SCS Global Services

SCS Global Services is a recognized leader in third-party environmental, sustainability and food-quality certification, auditing, testing and standards development. Headquartered in Emeryville, California, SCS independently evaluates products, services and management systems to confirm practices and processes that advance the goals of sustainable development and give innovators a competitive advantage. The company also plays an active role in the development of national and international environmental and sustainability standards to create a framework for continuous improvement.

SCS was one of the first companies to become a chartered benefit corporation in the state of California, reflecting its commitment to socially and environmentally responsible business practices. This year, SCS was honored with the prestigious Acterra Award for Sustainability.

Stanley Rhodes, CEO (left)

A grounded vision

CEO Stanley Rhodes, a Ph.D. chemist, founded the company in 1984. Rhodes has provided the strategic vision and scientific insight driving SCS to become one of the world’s leading providers of third-party certification and assessment services in the sustainability arena. With its programs spanning a wide cross-section of industries, SCS has provided strategic third-party evaluation of achievements in the areas of green building, product manufacturing, food and agriculture, forestry, retail and more.

“As a neutral third party, SCS provides the independent perspective needed to conduct credible certification audits, help clients evaluate their own performance, identify improvement opportunities, and build customer and stakeholder confidence,” explains Rhodes.

In addition, the company participates in national, international and independent multi-stakeholder standards committees to develop new product and management standards. SCS also initiates the development of standards for industry sector claims categories that are underserved and that offer important advances in one or more aspects of sustainability.

“One of our primary areas of focus right now is climate stabilization,” says Stanley Mathuram, senior vice president for environmental certification services and corporate sales at SCS. “We need to keep the global temperature from reaching a boiling point. CO₂ and other climate pollutants don’t just go away, and we can’t simply gather it up and tuck it away somewhere. There’s a lot we can accomplish together with our industry peers to address this crisis.”

SCS’ Stowe Beam, Stanley Mahuram and Robert Hrubes

A licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.), Mathuram comes from a chemical and environmental engineering background, working in manufacturing and for companies such as Michigan Steel, AECOM, and DLZ Corporation. As a consultant, he prepared furniture manufacturers for certification under the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association’s BIFMA e3 level standard. He also helped guide businesses in the development of triple bottom line and corporate social responsibility strategies, principles of lean manufacturing, renewable energy contract development, environmental compliance and remedial design.

Improving sustainability through multiple platforms

SCS is a member of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and regularly exhibits at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, including this year’s event in Los Angeles. Mathuram explains that one of SCS’s chief goals in attending the expo is to educate colleagues, clients and partners on the interconnectedness of all company processes and decisions. “It’s all about the big picture and critical thinking,” he says. “We’ve made a lot of progress, but there’s still a long way to go to build a truly sustainable economy that supports the needs of people and the environment. Addressing these issues from a holistic framework is essential.”

In its relationship with the USGBC, SCS has directed significant resources toward the development of improved metrics to apply in environmental sustainability measurement. The company is looking forward to bringing these metrics to the USGBC LEED platform to support project managers and product suppliers in their efforts to accurately measure and reduce their industrial environmental impacts and carbon footprints.

“In the area of climate change, we are working on shifting the focus away from protocols that are more than two decades old.”

“In the area of climate change, we are working on shifting the focus away from protocols that are more than two decades old,” shares Mathuram. “We are currently working with leading climate scientists and interested stakeholders to implement the next generation of protocols, capable of guiding us toward the best, most cost-effective climate stabilization strategies.”

SCS’ work involves use of a life-cycle framework, state-of-the-art science, and proven analytical methods and performance metrics, all driven by professional expertise. SCS has been a leader in the development and application of advanced life-cycle impact assessment methods since the early 1990s. The company is excited about its new LCA software that will enable organizations to examine their carbon footprints and environmental performance with far greater accuracy and completeness in order to identify pragmatic solutions.

“Using this information, companies can identify initiatives that actively contribute to dealing with climate and other important environmental issues in the most practical way possible, which will support managing business risk and contribute to better corporate governance,” Mathuram explains.

SCS has been working to promote sustainable decision-making and policies in the public and private sector for more than three decades, keeping its ear to the ground to recognize emerging trends, and innovating with scientifically rigorous, customer-based solutions. Moreover, by recognizing the achievements of companies, institutions and organizations that meet the highest levels of performance, SCS Global Services is stimulating continuous improvement toward sustainability. It’s no wonder that so many companies known in their industries as leaders on environmental stewardship and sustainability have chosen SCS as their go-to certification, auditing and standards expert.