What is a corporate sustainability program?
Corporate sustainability programs start with acknowledging the environmental, social and economic impact of your company’s operations. How your business handles food and paper waste to what kind of cleaning products are used to clean offices are some factors that affect your sustainability goals. The best part is that simple changes in product or process could have an enormous effect on the amount of waste generated throughout your company’s day-to-day operations.
When considering how each of these pillars is represented in company practice and processes, finding more sustainable approaches translates into actionable, quantifiable steps that should be outlined and shared with every employee in the company. Once these processes are set in place, these steps should become a widespread practice for everyone—from the CEO to interns and everyone in between. They should be communicated, respectfully enforced and part of an overall initiative to reduce consumption and waste.
Another way to look at these three pillars is in thinking of them as initiatives to be more compassionate toward the planet, people and profits. A free market society does not have to take advantage of resources or employees to turn a profit, so establishing green initiatives goes a long way in creating measurable change.
Let us look at how each can be broken down when working to implement a sustainability program that is achievable, ambitious, measurable, and makes a difference.
Your planet
The environment pillar reflects the company’s overall carbon footprint, water usage, packaging waste and land use practices that will affect the planet’s health. For example, installing recycling bins in the lunchroom or near copiers and committing to purchasing recycled materials for packaging represent actionable steps that can be implemented in your company’s overall sustainability plan.
The added benefit is that some steps your business can take toward greater environmental sustainability will result in long-term savings. For example, the reduction of packaging waste will help the planet while lowering your overhead costs for packing materials and shipping. Installing solar panels will cut your utility expenses significantly in the long term. These small but important steps will end up putting you in a better financial position for continued growth. It will also keep your investors attracted to your business outlook, keeping you ahead of the competition when it comes to smart business leadership in changing times.
Your people
The social pillar concerns how your employees are treated and their level of satisfaction with their work. This can be measured by offering a work-life balance, paid time off, vacation days, resources for mental health, health benefits, savings or retirement programs and much more. It can also be measured in the level of upward mobility given to your employees to allow them to advance in their position and increase their level of pay.
While your entire company’s sustainability program should include participation and feedback from your staff, this is one pillar in which you should categorically ask for their input. You might not be able to implement every idea suggested but taking the time to survey, compile and analyze what your employees are thinking will go a long way in achieving a more solid, productive team. You will inspire. You will motivate and show qualities of leadership that people look for in their careers.
In a broader sense, your company’s investments in the local and global community are also part of the social aspects of your sustainability program goals. This can include how much your company invests in the local community through sponsorship or development opportunities as well as supporting global initiatives to improve lives around the world. A company-wide baseball game to raise money for a local urban garden has the combined effect of connecting your company with the community and using ethical practices that model sustainability goals. On top of that, you and your employees will have fun doing it, and the resulting social media posts will show the effort you put toward making the world a better place for everyone.
Your business profits
This economic pillar represents the steps you need to take to ensure that your business will continue to make profits in the long-term without trampling on the first two pillars. In practice, it might include compliance, governance choices, risk management and sound fiscal policies that can survive disrupted markets or economic recessions.
Since sustainable practices also positively impact a company’s bottom line by reducing resource waste and improving productivity, the benefits of implementing them can be seen in increased profit margins and the support of investors. When leadership stays focused on sustainability, the well-being of their employees and their reputation within the community, shareholders will take notice and are acutely aware of the benefit these can bring.
Steps to creating a sustainability program
At the macro level, creating a successful sustainability program requires understanding your company’s impact on the environment and community. Then it requires forming actionable steps and achievable metrics. As Albert Einstein once said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them,” so well-defined initiatives and specific implementation plans are key to creating a sustainability program that will be practical and longstanding.
1. Make it collective
Employees, who find purpose in their jobs and believe they are contributing to the greater good, are the ones who stay. A recent study found that 70% of employees define their purpose through the work they do. When work provides meaning and energizes, the resulting higher levels of employee satisfaction mean increased productivity and retention. In short, it is a win/win outcome for everyone.
When you create a program focused on sustainability, you are sending the message that your business puts its people and purpose over profits. For a workforce traumatized by the pandemic disruptions that have only now started to show signs of easing off, the potential to work for an organization whose mission contains a higher purpose brings hope. Moreover, knowing that your company is ethical and cares about its impact on the global community is inspiring, which will always attract the best talent and retain those same people.
The pandemic also reminded employees that their personal and work lives should be more balanced than they were before coronavirus (COVID-19) became a common household word. That pandemic-related value realignment, in part, contributed to the great resignation, as employees began to increasingly search for work that contributed to those values.
