Seven Ways to Increase the Sustainability of Your Business

Sustainability is one of today’s hottest business topics. The future of tomorrow depends on what your business does today. Today, companies that create a positive impact on the world around them will thrive over time. The same cannot be said for those that do not take their role as a business seriously and merely seek to make money from their investments. A sustainable business operates in a way that is sensible, and long-term and protects the resources it uses while still allowing it to grow and prosper in the future. Therefore, if you want your company to thrive tomorrow as much as it will tomorrow, then adopting a more sustainable approach is key to ensuring this happens. In this article, you will learn seven ways you can increase the sustainability of your business so that it thrives in the future...

Create a vision and roadmap for the future

The first thing you need to do to massively increase the sustainability of your business is to create a vision and roadmap for the future. The vision is the big picture of where you want your company to be in the future. The roadmap is the detailed plan of how you are going to get there. The vision of your business should be something that inspires hope and desire for the future. Something that inspires your employees to work harder and be more considerate. The vision for your business can be anything from a simple goal of reducing your carbon footprint by a certain percentage of the world’s total CO2 emissions, to a desire to be a leading player in the field of renewable energy by 2027. Likewise, the roadmap for your business should be a detailed visualisation of how you are going to get from here to there. It should be a plan that details every aspect of your business, from how you are going to source your raw materials, how you are going to produce your products and how you are going to distribute them.

Assessing your core values

You can never fully understand the sustainability of your business unless you know what it is you are trying to achieve. To be more sustainable, your business must have core values that guide its actions. To find these values, assess your business holistically to identify what is most important to you as an individual and as a business. At the core of your business’ values should be a commitment to sustainability.

Walk the talk

Business leaders often say they aspire to create a sustainable future. The problem is many businesses do not walk the talk. They say they want to be sustainable, but in practice, they are not. You walk the talk when you demonstrate a genuine commitment to sustainability through your actions. You walk the talk when you set an example for others to follow. You walk the talk when you are willing to put in the time and effort to learn about sustainable business practices, so you can share your knowledge with others.

Invest in training and employee development

Most employees want to work for a company that supports sustainable practices, but few of them are ready to jump ship from their current jobs and take a chance on a new company. If you want to increase the sustainability of your business, you need to invest in training and employee development. Training and development are key to increasing the sustainability of your business. You can only be as good as the people working for you. And if these people are not up to speed on sustainable business practices, then they will not be able to help you achieve your vision.

Communicate with your employees

One of the best ways to increase the sustainability of your business is to communicate your vision and goals with your employees. Your staff want to know what you have already achieved and how you plan on being more sustainable. Creating a Corporate Social Responsibility report is a great way to start. Visual nudges are also a great way to get staff to consider their sustainability. This can include posters explaining the positive impact on the environment of biking to work instead of taking the car. Communication is not just a one-way street, your staff need to be involved in the conversation and generate their own ideas.

Offset your carbon

Did you know you can offset your company’s carbon emissions? If you are a business that makes a lot of its products using natural resources, like paper, you can offset these emissions by purchasing carbon credits from an organisation that invests in projects that are reducing CO2 emissions. This may involve a carbon calculator to quantify the amount of carbon produced across your whole company, alternatively, you can start with just calculating the carbon on the transport of shipped goods, which is far easier to calculate.

Incorporate sustainable businesses and social enterprises into your supply chain

If you want to increase the sustainability of your business, you ca not leave out your suppliers. Every company in the world has a social impact, whether positive or negative. This impact is influenced by the owners, employees or investors of a business. If you want to create a more sustainable future, you have to incorporate social enterprises into your supply chain. When you do this, the social impact of your business is felt by the community around you. And this can have a huge impact on your company’s sustainability. You can start by looking at the suppliers you already use for electricity, coffee, and stationary and swap them for a sustainable alternative. This Christmas when choosing your corporate Christmas gift, opt for a social enterprise gift hamper from Social Stories Club, filled with social enterprise products.

Final Words

The world’s best companies are increasingly focusing on sustainability as a core component of their strategy. Some are even going further and incorporating environmental, social, and governance issues into their operations. However, many businesses have yet to fully embrace the significance of sustainability. To make an impact, they need to find new ways to reduce their carbon footprint and improve their use of renewable energy. Sustainability is not a fad. It’s a critical component of business success in the future. And, it’s something you can implement in your company to help it thrive.