5 Ways to Make Your Business Sustainable

A business can either fail or succeed. Its outcome greatly depends on the consistency of the business in social, financial and environmental aspects. The ability to make your business sustainable comes from the effort of these three elements. In addition, we place the focus on the environmental aspects as your business’ sustainability depends on how eco-friendly it really is.

What is Sustainability in Business?

In order for a business to be consistent, it needs to assemble traction right from the start. With steady traction going forward you can make your business sustainable. A setback here and there is completely normal, as long as it’s not a full stop. For example, we can apply the automobile analogy here. When a car is going uphill, it requires a good speed start and a steady pace to reach the top. If the driver breaks frequently, it will need twice the energy to start over and get back to the steady pace at which it was initially going. In order to have your business be eco-friendly, you require a steady pace so that it can eventually create regular results. Sustainability is basically consistency. Consequently, it is the key ingredient to any type of success.

Make Your Business Sustainable

Follow these green tips and tricks to make your business eco-friendly.

Lists of tips and tricks are always beneficial and easy to follow. Below we list various ways to make your business sustainable:

  • Be in sync with your business mission.
  • Revise your business plan and highlight where you can do better.
  • Integrate green resources into your every-day business.
  • Keep up with the evolving technology.
  • Spread the environmental initiatives outside of your business.

Believe in Sustainability

As we mentioned above, effort and consistency are essential for business success. First and foremost, you have to believe in what you are doing. Also, believe that your business mission is efficient. Conducting business at a 50% energy level is basically the same as not trying at all. Number one on the list of tips and tricks states that you should be in sync with your business mission. If you understand why it is important and necessary to create value, then you can make your business sustainable.

Sustainable Business Plan

With a business mission comes a good business plan. Moreover, when you are trying to make your business more sustainable, it is a good idea to go to your original business plan. Review it, study it, and highlight the areas where you can implement more green steps in your daily operations. Look at your numbers and conclude whether you can smoothly accomplish the transition into a sustainable business. Ensure you have a firm plan of action and an objective. It will be that much simpler to share it with your employees and spread this positive change.

Go Green Daily

Take into consideration your daily business operations and performance, and let’s apply some alternative options. For example, the first on the list could be your supply chain. Evaluate it in order to figure out whether your business could rely on green energy as a means of power for your production plant. Also, can you switch to plastic when manufacturing your goods? Utilising green energy and plastic in your day to day business system would be a great start to make your business more sustainable. In addition, we eliminate the excess waste and unnecessary usage of harmful operations, while benefiting our business and community.

Meanwhile, take a look at your space of work and think about the changes you can apply there. Encourage everyone at the office to recycle. By recycling every day, your business becomes eco-friendlier as it reduces overall pollution that the waste causes. Maybe even come up with a weekly reward system for your employees so that the habit of recycling picks up quicker. Sometimes people need a bit of a push to implement changes, so why not positively influence your colleagues! Finally, this green initiative will also save you money, as you will be spending less on energy supply. Another way for your business to save money is to make your commercial relocation cheap, which will free up your budget for more important things.

Meanwhile, if you are using halogen or incandescent light bulbs, switch to LEDs. They require a smaller amount of energy usage while lasting longer. Moreover, if you are thinking of completely moving offices and starting fresh, that could be an option as well. Work around your business address and analyse where you could save money. Do your research and find a reliable moving company such as usantini.com.

Evolving Technology – Keep Up!

The 21st century is a digital sphere. Online businesses have been growing in numbers in the last couple of years, and if you do not have an online presence, your business might as well be out of the game completely. Nowadays, it is crucial to have an online platform. By being present online, you are multiplying your reach to international levels. In addition, by being more digital, you are minimising the negative effects on our environment and maximising the sustainability of your business.

Sustainable Business = Sustainable Community

Start in your office and continue throughout your whole business infrastructure. However, don’t stop there. Take the initiative to motivate your employees to implement these new habits at home as well. If we take the time to spread the implementation of more green culture in our lives, we can truly have a positive effect on our society and environment. Once people become more conscious of green initiatives at home, they are more likely to implement the same at work.

Work in Progress

A successful strategy to make your business more sustainable also means understanding that it is a big step. Things won’t simply change overnight, but it doesn’t mean they won’t change for the better. With a solid plan of action, a smart strategy, and a powerful presentation, your business can undoubtedly become more sustainable. Sometimes, the greatest impacts require multiple approaches. Make your ideas loud, visualise your mission and inspire others to implement all of these eco-friendly policies wherever they are. All in all, applying all these beneficial changes throughout your business will greatly affect society, our environment and each and every one of us.


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In Australian first, two schools powered solely by green energy.

Two schools’ classrooms in NSW will be powered solely by renewable energy, taking them off the grid and teaching students about sustainability.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and federal government are providing $370,000 in funding to St Christopher’s Catholic Primary School in Holsworthy and Dapto High School to trial a 100 per cent renewable power and smart technology program in their new classrooms.

Known as the Hivve, the modular classrooms – which are fully air-conditioned – integrate solar photovoltaic panels and real-time energy and air quality monitoring to generate energy and control their own usage.

These classrooms will have a potential net energy generation of 7,600-kilowatts per year. Photo: Janie Barrett

According to ARENA, these classrooms will have a potential net energy generation of 7600-kilowatts per year,  producing enough to also power other classrooms.

