suggested events that could be 

organized during October to a) Create new homes for items no longer desired (one 

person’s trash is another’s treasure) and b) to find ways to mitigate waste to landfill. 

Suggested events: 

Clothing Swap: Following the “bring 1, take 1” rules, invite participants to gather their swap 

items, with the caution, “don’t contribute anything you wouldn’t give to a close friend.” And 

be sure to remind them to only bring in clean items. Gather items for a week before the 

scheduled event - give one ticket for each piece received. On the day of the event, weigh 

the donations (** this must be entered on the app during Sustainability Week), curate the 

donations and organize items (by size, color, or style) and evenly distribute around the 

event space. Host the Swap for 1-2 hours, over the lunch hour, and let people browse and 

‘shop’ for the amount of clothing they have tickets for. At the end, arrange to donate 

clothing to local charity or textile recycling plant.  

Hint: to increase weight, you can also take clean home textiles like sheets and towels, and 

add them to the final donation. All (clean) textiles are recyclable (even the sock with a hole 

in it), so this is a great opportunity to divert textile waste. 

Book Swap: Like the clothing swap above, you can decide if you will limit the swap as “1 for 

1” or simply call for donations for the week(s) leading up to the swap and let everyone and 

anyone participate. Two points to remember: curate in a way that will make sense to the 

swappers, i.e. fiction/nonfiction, hard cover/soft cover, magazines, etc. and on the day of 

the event, weigh the donations (** this must be entered on the app during Sustainability 

Week). At the end of the day arrange to donate the books to local charity, library, homeless 

shelter or local school. 

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EWaste Collection: For New York, if you collect more than 50 units (laptops, cell phones, 

etc.) not only will you be diverting from landfill, but you can also raise money for a charity 

of your choice (to go towards Your Cause). Get more details here: 

https://electronicreusingassociation.us/electronic-waste-fundraiser/.  

For locations outside of New York search “ewaste donation”. Don’t forget: on the day of the 

event, weigh the donations (** this must be entered on the app during Sustainability 

Week).  

Office/Facility Cleanup: Everyone has things they can let go off. Maybe your event 

involves a cleanup, with items from coffee cups, to scrap paper all finding a new home. For 

inspiration, please reach out to Deborah Pangallo. And don’t forget: on the day of the 

event, weigh the donations (** this must be entered on the app during Sustainability 

Week).  

 

 

 

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Resource III 

Application & Guidelines for Chartering an Employee Network Groups 

Employee Network Groups (ENGs) are grassroots groups formed by employees and help 

GBBUSA grow stronger by providing teammates opportunities to connect with each other, 

develop leadership skills, build strong ties with the communities we serve and bring lasting 

value to our business strategies. ENGs are established by submission and approval of an 

Employee Network Group Charter Application by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion 

and/or the Office of Sustainability. 

 

Please use the guided questions below to create your Employee Network Group’s Charter, 

which should be attached to the ENG application. The purpose of the charter is to outline 

the structure, goals, and guidelines of the group. The attached ENG Charter template 

provides required language to be incorporated in each ENG’s charter. 

 

Mission Statement: What is the mission of your group? What is the ENG’s purpose? What 

values motivate that effort? What opportunities or needs exist that your group can 

address? How does the ENG’s mission serve GBBUSA’s mission? Your mission statement 

should be no more than five sentences long. 

 

Organizational Structure: What positions of leadership exist in your group? What are the 

responsibilities of the people in those positions? How does your group conduct elections 

and choose new leadership? How does it handle the transition between leadership? How 

does the group ensure that institutional memory is retained within your ENG? Please do not 

list the names of individuals in this section. 

 

 35 

  

Meetings and Events: How often will your group hold meetings and what will be the 

purpose of the meetings? What events will your group organize? What activities will you 

engage in? 

Membership: Open to all GBBUSA employees. How does one become a member of your 

group? 

Champion: To bring heightened awareness of the ENG and to provide advice and ideas 

about effective leadership within the context of GBBUSA’s culture, an ENG Champion is 

required for each ENG. The Champion will be a senior executive who supports an ENG. The 

Champion will hold a group accountable to add value and contribute to the Group. The 

Champion acts as an advocate at leadership and management meetings. The Champion is 

also expected to learn about the constituency’s issues and concerns and to share that 

information with other executives. If you cannot find a Champion visit the Office of 

Diversity & Inclusion and/or the Office of Sustainability to ask for recommendations. 

Miscellaneous: Not everything an ENG does will fit neatly into the above headings. Other 

sections can be added that help explain a particular ENG, but will require approval from the 

Office of Diversity and Inclusion and/or the Office of Sustainability. 

APPLICATION 

To be recognized formally as a GBBUSA Employee Network Group, each individual ENG 

must complete and submit an ENG Charter Application. If accepted as an ENG, a 

representative of the ENG Leadership Team will be required to attend ENG Leadership 

Training provided by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and/or the Office of Sustainability. 

The ENG shall be considered established only after the Head of the Office of Diversity and 

Inclusion and/or the Office of Sustainability has approved the application. The Head will 

notify the ENG of GBBUSA’s final decision. If approved, the ENG has the responsibility of 

maintaining contact with the Office of Diversity and/or the Office of Sustainability and 

notifying the office of all group activities and initiatives. Reporting requirements will be 

issued to the ENG upon its establishment.  

 36 

  

Please complete and submit the Employee Network Group Charter Application ( Resource 

II) along with the completed application (Resource III) to the Office of Diversity & Inclusion 

and/or the Office of Sustainability.  

 

   

 37 

  

Resource IV 

Sample Charter for forming ENGs 

PREAMBLE   

Employee Network Groups (ENGs) are grassroots groups formed by employees and help 

GBBUSA grow stronger by providing teammates opportunities to connect with each other, 

develop leadership skills, build strong ties with the communities we serve and bring lasting 

value to our business strategies. ENGs are established by submission and approval of an 

Employee Network Group Charter Application by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion 

and/or the Office of Sustainability. 

 

GBBUSA’s diversity and inclusion and sustainability goals include: (1) Support participation 

in _______________________ (ENG name) and provide ____________________________ (organizer) 

with access to agency senior leadership to share beauty with all. 

ARTICLE I: NAME 

1.1 NAME 

This organization shall be known as the [INSERT NAME OF EMPLOYEE NETWORK GROUP]. 

ARTICLE II: MISSION 

2.1 MISSION 

The Mission of the ___________________ENG is to be a strategic partner with GBBUSA to 

promote a culture of D&I and Sustainability through continual learning. The 

___________________ ENG will advance the understanding and inclusion of employees with a 

common background, set of interests and/or goals and deeper sustainability knowledge. 

The vision, mission, goals, policies and activities of ________________________________ are fully 

aligned with those of GBBUSA’S mission, goals, and policies. 

 

 38 

  

The ________________________ ENG will be a valuable mechanism to: (1) build a culture that 

fosters innovation; (2) offer employees access to leadership opportunities; (3) establish 

programs and activities aligned with the mission of GBBUSA; (4) provide employees 

opportunities to develop and grow, and for managers to access innovative concepts and 

unique solutions to challenges faced by GBBUSA. 

[ENG adds its own mission statement, reflecting the purpose of the group, the work it 

intends to achieve, and/or the principles or beliefs that guide the ENG’s work. The 

statement should be limited to a paragraph.] 

 

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP 

3.1 ELIGIBILITY 

Membership in the ENG is available to all GBBUSA employees. The ENG shall record names 

and locations of all members. All members are eligible to chair committees, become 

candidates for elected office, and vote in ENG elections. 

 

ARTICLE IV: STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS 

4.1: LEADERSHIP, ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES  

The Group shall have an Employee Leader. This individual shall: 

1. Schedule and organize meetings; 

2. Work closely with the ENG Champion. 

3. Officially represent the ENG within GBBUSA. 

4.2: Terms of Office 

There are no limitations on the number of terms of office an individual may hold. 

 

 39 

  

4. 3: Additional Officers 

The employee leader may appoint additional officers as necessary. 

4.4: Nomination and Election of the Employee Leader 

Section 1: Election Meeting 

Elections shall be held. In the case of a resignation of the employee leader from office, a 

special election meeting may be held to fill the post until the end of the current term. 

5.1 MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS 

There shall be regular meetings of the ENG on a date and place to be designated by the 

Employee Leader. This meeting shall be held at a specified location and announced to 

members of the ENG. The ENG shall send a notice of each regular meeting to each 

member of the ENG.  

 

 

 

 

 40 

  

Resource V 

Sample Application for ENG 

Below are questions to be answered by the individual Employee Network Group to be 

accompanied by its charter when submitting to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and/or 

the Office of Sustainability. All Employee Network Groups must submit an application for 

review and approval for formal recognition of the Employee Network Group. Please submit 

questions or a completed application to the appropriate office.   

