Supporting ‘Our Power, Our Planet’ on Earth Day 2026

April 22nd, 2026

"Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) standards are a lifeline for our planet," says Justin Guan, Business Development Manager and Team Member at Kiwa’s Business Sector Sustainability. It is a view that sits at the heart of Earth Day 2026, celebrated on April 22, with its theme, 'Our Power, Our Planet', which reminds us that environmental progress is 'sustained by daily actions', from an individual's choice to recycle to policy makers adopting new sustainability regulations.

As a testing, inspection, and certification company, our sustainability sector is all about harnessing ‘Our Power’ to make a difference. Our work helps businesses around the world adapt to shifting regulations, measure their environmental performance, and build the transparent practices that stakeholders increasingly demand and that our planet needs. In this article, Justin shares more about Kiwa's sustainability solutions and what they mean for businesses working toward a greener future.

‘Our Power’ starts with clarity

Today, sustainability is increasingly substantiated by hard data. Whether we are backing up claims on social media, reducing emissions through daily decisions, or meeting new regulations, we all sense a growing demand for in-depth sustainability metrics. “The major driver for this is the sheer number of regulations”, says Justin. “This includes the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), the EU Battery Regulation (2023/1542), and many more across the world, all of which may need to be met to sell or ship products. That’s why at Kiwa we offer clear, accessible Sustainability Metrics services that enable business to quantify their environmental footprint in depth”.

These services include Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs), Carbon Footprint of Products (CFP) calculations, Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), and alignment with EU ETS and CBAM requirements. As an independent certification body, Kiwa remains impartial throughout the process, delivering our services through accredited auditors experienced across a wide range of industries. "There are so many companies doing the best they can," Justin notes. "We want their voices to be heard. Reliable metrics can help to achieve that. That is what makes this work feel like it is making a real impact."

‘Our Power’ grows through circularity

According to the UN Environment Programme, around 2,000 garbage trucks worth of plastic are dumped into oceans, rivers, and lakes every single day. Redefining waste as a resource and embedding circularity into business operations is no longer optional; it is essential. "Circularity regulations are becoming stricter across the world, and companies need to stay up to speed to remain competitive," explains Justin. "There are strong benefits in keeping in step. For example, the EU plastic tax can be reduced where recycled content is traceable and certified. We are seeing the same regulatory pressure shaping the market in China too."

Kiwa supports businesses through a range of Circular Economy services, including KiPlas certification, which assesses recycled plastic content; RecyClass certification, which verifies recycling processes for plastics and the traceability for recycled content; and International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC), which ensures sustainability and traceability of biomass, waste, and circular material throughout the supply chain. These certifications help manufacturers demonstrate genuine circularity, support market access, and build credibility with customers, investors, and regulators alike. The process is thorough but structured: once a client engages Kiwa, an accredited auditor conducts an on-site audit, generates a detailed report, and submits it to the relevant scheme owner for final review and certificate issuance.

You can always try to avoid waste. But if it cannot be avoided, there is always a way to mitigate that risk, to generate less waste and become a better recycler.

Justin Guan

Business Development Manager at Kiwa’s Business Sector Sustainability

‘Our Power’ requires due diligence

Sustainability must start at the very beginning. For businesses operating across global supply chains, accountability extends to every tier of their operations, from the sourcing of raw materials to the conditions in which materials are processed and products are manufactured, packaged and shipped. Regulatory frameworks are reinforcing this expectation, with instruments such as the German Supply Chain Act and the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive placing clear obligations on companies to identify, address, and report on sustainability risks throughout their value chains.

Kiwa's Sustainability Due Diligence services are designed to help businesses meet these obligations. Through our SEE-ESG audit framework, we assess manufacturers’ performance across four key areas:

Corporate governance;
Environmental management;
Supply chain management;
And employee responsibility, including working hours, labour conditions, and anti-bribery protocols.

