Suppliers Partnership for the Environment

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Biodiversity efforts are not restricted to a single company or industry — in fact, they are made stronger by engagement along the supply chain. WHC supports companies and organizations looking to foster industry-wide collaboration, such as our work with the Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP) and a coalition of health and life sciences companies.

SP recognized biodiversity was not a priority for suppliers as its impacts occurred later in the manufacturing process, unlike concerns related to packaging or climate change mitigation efforts. WHC has seen that small, easy to access and understand projects like pollinator gardens are often a manageable entry point for small- to medium-sized enterprises to begin their biodiversity efforts. Additionally, experiencing the success of these smaller projects often inspires companies to further their conservation work by aligning with biodiversity frameworks, implementing nature-based solutions and more.

As part of the engagement, WHC developed strategies and tactics to guide the suppliers through the logistics of planning, implementation and ongoing management of pollinator conservation projects. SP disseminated these resources to their members to encourage them to engage with biodiversity uplift on a smaller scale.

WHC also supported a coalition of five manufacturers and suppliers working together in the health and life sciences industry. This group was interested in encouraging their members to get involved in biodiversity projects by lowering the barrier of entry and providing actionable tools and resources. Using stakeholder input and feedback, WHC developed the brand, voice and visual identity for this new industry-wide biodiversity alliance, as well as the delivery of a vast toolkit of resources to support suppliers in implementing scalable biodiversity-based initiatives. Members of the alliance were also given access to and training for WHC’s program tracking platform in order to record their progress and potentially pursue WHC Conservation Certification®.

Butterfly on a flower

Exelon Corporation

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When energy provider and WHC member Exelon acquired utility company Pepco, which operates in Washington, D.C. and Maryland, they engaged WHC’s support in developing an environmental stewardship strategy to expand conservation efforts and foster community connections in this region.

The development of the strategy began with the convening of employees to create a cross-functional team comprised of engineers, scientists, vice presidents, interns and more. WHC worked with the team to determine stewardship opportunities throughout the D.C. metro area that would also drive a message about the values of the company. The team was guided through a series of exercises that helped them determine the conditions — such as social factors, political situation and environmental circumstances — that would influence the stewardship activities chosen.

WHC conducted a spatial analysis through geographic information system (GIS) mapping, which was overlaid onto the stakeholder analysis to identify hotspots for stewardship projects in each of D.C.’s wards. These results illustrated the suitability of an area for a conservation project, mapped against Pepco-owned lands in the area. Based on the social, stakeholder or ecological needs identified, a variety of compatible projects were suggested for each area, such as tree plantings, outdoor STEM education, native restoration on rights-of-way or community gardens.

This analysis helped match conservation projects to the most suitable locations, and also assisted Pepco in directing their philanthropic giving, identifying areas where the company could best focus its efforts.