OVERVIEW
Our Mission
Our mission is to drive sustainability within corporations and campuses by analyzing given data points and recommending optimization in consumption of energy, water, and physical goods. Through innovative solutions and strategic partnerships, we aim to empower organizations to achieve measurable reductions in environmental impact while fostering a culture of responsibility and stewardship. By promoting efficient resource management practices, we strive to create a sustainable future where businesses thrive in harmony with the environment.
Our Vision
Our mission is to empower corporations, campuses, and communities through innovation and collaboration, by leading the way in driving sustainability in a circular fashion, starting from creation and expanding until completion and beyond. By collecting and analyzing relevant data points, we provide recommendations to integrate responsible practices into every aspect of operations, creating collaborations in these areas to create lasting value for future generations while preserving and enhancing our planet's resources.
Our Charter
- Create an AI based algorithm to digest and analyze sustainability related data points (such as carbon emissions or energy usage) from corporates, campuses, and other organizations
- AI algorithm will output solutions and recommendations for the user, allowing those organizations to act upon the recommendations to take further sustainability measures
- Engage industry, academia and social leaders around the initiative for research, guidance and sponsorship
- Pilot the program in several organizations and gain traction while introducing sustainability in a more calculated, uniform method
Need for Seed
Sustainability can be measured and reported in several ways through carbon emissions, waste generated, and energy consumption yet there is no regulated method for determining the true sustainability metrics in corporations and campuses to become more sustainable in the future.
Corporate sustainability Index (CSI) Summer 2023
why CSI
I have been involved in various sustainability and environment related initiatives over my school years. Most of these initiatives were around volunteering and internships. While participating in these efforts, I realized a number of companies support most of these initiatives as part of their corporate CSR initiatives.
I wanted to work on an assignment to involving research and developing a framework for CSI. I soon realized the need for collaboration with a firm to better understand the ESG landscape and data sources. The goal of my thesis is to create a user-friendly tool to capture sustainability metrics, assign weightage, and calculate a holistic CSI for informed investment decisions.
FDC (Foster Dykema Cabot) in Boston accepted my internship request, allowing me to study a portfolio of companies and build a CSI tool with guidance from Senior Investment Analyst Edward Terwylliger. We planned a deep dive analysis of 10-12 leading apparel and fashion brands, using primary and secondary research to analyze data from various sources. My analysis led to a common baseline of key sustainability metrics, forming the foundation of the CSI model.
How csi
Designing and Building the CSI Model
- Studied publicly available reports and information on social and digital platforms
- Identified a list of 10 CPG companies to research
- Conducted detailed analysis of the reports and documented findings
- Consolidated findings to create a model for calculating CSI
CSI Model Metrics & Common ESG Metrics
- % Use of renewable energy (onsite and offsite)
- Sustainably created products (materials used)
- Climate goals (carbon footprint and neutrality)
- Sustainability mandate and achievement methods
- Science-based goals and expert collaboration
CSI Tool Implementation
- Captured the above-mentioned metrics for the sample set of companies
- Assigned weights to each metric and calculated an overall score for each company
- Rated each company on a scale from 1-5 based on performance within each metric
- Added weighted scores for a total score, with the highest total score setting the baseline