Tad Talks Sustainability

Sustainable Solutions Corporation (SSC) collaborated with the International Sleep Products Association (ISPA) to release a special podcast episode for ISPA members. Sustainability experts Tad Radzinski and Nicole Meyer from SSC sit down with Kate Caddy on the Tad Talks Sustainability podcast to answer ISPA member's questions about sustainability. In this concise yet powerful 36-minute episode, Tad, Nicole, and Kate tackle the following questions: What is corporate sustainability and why is it important? How does sustainability relate to a person's company or job, even when it's not their main function? What are Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions? What the differences are between Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions? Why is it important to measure, understand, and reduce your emissions? How does energy efficiency and waste reduction relate to sustainability? What are some best practices to increase employee engagement in sustainability?

In this episode, Tad and Julianna sit down with Tanya Nesbitt, Partner at Thompson Hine, to discuss the evolving landscape of climate regulations and litigation; specifically California Senate Bills 253 and 261, Assembly Bill 1305, and the SEC Climate Disclosure Rules. Tanya explains the rise in climate-related lawsuits, the growing scrutiny around voluntary carbon offset disclosures, and the complexities of corporate sustainability reporting. Tune in to learn how these emerging legal challenges could impact your organization’s sustainability initiatives and reporting practices. *This episode was recorded on 9/13/24 and one major update has occurred since then: California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Climate Disclosure Bill into law with the 2026 start date intact. Click here to read more about it. FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTION: https://www.tadradzinski.com/tad-talks-sustainability-podcast/episode42-regulations-sb253-sb261-ab1305-sec-climate-disclosure-rules

When developing your company’s Scope 3 program, it is critical to train and educate your sourcing and procurement teams. In this episode, Tad and Julianna discuss the key role your sourcing and procurement teams play in your Scope 3 program, how to bring these teams up to speed on sustainability and Scope 3, how to empower your sourcing and procurement teams to optimize your supplier engagement program with the goal of gathering primary data, and more. Interested in submitting a question for Tad to answer on an upcoming episode? Click the link below and scroll to the bottom of the page! SHOW NOTES: www.tadradzinski.com/tad-talks-sustainability-podcast/episode41-sourcing-and-procurement-teams

Difficult-to-manage waste streams are a hurdle for corporations to overcome in their pursuit of reducing waste. In this episode, Tad and Julianna sit down with Hannah Julian, Environmental Project Coordinator at g2 revolution, to discuss g2's work with managing materials that are traditionally difficult to recycle, managing pre-consumer and post-consumer waste, working with retailers and manufacturers to establish recycling programs for their materials, giving materials a second life through their Second Life® Solutions, working with small businesses in the beauty sector through their brand GLO™, the drivers behind pursuing and achieving GreenCircle certification, and more. Interested in submitting a question for Tad to answer on an upcoming episode? Click the link below and scroll to the bottom of the page! SHOW NOTES: https://www.tadradzinski.com/tad-talks-sustainability-podcast/episode40-difficult-to-manage-waste

New regulations as well as commitments and requirements from large companies are pushing suppliers to set science-based targets. In this episode, Tad and Julianna discuss an overview of science-based targets, the new regulations and what they mean for companies, the growing number of companies that are beginning to require their suppliers to set science-based targets by 2025, how suppliers can start taking inventory of their GHG emissions, the importance of training your sourcing and procurement teams, the benefits of measuring and reducing your Scope 3 emissions, the number of team members you will need internally to gather the data necessary for setting science-based targets, and how to know when to outsource and ask for help. Interested in submitting a question for Tad to answer on an upcoming episode? Click the link below and scroll to the bottom of the page! SHOW NOTES: https://www.tadradzinski.com/tad-talks-sustainability-podcast/episode39-science-based-targets

Many companies have started to think about measuring and reducing their Scope 3 emissions. The truth is most companies often feel overwhelmed by the scale of this effort and don’t know where to start. In this episode, Tad and Julianna discuss what Scope 3 emissions are, the top Scope 3 category for most companies, how to help your suppliers reduce their carbon emissions, and how to start estimating your company’s Scope 3 emissions from your suppliers. Interested in submitting a question for Tad to answer on an upcoming episode? Click the link below and scroll to the bottom of the page! SHOW NOTES: https://www.tadradzinski.com/tad-talks-sustainability-podcast/episode38-scope-3-emissions

Textile waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the United States. In this episode, Tad and Julianna sit down with Raymond Randall, Sr. Manager of Textile Recycling at WM, to discuss what WM is doing to drive circularity with textile waste, why textile waste is such a big problem for both the environment and for business, how fast fashion plays a role in textile waste, the textile recycling program at WM, and more. Interested in submitting a question for Tad to answer on an upcoming episode? Click the link below and scroll to the bottom of the page! SHOW NOTES: https://www.tadradzinski.com/tad-talks-sustainability-podcast/episode37-textile-waste

