Implementing Sustainability in Business

I am super privileged to be asked to write this article on Sustainability, as you can well imagine!

But thinking about it, as a true ‘tree-hugger’ at heart the scope is now so vast I’m not sure where to start from.

What I’m hoping to get out of this is for you all to think and know that this is possible and taking action on sustainability is really not out of your reach… And of course I am hoping to incorporate some fun into this huge issue.

Let’s start with defining what sustainability is in the simplest form and then narrowing it down to how you can make simple but impactful changes in your businesses.

Sustainability means:

• Meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
• Capable of being continued to a certain level.

It has 3 categories Environmental, Social and Economic impacts.

• Environmental - Biodiversity impacts.
• Social - People. How are the people in the business, community and supply chains affected by your business? Is your business polluting, is it employing locally or are you generating income to people locally because of where you are located.
• Economic – Profit. Your business plan should be evidence of being able to continue over time. That is where you need your various insurances and business continuity plans in place.

Sustainability is a not such a foreign concept to some of us if you think about, we’ve always done it! Growing up in Ghana for example, my mum always sent us to the market with a basket (usually bigger than we could carry). I can’t remember everywhere being strewn with plastic bags, those days because there weren’t as much! I also, remember us buying soft drinks (minerals, to those who know) only if you have empty bottles to exchange with.

The concept of Sustainability has always being there and although sometimes the word is a bit overused, understanding how to implement sustainability correctly and its impacts is a start in the right direction.

Todays article will focus on how to implement some simple tips into our business regardless of how small or large your business is, there is still scope for you to utilise these tips:

1. Set some clear goals - if a business is going to work, it must have a plan. Sustainability is no different. Define some clear goals, do you want to reduce carbon emissions through your suppliers or you want your business to have some form of ethical branding to it? Look at packaging;
2. Steady and Consistent Improvements - Sustainability is a journey rather than a destination. Small and consistent improvements over time is the easiest way to start. It could be something small as making it easier to recycle in your office. Have a water dispenser where staff can refill their bottles. Reducing travel by having virtual meetings; sustainable packaging and materials in any of your products.
3. Assure Sustainability in your Supply chain – No matter how good your own sustainability performance is, by associating yourself with supply chain shortcomings will damage the outcome. E.g. there are a lot of big clothing shops like Zara/ H&M who are now brandishing very shiny sustainability / CSR credentials however the labour they employ in Asia get paid next to nothing whiles work in very appalling environments. So you see how the picture does not make sense?
4. Allocate a resource to it – get someone to keep an eye on it if you want it to keep making progress. Keeping momentum is key and whiles you probably don’t need a full-time resource if you are starting out, having someone who is passionate about this , keep an eye out for improvements will also help in your business annual reporting and make you attractive to your investors.
5. Engage your Staff – business Sustainability includes your staff! Encourage recycling, active travel such as walking and cycling, reduction in use of plastic products in the office, paperless working etc. you will find that incentivising staff to get involved especially with a competitive edge builds morale and team spirit.

Ask them what they think can be done and how they will go about implementing it. You will be surprised at what they bring up. At the end of the day, it really is less complicated than you think. Don’t get overwhelmed!

Start somewhere, start anywhere, it is clearly better than not starting at all.

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