Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB)

Transforming capital markets globally

In the world of capital markets, investors need to understand how a business, regardless of industry, will remain viable and deliver a desired financial return. To make good investment decisions, they need to account for both financial and non-financial issues that are material to a company and its ability to sustain its future.

The challenge that investors face is access to essential information that goes beyond what’s found in traditional annual reports and financial statements. Today’s enterprises must navigate a complex and dynamic landscape of regulations and resource uncertainty—and they must be able to assess and report on how all of these factors affect their operations and risk exposure, in order to maintain the confidence of investors.

Facilitating performance reporting around non-financial issues is what the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) was created to do. Formed in partnership with Bloomberg, SASB was modeled on the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), which formulates and oversees the benchmarks used for financial reporting.

Together, SASB and FASB provide a comprehensive and consistent set of standards that give investors a more complete understanding of a company’s current performance and future prospects.

As a founding member of SASB’s advisory council, Tenet Partners played a critical role in helping Dr. Jean Rogers, its visionary founder, create a brand that would immediately establish the organization’s credibility within the business, capital markets and regulatory community that was equal to any other in the realm of standards-setting organizations.

In addition to the research, strategy and identity work at the heart of any successful brand, the Tenet team partnered with SASB to create an information architecture designed to make a company’s sustainability metrics more accessible and easier for investors to use.

The result was the highly interactive SASB Materiality Map, which provides an at-a-glance view of materiality scores by industry and issue, allowing click-through access to the data behind the score. By translating a complex data set into something digestible and easy to use, it helps enterprises organize and prioritize the issues that are most important to them—and their investors.

The launch of SASB established it as an essential enabler of standardized sustainability reporting in the United States. Thanks to this success and widespread adoption of its standards, in 2022, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) of the IFRS Foundation assumed responsibility for the SASB Standards and moved them to a global approach embraced by capital markets worldwide.

Sensient Technologies

Enhancing the sensory experience

Vibrant hues. Subtle scents. Flavors that run from sweet to savory and mild to bold. Textures that are pleasing to the touch. Rich sensory experiences are an essential part of being human—and making those experiences better is what Sensient Technologies is all about.

Sensient ingredients are found in a vast array of products, from food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics to industrial coatings, cleaners and packaging.

The highly specialized, technologically sophisticated company now known as Sensient had a surprising start. Its roots go back to 1882, when it was a distillery, and later a producer of yeast. In the 1960s, the company added other commodities and changed its name to Universal Food Products. By the 1990s, the name and brand no longer fit the organization. It had transformed, branching out in new directions as a leading global supplier of colorants, flavors and fragrances. It had become far more than a food company.

The key to development of a new brand was to find the thread connecting all that the company does—the essential idea behind its entire range of products and capabilities.

The Tenet team looked beyond what the company does, to what its products enable. That creative approach led to a simple, universal idea: The company is in the business of enhancing sensory experiences.

The sensory experience notion became the foundation of an entirely new brand encompassing strategy, positioning, architecture, visual and verbal identities. It came to life in several ways, the most visible of which was an evocative new name: Sensient Technologies. The name is powerfully communicative all on its own. In just two words, it telegraphs the promise behind the brand: Enhance SENSory experiences through specialized ingredIENTS, delivered through proprietary TECHNOLOGIES.

The dramatic rebrand accomplished exactly what the company set out to do: Redefine its position in the market and provide a platform for growth. As a result, Sensient Technologies’ (NYSE: SXT) stock price saw a 20% gain after the new brand was launched.

Canon Medical Systems USA

Sharpening the focus on medical imaging

OVERVIEW

Canon Medical Systems USA faced intense competition from long-established global medical imaging vendors. With the competition mainly focused on technology, Canon Medical saw an opportunity to leverage its emphasis on expertise, relationships and the positive impact it has on customers and patients as a way to stand out.

CHALLENGE

Canon Medical’s visual identity was taken from the global Canon brand, which limited its ability to tell a distinctive story tailored for its target market. The critical challenge was to respect that link to the power of the global brand while enabling Canon Medical to stand out as a preferred partner for the medical community.

HOW WE HELPED

Tenet’s approach to developing the visual system was highly collaborative, combining an extensive competitive audit and image review with work done by Tenet brand strategists and input from the client to visually represent key elements of the refreshed brand. In this way, the visual system was firmly grounded in brand strategy.

