Sustainability is a significant and growing concern for US industry confronting increased materials and energy costs and heightened expectations from their customers, investors, and communities to address environmental and societal needs. A recent McKinsey survey of industry executives reported that “sustainability is becoming a more strategic and integral part of their businesses.”  In response, companies are seeking ways to measure, verify, benchmark, communicate and guide usage and impact across full product lifecycles and including professional services and supply chains. 

With the professional services industry contributing nearly $2.10 trillion to the U.S. economy, or an approximate 12% share of GDP, the new standard represents a breakthrough for a sector which is poised to have an impact. 

NSF/ANSI 391.1 General Sustainability Assessment Criteria for Professional Services. The first sustainability standard for professional services has been published, representing a milestone for the broad sector that in 2017 comprised about 1.2 million firms employing nine million and achieving $1.76 trillion in revenues.

What makes NSF 391.1 so significant? Sustainability differs sector by sector, as reflected by sector-specific initiatives including the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, the Sustainability Consortium, the Responsible Business Alliance, Sustainability Accounting Standards Board’s Sustainable Industry Classification System and Global Reporting Index’s GRI Sector Program, among others. 

Sustainability is addressed in higher education through a variety of comprehensive and interdisciplinary programs and courses ranging from product and service design to environmental management, engineering and science. However, the fundamental and enabling role of technical standards is often absent. 

This multi-stakeholder forum will explore the nature and potential of 391.1 Scheme Program that support sustainable solutions to the challenges industry is facing and will explore values of a NSF owned scheme that supports certification body (CB) consistency and evaluations,  single registry and data collection and training.

391.1 NCSS Program allies will be announced at this event!

Event agenda:

Networking Reception (3:30-5pm eastern) provides an opportunity for attendees to network with regulatory agencies, professional service firms, academic institutions and certification bodies.

• Key market drivers and procurement solutions
• Regulatory and Industry perspective including international alignment
• Value of scheme and compliance management
• Certification allies

• Jessica Slomka, Senior Manager NCSS, NSF International 
• Leslie Chinery, Director of Climate Change and Sustainability, ICF 
• Harry Lewis, Independent Consultant (former USEPA) 
• Alison Kinn Bennett, Senior Advisor, Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Jeff Olsen, Joint Committee Chair of NSF 391.1 Standard
• Jason Pearson, President, Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council
• John Edelman, Global Engagement and Corporate Responsibility, Edelman
• Charles Franklin, Vice President and Counsel, Government Affairs, Portland Cement Association
• Mary Swanson, VP of Certification, Green Seal