Name of Employee Network Group: _______________________________________________________ 

Name of Employee Leader: ________________________________________________________ 

Title: _____________________________________________________________________________________ 

Department/Location: _______________________________________________________________ 

Phone: _____________________________ Email: ___________________________________________ 

Signature: _____________________________ Date: ____________________________________________ 

 

Name of Champion: _______________________________________________________________ 

Title: _____________________________________________________________________________________ 

Department/Location: _______________________________________________________________ 

Phone: _____________________________ Email: ___________________________________________ 

Signature: _____________________________ Date: ____________________________________________ 

 

What is the group’s purpose (500 words or less)? 

 

 41 

  

What is your Employee Network Group’s Mission Statement? (This can be the same as 

in your ENG Charter.) 

 

 

 

Please provide three examples of how your group’s mission and purpose serves the 

GBBUSA mission. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

Signatures of at least 10 GBBUSA employees who indicate they will join your 

Employee Network Group. Attach a list of any additional employees. 

 

Print Name  Title  Employee Signature 

1.     

2.     

3.     

4.     

5.     

6.     

7.     

8.     

9.     

10.     

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Please attach your Charter. Please describe your leadership structure and how they 

are elected, terms, and communication to the members at large. 

 

 

You will receive an answer within 21 days of submission. 

 

EMPLOYEE NETWORK GROUP CHARTER APPLICATION APPROVAL 

The application for _____________________________ Employee Network Group has been 

reviewed by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and/or the Office of Sustainability and 

forwarded with the following recommendation: 

 

 

 

Approve: ________________________ Disapprove:____________________________ 

Comments: 

 

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Resource VI 

Sample Swag for Climate Catalyst Members - to encourage ‘nudge’ 

Gallop shares, in “Employee Recognition: Low Cost, High Impact” that employees who do 

not feel adequately recognized are twice as likely to say they'll quit in the next year. In 

addition to the leadership skills and sense of belonging employees will get from being part 

of the Climate Catalyst ENG, another way to recognise their efforts (and promote the 

initiative) is through branded swag. Some suggested ideas:  

 

Cost: $5.10-$6.50 each.  

Sourced from: https://www.to-goware.com/category-bamboo-utensil-sets-247 

 

Cost: $4.62-$4.11 each.  

Sourced from: 

https://www.ethicalswag.com/si/701424441/mjkqg-ifiof/100-recycled-notebook-with-soy-based-ink 

 44 

  

Resource VII 

Calendar of Dates of Action  

 

Month  Day  Opportunity  Links to  Resource 

January 24 

International Day of Education 

Volunteer Day: Focus on local school needs  Your Cause: Book sale in support of Unicef  

Sharing climate knowledge with all and SDG 4  

https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/educationday 

February 11 

International Day of Women and Girls in Science  

Shapers: Call initiatives that are related to sustainability from women-led teams 

Diversity & Inclusion and SDG 9 

http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/international-day-of-women-and-girls-in-science  

February 20 

World Day of Social Justice 

Education: Create a campaign around social justice (at home or abroad)  Your Cause: Call for donations to support campaign 

Activism, Diversity & Inclusion and SDG 5, 10 and 16 

https://www.un.org/en/events/socialjusticeday/ 

March 3  World Wildlife Day 

Education: The effect of climate on biodiversity 

Environment: the importance of biodiversity and SDG 14 and 15 

https://www.un.org/en/events/wildlifeday/resources.shtml 

March 8  International Women’s Day 

Support: OneinThree and Women4Climate Your Cause: https://www.wagggs.org/en/ 

Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and SDG 4 and 5 

https://www.internationalwomensday.com 

March 22  World Water Day  Activism: Water is a  Environment:  https://www.un.

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Human Right Your Cause: Riverkeepers (local chapters) 

Water Scarcity due to Climate and SDG 6  

org/en/events/waterday/ 

April 22  Earth Day  Education: Campaign to help employees calculate their carbon footprint 

Environmental: Carbon awareness and SDG 13 

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg13 

April 22-28 

Fashion Revolution Week 

Education: Understanding the environmental and social impact of fashion purchasing decisions  

Environmental and Social goals: emissions, water and living wage and SDG 12 

https://www.fashionrevolution.org 

April  Arbor Day (date determined by the best tree planting times in each country/state) 

Volunteer Day: tree planting event  Your Cause: sell seedlings as fundraiser 

Environmental goals: Offsetting carbon 

https://www.arborday.org/celebrate/dates.cfm 

May (2nd Saturday)   

World Fair Trade Day 

Education: The 10 principles of fair trade and encourage purchasing Fair Trade certified for Mother’s Day 

Environmental and Social goals: low carbon footprint, fair wage 

https://wfto.com  

June 8  World Oceans Day 

Volunteer: Beach Clean up Activism: Action against single use plastic  

Environmental goals: Understanding ocean plastic and SDG 14 

https://www.worldoceansday.org 

July  #plasticfreeJuly  Activism: Pledge to reduce or eliminate single use plastic 

Environmental goals: Understanding the plastic and SDG 14 

https://www.plasticfreejuly.org 

Sept. 20  Global Climate  Activism: Support  Environmental:  https://globalcli

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Strike  young climate strikers in their call to action 

Carbon awareness and SDG 13 

matestrike.net 

Oct. 16  World Food Day  Activism: Food Drive for food Bank (focus on hunger) Your Cause: Healthy Bake Sale to raise money for food bank 

SDG 2  http://www.fao.org/world-food-day/theme/en/ 

Oct. 17   Ethics Day  Education: Invite Global Beauty Brand Ethics Correspondent (Catherine McNally) to co-plan event 

Social: Combating corruption and SDG 16 

https://globalethicsday.org/ 

Nov. 1  World Vegan Day  Education: teach the environmental impact of animal products  

Environmental: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/partnership/?p=2252 

https://www.vegansociety.com/take-action/campaigns/world-vegan-month 

Nov. 15  America Recycles Day 

Education: teach the benefits of recycling. Use #AmericaRecyclesDay to post on social media 

Environmental: reduce waste 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recycling_in_the_United_States 

Dec 10  Human Rights Day 

Activism: access to clean air and clean water is a vital human right. Your Cause: Call for holiday gifting to Environmental Causes in lieu of presents 

Diversity & Inclusion, and all SDGs 

https://www.un.org/en/events/humanrightsday/ 

 

 47 

  

Resource VIII 

Taking the Pulse of GBBUSA on Climate Change 

Americans hold a broad range of opinions about climate change. Global Warming’s Six 

Americas is an audience segmentation that distinguishes unique groups among the 

American public who perceive and respond to global warming in different ways. The groups 

range from the Alarmed, who are very concerned about global warming and support 

immediate political action to address it, to the Dismissive, who do not believe that the 

problem is real and thus oppose most climate policies. The Concerned, Cautious, 

Disengaged, and Doubtful are middle groups that differ in their beliefs and knowledge, risk 

perceptions, political engagement, and behaviors regarding the issue. 

 

Questions to add to Pulse 

1. How important is the issue of global warming to GBBUSA?

● Extremely important

● Very important

● Somewhat important

● Not too important

● Not at all important

2. How important is the issue of global warming to you personally?

● Extremely important

● Very important

● Somewhat important

● Not too important

● Not at all important

3. How worried are you about global warming?

● Very worried

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● Somewhat worried

● Not very worried

● Not at all worried

4. How much do you think global warming will harm you personally?

● A great deal

● A moderate amount

● Only a little

● Not at all

● Don’t know

5. How much do you think global warming will harm future generations of

people?

● A great deal

● A moderate amount

● Only a little

● Not at all

● Don’t know

Source: Questions 2-5 are part of The Yale Program on Climate Change. (n.d.) The Six 

Americas Super Short SurveY (SASSY) Group Scoring Tool. Retrieved from: 

https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/sassy/ 

 

 49 

  

Resource IX 

Reorganization Recommendation to Support Engagement 

 

Due to the large geographic region of the country and the growing impact of climate 

change on the business, the materiality of sustainability will continue to increase. To 

oversee this Sustainability Action Plan, the integration of data into ESG reporting and more 

it is suggested to follow best practices and place Corporate Responsibility as a separate 

department, similar to the corporate (Paris) structure, with subject matter experts in each 

of the categories and a direct line to the CEO. See sample job description for the Chief CSR 

Officer in Resource X. 

   

 50 

  

Resource X 

Job Description for Chief CSR Officer 

Summary 

The CCSRO is responsible for developing and coordinating plans and strategies for Company’s 

Sustainability Program. Duties and responsibilities include coordinating with internal 

departments, stakeholders and investors to implement, execute and enhance the sustainability 

development plan. This position will report to the CEO. 

Roles and Responsibilities 

● Implement organizational process or policy changes. ● ENsure sustainable organizational policies or practices are inline with Science Based 

Targets (SBTIs), SASB, TCFD and more. ● Research environmental sustainability issues, concerns, or stakeholder interests. ● Identify environmental concerns and regularly conduct materiality assessments and 

quarterly or biannual scenario planning. ● Develop methodologies to assess the viability or success of sustainability initiatives. ● Develop, or oversee the development of, marketing or outreach media for 

sustainability projects or events. ● Evaluate and approve proposals for sustainability projects, considering factors such 

as cost effectiveness, technical feasibility, SBTIs and integration with other initiatives. 

● Direct sustainability program operations to ensure compliance with environmental or governmental regulations. 

● Develop sustainability reports, presentations, or proposals for supplier, employee, academia, media, government, public interest, or other groups. 

● Review sustainability program objectives, progress, or status to ensure compliance with policies, standards, regulations, or laws. 

● Identify and evaluate pilot projects or programs to enhance the sustainability research agenda. 

● Identify opportunities for ESG enhancement.  Strategic Vision    

● Work with the Board and staff to create a strategic vision for the future of the organization that focuses on significant growth, increased impact and in harmony with science-based targets. 

● Advise the Board on achievement of strategic objectives.  

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● Set objectives for the Board and its committees and partner effectively with them to maximize their efforts and maintain a focus on the mission and vision  

 Requirements  A strong candidate for the position will possess and/or be able to demonstrate the following skills and abilities:  

● Solid foundation in the voracity and validity of science-based targets. ● Technical knowledge and extensive experience with relevant ESG standards and 

reporting frameworks, including CGP, GRI, SASB, TCFD, MSCI, DJSI and others. ● Possess significant financial acumen and the ability to set priorities decisively, 

delegate responsibilities, assure accountability and allocate resources to ensure results. 

● Experienced in collaborative strategic planning efforts, s/he will be excited to explore opportunities for increased impact and demonstrate a track record of thinking creatively to grow organizations. 

● Able to effectively articulate and convey Company’s mission and priorities, including ESG data to a wide range of stakeholders including investors, suppliers, distributors, government agencies, community partners, the Board of Directors and employees.  

● Track record of motivating, developing and retaining a strong team to achieve sustainability targets and impact through creativity and teamwork and leveraging individuals’ strengths to meet goals. 

● Graduate degree in Sustainability, Environmental Management, Climate Science or similar required. 

 

 52 

  

Resource XI 

Continuing and Executive Training Beyond Climate Leaders  

Programs that should be shared with leaders across the organization to further enhance 

their knowledge and capacity to lead in changing times: 

Fashion Institute of Technology -Sustainable Design Entrepreneurs Certificate. 

This program gives design entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools and access to 

resources they need to build a viable business based on sustainable design 

practices. Courses can be taken as part of a certificate or on an individual basis. A 

total of 10 courses (8 required and 2 personal choice) is needed to complete this 

certificate, most can be done online and costs approximately $2,500. Required 

courses include: Introduction to Sustainability, The Sustainable Organization, 

Sustainable Marketing, Sustainable Design Thinking, Sustainable Material Sourcing, 

Navigating Sustainable Manufacturing and Circular Product Lifecycle. More info: 

https://www.fitnyc.edu/ccps/certificate-programs/noncredit/sustainable-design.php 

Harvard Extension School - Professional graduate certificates in Sustainability can 

be done online, requires five courses, takes on average two years and costs 

approximately $14,500. Certificates are awarded in Natural Resource Management 

and Sustainable Ecosystems, Environmental Policy and International Development, 

Sustainable Cities and Communities, and Corporate Sustainability and Innovation. If a 

master’s degree is desired, select certificate courses can be counted toward am ALM 

degree in Sustainability. More info: 

https://www.extension.harvard.edu/academics/professional-graduate-certificates/s

ustainability-certificate 

Harvard University: Executive Education for Sustainability Leadership. This five day 

Executive Education program offers the chance to learn powerful new strategies for 

making sustainability a driver of organizational engagement, innovation, and 

change. Candidates must apply, course runs only one or two times per year and 

costs $4,300 plus accomodation (must be taken on campus/in Cambridge MA). More 

info: https://eesl.sph.harvard.edu/ 

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NYU - Corporate Sustainability with Tensie Whelan. This 14-week certificate course 

provides participants with the ability to help their business be a force for change 

through ESG (environment, social, and governance) investing, sustainable supply 

chain management, employee and consumer engagement, sustainability marketing, 

and more. Online, successful graduates receive NYU Stern Certificate in Corporate 

Sustainability. Costs approximately: $2,200. More info: 