Strategic elements included themes of meaningful innovation, alignment with Canon corporate brand values, its tagline of “Made For Life” and Canon Medical’s new positioning theme: “With you all the way.”

Picking up on the themes of human expertise and partnership, the photo style emphasizes humans engaging with one another, with the viewer and with technology to complement images of equipment.

The new visual identity links to the global Canon brand in subtle, yet compelling ways, making good use of the corporate red along with gradients and geometric shapes. The system’s graphical underlay is a transformation of the highly recognizable letter C shape that’s part of the Canon wordmark, replicated and rotated to provide a rich texture that suggests technology without overwhelming the more human elements of imagery.

OUTCOME

Canon Medical’s new visual identity and Tenet’s accompanying strategic brand work has been greeted very positively by the organization’s leadership, providing a solid foundation for continued growth and differentiation in the medical imaging market. A few months after the updated brand launch, Canon Medical saw a 45% increase in engagement with its PR and social media content.

Fairtrade International

Empowering farmers and workers

OVERVIEW

Fairtrade International is a non-governmental organization spearheading a global movement to change the way trade works through better prices, decent working conditions and a fairer deal for farmers and workers in developing countries.

CHALLENGE

Fairtrade promotes its agenda through a system of certification marks on product packaging to help brands signal that they are part of a more sustainable, responsible worldwide economy, giving consumers assurance that they are making ethical purchase decisions. It was felt that this multifaceted system was too complex and difficult to understand.

HOW WE HELPED

The organization saw the need to make the scheme more clear, but wanted to make sure any changes were driven by research and a sound brand strategy. Fairtrade came to Tenet Partners for help with streamlining its certification architecture to better communicate with the market.

Building on extensive research, the Tenet team recommended a simplified approach based on use cases. The new system is straightforward, easily understood and modular, with a single certification mark that combines the two legacy marks and supplemental visual elements that can be added or removed based on the use case.

OUTCOME

The new approach makes identification of Fairtrade-certified products easier, while still allowing for the inclusion of relevant information. It also sparked valuable discussion and consensus-building within the organization.

With clarity around adoption of the new architecture achieved, Fairtrade International is poised to move forward with a clean, flexible system that allows qualified businesses to better communicate with their customers—and for the organization itself to advance its vision.

American Physical Therapy Association

Rallying members around a national brand

OVERVIEW

The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is a professional organization that represents more than 100,000 member-physical therapists, physical therapist assistants and students of physical therapy nationwide.  

CHALLENGE

While developing its 5-year strategic plan, APTA leadership determined that the association’s brand was not serving the needs of its membership. This was proved out as the 71 specialty sections, state chapters and major programs that comprise APTA were using their own branding, creating a highly fragmented face to the organization.  

While national leadership desired a more consistent identity, it was concerned that developing a cohesion might also create friction—with most chapters wanting to maintain their individual identities.  

HOW WE HELPED

Tenet research confirmed that the national association was underappreciated by its members, who were more connected with their local chapter or specialized member group than they were to the broader organization. 

In parallel with visual identity work, Tenet strategists engaged APTA national and chapter leadership in collaborative exercises designed to build consensus around an evolved brand architecture that would establish a more prominent connection between the chapters and the association.  

That process helped to shift the views of leaders and members, who agreed that a more cohesive branding approach would go a long way towards increasing the stature of the association, and of physical therapists in healthcare and among the public at large.  

A new logo and visual system were also developed to express the end benefit physical therapists provide their patients: a notion of fluid activity and freedom of motion, driving forward and upward. The refreshed visual identity provides both consistency and flexibility, allowing APTA to build a cohesive brand while giving the 71 disparate groups the freedom to customize their own identity by choosing from a range of pre-designed options.  

In a further endeavor toward consistency, Tenet also developed a messaging playbook—a key resource that APTA’s national staff had never had before—along with comprehensive brand guidelines, launch strategy and communications. 

OUTCOME

The national brand launch was timed to coincide with the association’s centennial celebration, featuring prominently in APTA’s new headquarters. By tying the launch to a major event, the refreshed brand generated considerable excitement and buy-in. With a solid architecture established, the individual member groups now have the tools to roll out their own refreshed brands.  

The new brand approach quickly proved its worth. A prominent APTA group that had separately undertaken its own brand refresh hired Tenet to design its new brand. We demonstrated how the architecture solution, new identity and visual system could be used to create a powerful brand expression at all levels of the organization.

