Before the turn of the year, as this extraordinary year draws to a close, we wanted to take a moment to look back, acknowledge and celebrate some of the highlights and achievements of Sustainability Knowledge Group team.
2020 was nothing like what we expected. It taught us how to survive in a contactless environment, and it also made us more resilient and receptive to change; it strengthened our sense of purpose. In 2020, we achieved a lot and we continued to grow and provide our clients, partners and network with new training solutions, customized consulting services and valuable tools, regardless of the pandemic effect. In certain cases, we supported them by just listening and being there for them. However, we realized that caring is more valuable than any high-tech solution. More often than we want to admit, we complied with request to move deadlines and therefore have worked to unthinkably tight deadlines; and yet we have met these deadlines. We made things work in the end and this was all that matters.
Here is a brief overview of our key achievements over the past 12 months. These achievements are representative of our team’s hard work during 2020. We shared knowledge and supported Sustainability professionals across the globe throughout the year.
Training courses
We continued to provide our clients with training services. In early 2020, we conducted our certified trainings on GRI “The GRI Standards: Principles & Application”. In partnership with CSRCYPRUS, the official partner of CSREurope in Cyprus, we contributed to increasing awareness of corporate social responsibility in Cyprus by delivering our flagship training “Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) Professional”. Due to the epidemiological situation and out of concern for everyone’s health and safety, we have moved towards online training. We proudly supported our local partners in Saudi Arabia via online training and spread knowledge of the newly developed National Standards for Sustainability Reporting. Click here for information about our training services
Webinars and presentations
During 2020, we were invited to contribute to webinars and share our knowledge and experience via online seminars. We were privileged to give specialized webinars and presentations with and for our esteemed partners, including Amcham Azerbaijan and CSR Cyprus. Key 2020 topics included the role of Sustainability professionals, the future of Sustainability, creating value in challenging times, Sustainability Reporting standards, SDGs, ESG and Sustainable Development.
Blogs and Insights
This year we managed to develop and share 35 new blogs and thought pieces. We know that Sustainability professionals and advocates lead a busy life, therefore we are excited at the chance to share the major advancements in the areas of Sustainability reporting and strategy, global trends, legislation and best practices across Corporate Responsibility, Sustainability, Sustainable Development, ESG.
Now, you can access all our 2020 blogs by one consolidated document, titled “2020 Collection of Thought Pieces and Blog Posts on Sustainability”, accessible here.
We highlighted news and developments relevant to business operations, health, environment, economics, food security, sports, the SDGs, with a special focus on Europe and the MENA region. Among the most popular blogs were:
- Your 4-step Guide to post-lockdown Personal Success
- Green Buildings – Climate Change Heroes for a Sustainable Future
- Dubai Financial Market launches ESG Index
- Sustainable Development in the European Union
- Sustainable Leadership for the Decade of Action
- Benefit Corporations: Changing the Corporate Landscape
- Food and Agriculture to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Sustainability in the Aviation Industry
- Disability Inclusion in the United Nations: No one is Left Behind
- Circular Economy in Cities and Regions
During this year, we also hosted guest articles and for 2021, we would like to invite you to share your articles with us so that they are published on our website, online channels and social media.
Tools and Knowledge Toolkits
In 2020, we launched a new initiative, titled “Knowledge Toolkit for Sustainability Professionals”. This initiative involves a series of toolkits focusing on specialized topics in the field of business Sustainability. Each Knowledge Toolkit is dedicated to one topic and contains a curated collection of 10 publications. Its aim is to spread knowledge of specific topics and help our Sustainability professional readers find valuable resources in one place.
The “Knowledge Toolkit for Sustainability Professionals” for 2020 included:
- 1 Top 10 SDGs Resources
- 2 Top 10 GRI Standards Resources
- 3 Top 10 Stakeholder Management Resources
- 4 Top 10 Circular Economy Resources
- 5 Top 10 SASB Resources
- 6 Top 10+1 Resources on Reporting Frameworks and Standards
Thank you
We say “thank you” to our amazing team, valued partners, esteemed clients and loyal readers! Thanks to your effective encouragement, inspiration and contribution we achieved a lot, and we look forward to continuing working with you in 2021!
Let’s now look ahead to the future. We look forward to a purposeful and fulfilling 2021. Make sure that you subscribe to our newsletters and follow us on social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Meetups) to keep up with news, upcoming training courses, meetups, latest insights and knowledge toolkits.
At Sustainability Knowledge Group, we will continue to work diligently and use our resources as a force for good.
Happy New Year!
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash