Organizations are facing enormous pressure these days as the regulatory landscape intensifies and the need for transparency increases. Global competition is also increasing, while the demands of customers change rapidly in a market where recessionary forces linger.

Our company just launched “MapChange2010″, a new study comparing the real efforts that brands are making in fighting climate change, and the perception consumers have of those brands. From this study emerge our “5 C’s of Sustainability Branding.”

Now that green has gone mainstream, it is a common misconception that people have a strong understanding of the green catch phrases.

In preparation for “SB Issues in Focus: Building Credibility & Avoiding Greenwash,” SLM CEO Koann Skrzyniarz speaks with Yalmaz Siddiqui, Director of Environmental Strategy for Office Depot about their Green Purchasing Dashboard and their approach to eco-labeling.

The financial crisis has increased the public’s expectations of business’s role in society. Most companies have maintained or increased their efforts to address sociopolitical issues, and many have already derived better-than-expected benefits from doing so.

Do people care about the climate?

It’s an open question these days, and opinion polls offer little help. Some show that climate ranks fairly low among public concerns, while others indicate a high level of concern among the populace. And in the run-up to the Copenhagen climate summit, now a mere six weeks away, those opinions count for something, particularly in the United States, where lawmakers are looking to be swayed one way or another.

Office Depot is stepping up its transparency in products it sells that have environmental attributes, including a special program for larger customers that helps explain the “greenness” of the customers’ overall purchases. The program relies on Office Depot’s Shades of Green labeling program.

YourCause.com today announced that it will provide a customized internet platform for “AT&T Cares,” the company’s employee philanthropy initiative. The platform will allow employees to create personalized web pages for non-profits, funds and charities of their choice.

With the death of Senator Edward Kennedy, America lost a vigorous supporter of clean energy and the environment. Ted Kennedy played a key role in passing numerous critical bills on behalf of environmental and clean energy causes, including measures on fuel economy, brownfields cleanup and revitalization, and home energy efficiency assistance for families of modest means.

Improving environmental performance often takes place behind the scenes – for instance, energy efficiency measures are not always evident on the finished product. But these intangible benefits represent significant environmental upgrades — sometimes more than reduced packaging or other claims touted in labels or in ads.