Broadview Federal Credit Union

Building a unified digital presence after a merger

OVERVIEW

Following the merger of two New York capital region credit unions—SEFCU and CapCom—to form the Broadview Federal Credit union, creating a unified digital presence was a top priority. Tenet Partners led the creation of the Broadview brand, and then the organization turned to us once again to create a cohesive website that would fully embody the new brand identity.

HOW WE HELPED

Proven best practices developed over years of comparable engagements served as the basis of Tenet’s comprehensive, strategic approach to the assignment. This was more than a simple redesign of an existing site—it needed to fully support Broadview’s business strategy and make the most of the credit union’s new brand.

Digital strategy: Our team began by crafting a robust digital strategy that aligned with Broadview’s brand vision and business goals. This strategy provided a clear roadmap to the harmonization of the two legacy websites with unique navigation, content and customer experiences, ensuring consistency and alignment across all digital touchpoints.

Information architecture and content analysis: We meticulously structured the website’s information architecture to enhance navigation and the user experience. Thorough content analysis was conducted to ensure relevance, clarity and consistency in messaging.

Wireframes and component library: Wireframes were designed to help visualize the layout and functionality of key pages, while a digital component library was developed to maintain design consistency and facilitate efficient updates.

Visual and experience design: Our visual design team created a modern and engaging aesthetic that reflects the distinctive Broadview identity. Working concurrently, the experience design team focused on user-centric principles, ensuring intuitive and seamless interactions.

Content development and integration assistance: Using the verbal platform that was part of the Broadview rebrand as a starting point, the team crafted compelling content that would resonate with Broadview’s diverse audience. Additionally, we provided integration assistance to ensure smooth implementation of new content, UX features and functionalities.

Page-level design and project management: Each page was carefully designed to ensure a cohesive look and feel. Throughout the project, our dedicated project management team ensured timely delivery, quality assurance for content and seamless coordination among stakeholders.

OUTCOME

The new Broadview website is a testament to the power of strategic UX design and execution. By integrating SEFCU and CapCom’s strengths into a single, unified platform that fully expresses the brand, we created a digital experience that not only reflects Broadview’s new identity but also enhances member engagement and satisfaction. At the same time, we created the tools, resources and knowledge needed to carry the site into the future, empowering Broadview to evolve its online presence going forward.

By tapping into our development, visual, verbal and strategic strengths, this project exemplifies Tenet Partners’ expertise in delivering comprehensive digital solutions that drive success.

EMC Insurance

Amplifying a human brand

OVERVIEW

EMC Insurance is an Iowa-based carrier primarily focused on risk solutions for business. As a mutual company that relies heavily on independent agents, local presence and close relationships with communities and businesses, it has a powerful story to tell.

CHALLENGE

EMC leaders knew they had a strong presence in the market, but felt that there was an opportunity to amplify the brand to better reflect the company’s strengths and distinct character.

HOW WE HELPED

Starting with extensive internal and external research, Tenet strategists zeroed in on what makes EMC special: that at its core, it is a very human company.

That ethos was captured in a revised brand platform as a foundational element: “The national carrier with a local heart.” This laddered up to a new brand promise: “Keeping insurance human.” In keeping with this, the platform and brand voice shifted away from a product-first approach to larger themes of partnership and prosperity.

EMC’s existing look—hard-edged and dark, typical of the industry—felt dated and was not ideally suited to the company’s focus on working with agency partners to help policyholders and communities thrive. Tenet designers created a warmer, more engaging visual identity, using an in-person workshop to help the EMC team get up close with the creative process.

As the amplified EMC brand was being prepared to launch externally, leadership understood that connecting with the internal audience was critically important, as they are the ones embodying the brand promise across all touchpoints.

The Tenet team knew that the employee training program would be most effective if delivered by the employees themselves. A Tenet-crafted “Brand Ambassador” train-the-trainer program tapped 60 uniquely qualified individuals across various geographies and areas of expertise to be the faces and voices of employee engagement throughout the organization.

It all came together at One EMC, an historic event at EMC headquarters. Through unique and memorable employee experiences, the team generated excitement, teamwork and a greater understanding of the amplified EMC brand.

OUTCOME

The new brand identity, Brand Ambassador program and One EMC event were hugely successful and popular with employees, serving to bring clarity about the company’s path forward and build genuine enthusiasm about EMC’s future.

“The collaborative partnership we had with the Tenet team resulted in a highly creative and impactful visual identity that further enhanced our broad strategy,” said EMC’s vice president of customer experience & marketing.