For the solar sector specifically, our Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) Assessment services provide a recognized pathway for Photovoltaic (PV) module producers seeking to demonstrate sustainability credentials to international buyers, financiers, and standard owners.

The audit process itself is rigorous by design. "You are not going to grasp the full picture by sitting in an office doing documentation checks," says Justin. "You have to get out there and speak with employees on the production line. We use three different methods: document review, on-site visits, and employee interviews, and then we cross-check everything." Where discrepancies emerge, auditors go deeper, expanding their sampling to determine whether an issue is isolated or systemic.

The value of this rigor goes beyond regulatory compliance: it can help businesses make more money. In one project, a solar manufacturer that had undergone a SEE audit was able to present Kiwa's independent report to its financial provider as evidence of sound ESG governance. The result was improved financing terms, including better interest rates and payment conditions. "Lower financial costs for future projects," as Justin puts it, are a tangible return on sustainability investment. This message is increasingly resonating with manufacturers across the region. “It showed me how environmental sustainability and business success are not mutually exclusive. They are complementary. That is a lesson I carry with me in every project.”

‘Our Power’ builds through collaboration

No single business, sector, or standard can address the scale of today's environmental challenges alone. Progress comes through partnership, and for Kiwa, cross-sector collaboration is central to how we deliver impact for our clients.

Stronger together

Within Kiwa, our global sustainability team works in close collaboration with other sectors, such as the Energy Transition one, which specializes in product testing and certification for solar, battery storage, and energy solutions. Where we provides the sustainability management framework, covering ESG audits, circularity certifications, and carbon metrics, Energy Transition brings complementary product-level expertise.

"One sector alone can only do so much. Together, we can help clients do much more in terms of environmental impact, ESG, and social responsibility," says Justin.

This integration also extends across geographies. One of the more complex challenges Kiwa helps clients navigate is the fragmentation of sustainability standards across international markets. A manufacturer exporting to Europe, the Middle East, and North America may face overlapping and sometimes conflicting requirements, each with its own certification pathway. Kiwa's work in aligning standards such as SSI across the EU and China is designed to relieve that burden: we are proactively helping to create a single recognized framework that manufacturers can use to access multiple markets.

For Justin, one project captures what genuine collaboration looks like in practice. During an international sustainability assessment, a client faced significant difficulties with the authority responsible for the standard, including disagreements over interpretation. There were also language and cultural barriers that made it difficult to present their evidence effectively. “There were moments when progress felt stuck,” he recalls. “But instead of backing down, we doubled down on facilitating impartial, independent communication, translating not just words but context and perspectives between both sides.” In the end, the client passed the assessment and achieved their sustainability rating. “The biggest lesson? We are always weak as one, but stronger as a team. Our persistence turned a seemingly hopeless situation into a win for the client and the planet.”

The importance of this kind of alignment is only growing. As geopolitical tensions reshape trade flows and regulatory landscapes continue to evolve, the ability to connect global standards to local realities is becoming a critical capability. "The biggest challenge is the global-local gap," says Justin, "not just in terms of language and culture, but also in terms of the constantly changing political landscape. Staying ahead of that is what allows our clients to move first."

‘Our Power, Our Planet’

For Justin, the motivation behind this work is personal as much as professional. "I spent almost two decades immersed in the stunning landscapes of British Columbia, Canada, and I have seen first-hand how precious and fragile nature is. ESG matters because it bridges corporate action and planetary health, turning goals into tangible practices.”

His message to manufacturers and policymakers on World Earth Day 2026 is direct: "Always stay up to date. Regulations and standards are evolving rapidly, and the companies that keep pace are the ones that will succeed. Environmental management is no longer a side consideration. It is a vital part of doing business today."

As this year's Earth Day theme makes clear, our power lies not in any single decision or administration, but in the consistent, collective choices made by businesses, communities, and individuals every day. Through measurement, circularity, accountability, and collaboration, Kiwa is proud to support that progress.