This push toward what is best for the collective is an incentive for your staff to work harder as a team to achieve results. It is inspiring at the very least, with unlimited potential moving forward. In fact, 65% of employees across the United States, the UK, China, Germany and India want to work for a company that demonstrates a strong social or collective conscience. This kind of boost in motivation will reflect in every facet of your business and contribute to its growth, reputation and ability to retain high-quality employees.
2. Make it scientific
Saying you want to help the planet with your sustainability program goals is one thing. Defining, implementing and measuring those goals is something else entirely. That’s why applying science to make sure your goals are going to have a quantifiable impact should be your next step in creating a successful sustainability program for your company.
There are multiple online sources and third-party providers who can help you with this objective. For example, one WWF initiative helps businesses create a clearly-defined pathway with science-based steps they can take to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The United Nations also provides detailed action steps for companies to take to meet the 17 goals that will improve global health, reduce inequality and preserve the planet for future generations.
3. Make it comprehensive
If you are serious about making your company’s processes more sustainable and better for the environment, show it in your actions and do not let your sustainability goals become only words. Your employees will take notice of the effort and begin to prioritize sustainability in their day-to-day tasks. The good news is it does not have to be complicated, frustrating or expensive to make real change happen.
Here are a few comprehensive, actionable steps you can take to focus your sustainability strategy and show that your company is sincere about making a positive difference in the community and in the world:
Audit the cleaning and paper products your company uses. This should be factored in across every facility you operate. If you are not currently using sustainable products, or if your third-party cleaning service is not using them, buy a green brand or request it from your service provider. You can also ensure that concentrated solutions are used to cut down on plastic waste.
Contact your suppliers to see how they are promoting sustainability practices.Your company could end up guilty by association if your supply chain partners are not promoting the same sustainability practices that you plan to adopt. That’s why revisiting your supply chain partnerships is crucial in solidifying a sustainability program that is more than words. You can then reinforce your commitment to your shareholders and employees by communicating these changes.
Buy locally sourced products or from onshore supply chain partners. These decisions can significantly impact your company’s carbon footprint, especially if you buy from overseas companies that have to ship their products. While you might be saving on your costs, the impact on the environment could far outweigh the savings. As an added benefit, you will have greater control when supply chain disruptions occur during global economic instability.
Focus on energy-efficient manufacturing. This goal is about the details, ranging from choosing recycled packaging materials to cutting down on waste products that occur during the manufacturing process. If replacing an old machine or outdated equipment will have a significant impact on energy use for your company, look into federal initiatives that might help you with costs or repay through tax deductions.
Find ways to cut energy consumption. Commercial buildings account for 18% of U.S. primary energy use. This includes the the energy needed to heat and cool facilities, as well as lighting, computing and cooking. For manufacturers, it also includes the cost of running heavy machinery that could be outdated, and therefore eat up energy at much higher rates. The current numbers show a total of 13.6 quads of electricity being used and 826 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions being generated by corporations and businesses. The question isn’t about if you should start cutting consumption. It is about how much and when you plan to make the cuts.
Look at your overnight electricity use. Are you leaving lights on in the building after hours? Do your employees who open and close the business adjust the thermostat to use less energy overnight or over weekends? These are simple but importantsteps that can be added to your daily procedures to minimize electricity consumption and reduce your company’s overall carbon footprint and utility bill (as a bonus).
Be aware of the impact of preventative maintenance. Preventative maintenance, such as regularly scheduled checkups of heating, ventilation, air condition systems (HVAC)and duct work, can also contribute to lowering overall electricity use. Regularly changing filters and ensuring routine maintenance will keep your equipment running at maximum efficiency.
Optimize natural light. Tightly enclosed spaces in basement cubicles don’t give your staff the necessary natural light they need to stay energized, focused and healthy. And curtained offices replaced with full, natural light invites openness, transparency and trust.
4. Make it measurable
No initiative should be in words only. Measurable results show that your company is serious about committing to more sustainable practices. They also allow your marketing team to deliver the pertinent statistics on your company’s website.
When beginning your sustainability program, you will start by determining how your business contributes to global warming and catastrophic climate change. Then you can find ways to mitigate those practices to lower your overall carbon footprint.
A sustainability program that provides key performance indicators (KPIs) and clearly stated goals will earn the respect and trust of your employees, clients and supply chain partners. If there is no way to measure progress, your green initiatives will fall short of their intentions.
Ensure program sustainability for your green initiatives
The keys to creating and implementing a successful corporate sustainability program involve finding a plan that works for your company and sticking to it. When you are able to provide metrics for your program sustainability efforts, you not only build trust within your company and staff circles but also build a solid reputation for ethical practices that can become the foundation of a wildly successful marketing strategy.
A combination of mutual trust and cooperation is all that is needed for a corporate sustainability program to work. Combine that with metrics and you’ve found a winning formula that attracts talent and clients, while doing the world some good.
