The Student Professional Development Center and the Office of Sustainability worked together to help students identify employers who value sustainability in their mission and/or operations.
Elon University’s Job and Internship Expo on Sept. 24, 2014, featured two employers – Enterprise and Maersk – with an “identifier” displayed to recognize their interests in promoting economic, environmental and social components of sustainability.
To earn identification, organizations had to indicate interest in the identifier during the expo registration process. The organization was then evaluated on a number of criteria.
Organizations earned the identifier if they possess third-party certification, such as B Corp or Green Plus, that addresses the three components of sustainability. Another way to earn the identifier is to demonstrate that the organization has a bi-annual sustainability report that includes economic, environmental and social aspects.
In addition to the report, the organization must also demonstrate of the following:
- written commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- inclusion of sustainability in the mission statement
- production of a product with a sustainability-related third-party certification
- third-party certification focused on one aspect of sustainability.
“We hope this demonstrates to students that sustainability is a topic some companies address even if they don’t make ‘green’ products, and that it demonstrates to organizations that Elon students are looking to be part of companies that have values and practices which support sustainability,” said Jessica Bilecki, education and outreach coordinator for the Office of Sustainability.