The term sustainability has been claimed by many leaders and politicians to be responsible for being a good person and company, doing social welfare, taking action on climate change, etc.

No wonder that many people feel that sustainability seems vague, comes with extra costs and taxes or they think of it as a new trend that will take its time. Sustainability can be complicated if you are putting plans in place to deliver on the programs that deliver on the strategies for a complex concept.

Time to simplify the process with this first question:

“Do you wonder if your company is ready for the future”?

 CEO’s today have to manage many challenges as markets are evolving at an unmatched rate:

  • How do I save costs in my energy consumption; how do I adapt my manufacturing into lean and flexible operations?
  • How do I deal with the increased scarcity of materials and resources and what about our company’s waste?
  • How do I deal with consumers who push for ethical products and companies?
  • How do I attract and keep skilled employees and make sure they stay productive, motivated and avoid burnouts?
  • How do I continue to add value for our shareholders and stakeholders and how do we deal with fast-growing regulation and mandatory reporting?

Many times we deal with these issues one by one; often in separate divisions or silos. This results in a muddle of unlinked projects and strategies and inefficiency with little or no consensus from all stakeholders. A tough case for sustainability professionals to get commitment and resources for their projects.

Companies that embrace sustainability, tackle most of the issues and, at the same time, seize new business opportunities!

These companies have convinced skeptical shareholders, go beyond greenwashing – they incorporate business goals and innovation into their entire chain of production, enabling break-through results.

Their marketing managers are able to build new and attractive brands based on long-term, rigorous sustainability measures which mean business.

Developing a sustainability plan is not simple, but it can be made easy if you start with a master framework, a new structure and systematic blueprint, that offers a companywide approach and gets everyone involved and committed.

This framework already exists and has a name: the UN Sustainable Development Goals- framework. It is based on 17 goals or boxes and covers all aspects of the challenges companies face today.

The huge advantage of this plan is that it provides everyone with clear guidelines and how to follow them.

  • Firstly, this means your goals remain consistently applied by all involved
  • Secondly, it helps you define short, medium and long-term strategies

Lastly, it helps you communicate a strategy to attract and make the best use of financial, innovative and human resources. And to get buy-in from your management, colleagues, employees, partners, stakeholders, and of course, also your customers.

———————————-

Interested in reading more on this topic; listen to Andrew Winston, writer of the bestseller ‘The Big Pivot’ – new thinking for businesses. 

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *