Measuring Sustainability: Is ULE 880 the New Gold Standard? What Manufacturers Need to Know about the Proposed Metrics

Winston & Strawn presented an eLunch titled “Measuring Sustainability: Is ULE 880 the New Gold Standard? What Manufacturers Need to Know about the Proposed Metrics” on Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 12:15 p.m. (Central).

Companies from all sectors are spending significant resources to enhance sustainability in their governing and operating practices. It has become commonplace for companies to analyze various aspects of the supply chain, operations, and distribution to determine where they can make improvements. As a result of its sustainability efforts, Kraft Foods was recently featured in the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index, placing it among the top-scoring 10 percent of the world’s 500 largest public companies in the FTSE Global Equity Index Series. Kraft Foods also was recently named for the sixth straight year to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index and for the fifth straight year to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index.

Recently, UL Environment (a division of Underwriter Laboratories) and Greenbiz have joined forces to develop ULE 880, a comprehensive standard that attempts to create a diverse set of sustainability metrics for manufacturing businesses. ULE 880 covers five broad but distinct domains: (1) sustainability governance, (2) environment, (3) workplace, (4) customers and suppliers, and (5) social and community engagement. Accordingly, this standard is likely to dovetail with current efforts by manufacturers and supply-chain companies to improve sustainability. Understanding this standard and the impact it might have on sustainability metrics is crucial for companies trying to keep abreast of the recent developments in this emerging and dynamic area.    

Winston & Strawn attorney Eleni Kouimelis, joined by attorney Mike Champion, Craig Coulter (Sustainability Services Manager, UL Environment, Inc.) and Katherine O’Halleran (Senior Counsel, Environmental & Safety, Kraft Foods) led an interactive presentation that covered manufacturing companies’ current sustainability efforts and the new standards proposed for the industry. Discussion highlights included:

• The concept of “sustainability” from the manufacturers’ perspective
• The purpose and scope of the proposed ULE 880 standard
• ULE 880’s potential impact on the industry

An eLunch is a complimentary, interactive seminar where participants watch and listen to a presentation given by Winston & Strawn attorneys over the Internet.

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NOTE:  CLE credit is not available for listening to our pre-recorded eLunch or webinar briefings.