Life Cycle Assessments (LCA), Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), and Product Carbon Footprints (PCF) are essential to reducing your company’s carbon footprint, but many companies have unanswered questions about the process for completing them. In this episode, Tad and Julianna sit down with LCA experts Nicole Meyer and Marquis Miller from Sustainable Solutions Corporation to answer some of the most frequently asked questions they receive about LCA, EPD, and PCF. They discuss the data collection process, timelines, what to include in your LCA, relevant standards and frameworks, Product Category Rules, functional units, how LCA, EPD, and PCF relate to carbon footprint, and more. Interested in submitting a question for Tad to answer on an upcoming episode? Click the link below and scroll to the bottom of the page! SHOW NOTES: https://www.tadradzinski.com/tad-talks-sustainability-podcast/episode36-lca-epd-pcf

A good marketing plan should include communication about your company’s sustainability efforts. In this episode, Tad and Julianna sit down with Suzanne Shelton, CEO of Shelton Group, an ERM Group Company, to discuss the consumer research studies Shelton Group has been conducting for the past 17 years, the results of their recently published report The Buzz on Buzzwords: Seven Years Later, the biggest challenges companies have in marketing their sustainability efforts, best practices for communicating sustainability goals and achievements such as third-party certified products and facilities, how companies should handle not hitting a goal. and more. Interested in submitting a question for Tad to answer on an upcoming episode? Click the link below and scroll to the bottom of the page! SHOW NOTES: https://www.tadradzinski.com/tad-talks-sustainability-podcast/episode35-consumer-perception-sustainability

Decarbonizing your products is necessary for large-scale carbon emissions reduction. In this episode, Tad and Julianna sit down with Michelle Bonanno, Vice President of Operations and Certification Officer at GreenCircle Certified, to discuss the different steps a company could take to reduce the carbon footprint of their products in the raw material and manufacturing stages, how to use Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to demonstrate the carbon footprint reductions from the original product to the new version, the types of renewable energy and carbon-free electricity that contribute to carbon footprint reduction in products, how a company can better understand if their product qualifies for a carbon footprint reduction of greater than 1%, what initiatives do not count toward product-level carbon footprint reductions, which third-party certifications highlight carbon footprint reductions in products, how carbon footprint reduction is represented on GreenCircle Certified Environmental Facts (CEF) Multi-Attribute labels, and more. Interested in submitting a question for Tad to answer on an upcoming episode? Click the link below and scroll to the bottom of the page! SHOW NOTES: https://www.tadradzinski.com/tad-talks-sustainability-podcast/episode34-decarbonizing-your-products

Many companies have been purchasing carbon offsets to achieve their Net Zero goals. Are carbon offsets right for you and your company? Are carbon offsets actually effective and how should they be used? In this episode, Tad and Julianna answer these questions and discuss decarbonization, science-based targets, and the steps in the decarbonization roadmap. Tad also explains what carbon offsets are, the standards and requirements for carbon offsets, and what the future could look like for carbon offsets. Interested in submitting a question for Tad to answer on an upcoming episode? Click the link below and scroll to the bottom of the page! SHOW NOTES: https://www.tadradzinski.com/tad-talks-sustainability-podcast/episode33-carbon-offsets

Optimizing product packaging is essential for reducing waste and driving the circular economy. In this episode, Tad and Julianna sit down with Kelly McBee, Circular Economy Sr. Coordinator at As You Sow, to discuss the mission of As You Sow, the Corporate Plastic Pollution Scorecard they developed to rank companies on their progress toward plastic goals, how companies can get better scores in the future, why third-party certifications are so important to the achievement of corporate plastic reduction goals, and what’s next for As You Sow. Interested in submitting a question for Tad to answer on an upcoming episode? Click the link below and scroll to the bottom of the page! SHOW NOTES: https://www.tadradzinski.com/tad-talks-sustainability-podcast/episode32-circular-product-packaging

Setting a decarbonization strategy requires an understanding of your operations. Sustainable Solutions Corporation (SSC) conducts Sustainable Operations Assessments (SOA) to help companies understand how to reduce their energy, water and waste. In this episode, Tad and Julianna sit down with Lora Urbaniak, Senior Project Manager at SSC, to discuss what an SOA is, how SSC uses SOA to help companies set their decarbonization strategy, the cost savings and benefits of an SOA, areas where SSC usually finds the biggest potential for dollar savings, and how SOA can help a company meet their sustainability goals or science-based targets. SHOW NOTES: https://www.tadradzinski.com/tad-talks-sustainability-podcast/episode31-sustainable-operations-assessments