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1525/4852/files/NYU_Stern_Online_-_Corporate_Su

stainability.pdf?478 

 

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Appendix I Financial Times Article on Global Climate Strike 

 

 55 

  

Appendix II 

Forbes Article: The Danger Of Not Embracing ESG 

Thought Leaders 

Stuart R. Levine Contributor, January 5, 2018 

ESG is not just a temporary “feel good” exercise or the latest buzzword 

Corporations are now moving from an increasing awareness of ESG (Environment, Social 

and Governance) to a more proactive stance. Directors are considering what impact ESG 

has on their role in overseeing strategy and succession planning. The catalyst for this 

thinking is coming from investors and stakeholders. They are focused on making sure that 

boards effectively address issues of climate change, waste, pollution, water resource 

depletion (Environment), working conditions, human rights, employee diversity, gender 

inequality (Social), board diversity, ethics and executive pay (Governance). 

Why is this happening now and is this awareness here to stay? What does it mean to you, 

your company, your management and your board? What responses needs to be made? 

Companies need to be increasing their communication to the Street on how ESG is 

impacting their business strategy and its alignment with their employees, customers and 

shareholders. This spans the awareness of embracing diversity in the workplace and the 

environmental impact of not only your business, but the entire supply chain of goods and 

services you purchase and the impact it has on your customers. 

According to Rivel Research Group, a firm that specializes in delivering actionable insight 

based on in-depth measurements of the investment community, ESG has six pillars: 

enhancement of market and accounting performance; lowering the cost of capital, a 

means to engage key shareholders; improving business reputation; fostering new 

revenue growth through product innovation; and aligning company and strategies 

with increasingly diverse constituents of the three-legged stool – customers, 

employees and shareholders. 

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The strong focus on ESG is coming from significant institutional investors like BlackRock 

and Vanguard, who are taking a longer view of performance. These institutional investors 

are massively impactful in influencing the allocation of capital, share price and the election 

of board members. Now, in addition to the ongoing short-term quarterly reporting 

pressures, there are issues such as environmental risk mitigation and gender diversity that 

large investors believe can impact the bottom line. Investors have ongoing concerns for the 

future that need to be addressed. These issues include aligning business strategies for the 

greater good and being responsible to the business communities they serve. 

Last year as an example, the $2.6 trillion asset manager at State Street made it clear to the 

roughly 400 publicly-traded American companies that they will not stand for lack of 

diversity on boards. State Street voted against the re-election of the chair or most senior 

board member of the governance or nominating committee on male-only boards.. Their 

stance has been supported with financial research conducted by both Credit Suisse and 

MSCI published in the last three years that companies with female directors generated 

better returns than those without. 

ProxyPulse, based upon analysis of 3,379 shareholder meetings held from January through 

June 2017, reports that BlackRock, Vanguard and Fidelity voted for shareholder proposals 

related to climate change disclosure. 66% of Institutional shares were voted for climate 

change proposals vs. only 13% of retail shares. You have to be current in your thinking 

about the best deployment of human and financial capital and companies need to reflect 

the needs of their customers, employees, shareholders and stakeholders. 

ESG is not just a temporary “feel good” exercise or the latest buzzword . Most companies 

today are serving diverse markets and should have board members with diverse 

backgrounds and experiences to make better grounded financial decisions on their 

products and services provided. Instead of winking and nodding or just checking the box, 

this is about a very sound business that acknowledges strong demographic shifts in society 

and the consumers they serve. 

The best companies are responding effectively and positioning themselves for future 

growth. They are making decisions that will speak to the talent pool in the workforce today 

such as Millennials that make up 34% of the labor market, and Gen Z that represents 21% 

 57 

  

of the U.S. population and growing in consumer market importance. As an impactful 

example, 47% of Millennials believe that CEOs should speak out on issues that are 

important to society and would be more loyal to their organizations if they did. 

The most important advice I can provide to directors and boards is to continue linking ESG 

to your strategies , associated risks and continue to learn from current information. 

Environmental and social discussions will continue for many years and reflects the 

evolution of business and capitalism. Despite the constraints that ESG may place on their 

organizations such as higher labor costs, increased costs of goods and increased costs of 

human capital the fact is that focus on ESG benefits massively outweigh the potential risk of 

increased cost. ESG policy can assist in attracting better human capital, establishing more 

reliable supply chains, avoiding conflicts that are distracting and innovating new products 

which can make a huge positive impact. 

 

Original Article: 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesinsights/2018/01/05/the-danger-of-not-embracing-esg/ 

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