S-Bar Ratings Categories

Rating Categories The S-BAR Certification Tool will use a structured set of criteria that covers the full range of social and environmental practices. The process will take place online, reducing paperwork, time, and costs and will allow for instantaneous feedback. The Tool will cover five major categories of business activity, or domains:

Governance and Management - How the company manages itself in relation to its various stakeholders, including investors, customers, communities, and regulators. For example: Are corporate policies and practices aligned with sustainability goals? Is the management of the corporation transparent to stakeholders? Are employees appropriately engaged in the management of the company? Are sustainability principles integrated from the top down into the day-to-day operations of the company?

Intention: To assure that management is committed to sustainability and corporate responsibility at all levels.

Workplace - How company policies and practices engage employees. For example: Are employees supported in all aspects of their lives, from health and safety, to privacy and free speech, to work/life balance and lifelong learning? Are employees treated fairly, without discrimination? Do suppliers incorporate the same policies of social equity and employee support? Is the productivity of the employees supported by enhanced esprit de corps?

Intention: To support the health, well-being and productivity of all employees.

Community - The relationship between the company and the communities within which it is embedded. For example: How does the company support the vital services of the community through philanthropy, volunteerism and investment? How does the company assess and manage the social impacts of its operations on local communities? How does company land use and building design impact the local economy and ecosystem?

Intention: To ensure that the company is a responsible and proactive corporate citizen.

Marketplace - The responsibility of the company for the development, design, and management of its products and services, and their impacts on customers and society at large. For example: Are the products or services contributing to a more sustainable future for all, or do they diminish future options for some, including succeeding generations? Do sales and marketing communications truthfully and responsibly inform customers about products, including their use, impacts, and end-of-life disposition? Do the operations of the company cause negative short- or long-term social or environmental impacts where they are used or operated?

Intention: To ensure the integrity of the company’s products and sales practices, including their labeling and marketing.

Environment – The company’s interactions with the environment at large, including use of natural resources, and impacts on the Earth’s ecosystems. For example: How efficiently are energy and other resources used in delivering products and services, including those of its suppliers? What is the composition of the company’s waste stream? How much is reused or reclaimed? Does the company manage its operations use to benefit the local airshed and watershed? How does the company impact land use and local ecological stability?

Intention: To reduce the company’s environmental impacts to levels that are healthy for the company and for the environment, now and into the far future.

For each domain, and for the questions within each, companies will be rated based on four key measures:

Policy (what commitments they have made) Practices (how they have implemented the policy) Performance (the measurable outcome of the practices) Progress (how performance has improved over time)