Waste Diversion from Landfill and Zero Waste to Landfill certifications are becoming more common in the marketplace. In this episode, Tad and Julianna sit down with Gemma Antoniewicz and Katie Feenan from GreenCircle Certified, to discuss the process for certifying Waste Diversion and Zero Waste to Landfill claims, why GreenCircle performs physical site audits as a part of this process, the types of waste they look at when completing these certifications, what the Acceptable Means of Diversion Hierarchy is, why GreenCircle also audits the client’s Material Management Organizations (MMO’s) that haul their waste, what GreenCircle’s Zero Waste to Landfill certification is different from other certifiers, how GreenCircle certifies events for Zero Waste to Landfill, and how waste diversion in operations relates to the sustainability of products. We also answer an audience question at the end of the episode about Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Optimized certifications. Interested in submitting a question for Tad to answer on an upcoming episode? Click the link below and scroll to the bottom of the page! SHOW NOTES: https://www.tadradzinski.com/tad-talks-sustainability-podcast/episode30-waste-diversion-certification

Recycling lithium-ion batteries is the key to achieving electrification goals. In this episode, Tad and Julianna sit down with Joe Day, Commercial Manager – Midwest and Northeast Regions at Li-Cycle, to discuss how Li-Cycle manages batteries at the end of their life, the type of batteries they take at their facilities, how much lithium, nickel, and cobalt are able to be recovered and integrated back into new batteries, how the battery recycling process works, and how Li-Cycle collects their batteries. We also answer an audience question at the end of the episode about extended producer responsibility. Interested in submitting a question for Tad to answer on an upcoming episode? Click the link below and scroll to the bottom of the page! SHOW NOTES: https://www.tadradzinski.com/tad-talks-sustainability-podcast/episode29-licycle-battery-recycling

Climate Pledge Friendly helps consumers discover and shop for more sustainable products on Amazon. In this episode, Tad and Julianna sit down with Giselle Gonzales, a Sr. Program Manager on Amazon’s Climate Pledge Friendly (CPF) team, to discuss the Amazon CPF Program and how it started, how consumers can find CPF products while shopping on Amazon, the significance of the CPF badge on buying behavior, how third-party certifiers are selected for the CPF program, and Amazon’s own corporate sustainability initiatives. We also answer an audience question at the end of the episode about why a company would want to create an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). Interested in submitting a question for Tad to answer on an upcoming episode? Click the link below and scroll to the bottom of the page! SHOW NOTES: https://www.tadradzinski.com/tad-talks-sustainability-podcast/episode28-amazon-climate-plege-friendly

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Optimized certification demonstrates embodied carbon reductions in products. In this episode, Tad and Julianna discuss how to lower the embodied carbon of your products, how to use LCA to optimize your products, the market drivers behind embodied carbon reductions, and the process behind LCA Optimized certifications. We also answer an audience question at the end of the episode about how to calculate Scope 3 emissions when your company is outsourcing all manufacturing. Interested in submitting a question for Tad to answer on an upcoming episode? Click the link below and scroll to the bottom of the page! SHOW NOTES: https://www.tadradzinski.com/tad-talks-sustainability-podcast/episode27-lca-optimized

You asked, we answered! In this episode, Tad and Julianna discuss a few of the anonymous questions we have received from our audience. The audience questions that we answer in this episode include: My company doesn't know what to do first, should we do our carbon footprint benchmarking or a life cycle assessment? My company is trying to understand how we should do our Scope 3 analysis. Do you have any suggestions on how to approach this? How can I calculate greenhouse gas emissions for an LLDPE plastic poly bag using virgin resin? Then how can I calculate the reduction by using a 90% post-consumer resin in the same product? What's more important for manufacturers to prioritize: Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) or Health Product Declarations (HPDs)? With so many certifications in the marketplace, how does a consumer quickly educate themselves on what products are certified? What are the differences in what a certification looks at and what certification represents my beliefs? As an end consumer, what are some sustainability efforts I can take on my own and in my own house? Interested in submitting a question for Tad to answer on an upcoming episode? Click here: https://www.tadradzinski.com/tad-talks-sustainability-podcast/episode26-audience-qa

Aluminum is an infinitely recyclable material and an important part of the circular economy. In this episode, Tad and Julianna sit down with Suzanne Lindsay-Walker, Vice President, Sustainability, for Novelis Inc., to discuss the type of products that Novelis’s aluminum ends up in, the life cycle benefits of aluminum versus other materials, how aluminum is contributing to the circular economy, Novelis’s closed loop system with Ford Motor Company and Ball, the key focus areas in Novelis’s sustainability strategy, the value of their GreenCircle Recycled Content certifications, and how Novelis empowers their employees to embrace sustainability. SHOW NOTES: https://www.tadradzinski.com/tad-talks-sustainability-podcast/episode25-aluminum-circular-economy

Third-party certifications are becoming extremely common in the marketplace. In this episode, Tad and Julianna discuss what they are, what they mean, what’s driving companies to get them, how they relate to carbon footprint, the benefits of getting third-party certified, and what to look for in a third-party certifier. Tad and Julianna also make an exciting announcement about GreenCircle Certified's recent inclusion in Amazon's Climate Pledge Friendly Initiative! SHOW NOTES: https://www.tadradzinski.com/tad-talks-sustainability-podcast/episode24-third-party-certifications