The data from the classrooms, which will be collected from a range of meters and sensors installed in the rooms, allows the school to manage their own energy demand and usage via dashboards.

St Christopher’s Principal Tony Boyd said the school and the students are excited about the program.

“It’s an exciting prospect where schools can be a generator of electricity,” Mr Boyd told Fairfax Media.

“We hope it’s self-sustaining in its power usage and an effective learning space, more so, we hope to use it to tie-in with the kid’s science education and learning about sustainability.”

Published by The Sydney Morning Herald, continue reading here.

Lessons from Sweden in Sustainable Business

There is an increasing trend among companies across the globe to report on their sustainability. As well as information on the company’s economic performance, this includes information on how it is handling social, ethical and environmental concerns. It is a trend driven by customers, suppliers, employees and banks in recognition that these are just as important elements of any business.

Often, the level of information provided by companies is criticised for being inadequate. But my recent research into Swedish companies shows that the quality of information does appear to be increasing. It also shows what areas are in need of further improvements to make this practice worthwhile.

Lessons from Sweden in Sustainable Business | Sustainability in Business

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For years Swedish companies have been regarded as among the best in corporate communication – in general and in sustainability reporting in particular. Their excellence in disclosing information on their performance on the sustainability arena is confirmed in both academic research and comprehensive reports like major accountancy firm KPMG’s on global sustainability trends.

Until recently, whether or not a company reported on its sustainability was voluntary in most countries. But from the financial year 2017, a new EU directive requires every so-called “public interest entity” to report on the social and environmental impact of its business model.

Having recently studied sustainability reports from the 30 largest listed Swedish companies over the period 2008-2015, there’s a lot to be learned from them. It includes household names like retailer H&M, telecomms company Ericsson and car maker Volvo. It makes clear that big and profitable companies can be more accountable when it comes to sustainability reporting.

None of these companies is perfect. My research shows that they too are learning all the time when it comes to their sustainability reporting. Over the seven-year period that I looked at, the information goes from being quite brief and general to more elaborate and detailed.

This is an increasingly important part of demonstrating business ethics. In these sustainability reports companies communicate how they take responsibility for their impact on society. This is done by disclosing their efforts to integrate social, environmental and ethical concerns into their business practices.

Most importantly, my research shows that Sweden’s biggest companies have started to integrate sustainability into their business models. Volvo’s business model is built on three pillars: economic, social and environmental. This holds true for large companies that you may not have heard of too. Take Assa Abloy – it’s the world’s largest lock manufacturer and has a market cap of US$22.6 billion. In its business model, sustainability is accentuated in all processes from innovation and product development to logistics and sales.

This was originally published by The Conversation.

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Does Sustainability Communications Have To Be So Boring?

In the earnest, fact-based world of sustainability communications there is no room for spin, but companies need to be brave enough to talk about failure, says PR agency boss Lou Hoffman.

Companies hate talking about their failures, especially when it comes to sustainability. But being open about their weaknesses as well their achievements might help firms avoid one of the biggest corporate communications sins: being boring.

This was the advice offered by public relations veteran Lou Hoffman, president and chief executive officer of San Jose-based global tech PR firm The Hoffman Agency, who for 30 years has managed the reputations of the likes of global business giants such as Google, Avaya, Brother and Fuji Xerox.

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“Dullness comes from a combination of the lexicon of your company and corporate speak,” Hoffman told an audience during a session on storytelling techniques at media and marketing conference Mumbrella360 Asia in Singapore last week.

Companies also come across as uninteresting when they brag about their achievements, and “bang people over the head” with boastful content that turns readers off, said Hoffman, whose agency has published a report on the obstacles PR professionals in Asia face in creating good content.

He added: “I don’t know when it happened, but companies now have the attitude that ‘I paid for it [an agency to produce content], so I get to say whatever I want.’ Yes, that’s true. But don’t you want to say something that people care about, and journalists may want to write about?”

Hoffman acknowledged that in the dry, cautious world of sustainability, the tone of conversation companies take is usually “clinical and academic,” and with good reason—setting the record straight on environmental and social matters requires a steady voice and is no time for spin.

But talking about failure in the public domain allows the company to “be its own ombudsman” and review its own progress in dealing with difficult issues if they arise in future, he said.

By talking about what has gone wrong, a company can at least establish a public record, and “deposit goodwill in the karma bank,” he added. By talking about what has gone wrong, a company can garner goodwill from the public for being honest, transparent, and accountable, he explained.

This was originally published by Eco Business.

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Sense in Sustainability: the Changing Focus for Boards

Sustainability has become more than a trendy buzzword in business in the past few years as an increasing number of companies are putting it at the centre of their strategies.

Sense in Sustainability: the Changing Focus for Boards

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Boards are waking up to the fact that there is more to a sustainably run business than eco-friendly behaviour. They are seeing the broader picture and shifting to a business model that takes more responsibility for all stakeholders—including employees and supply chains—and focuses on efficient, cost-effective operational strategies that can help boost the bottom line.

In the UN Global Compact–Accenture Strategy CEO Study carried out last year, 87% of global chief executives said the goals triggered a rethink on approaches to sustainability (see box, below). And nearly half (49%) agreed that the role of business was vital to achieving the UN goals.

Evolution of views

George Dallas, head of policy at the International Corporate Governance Network—led by investors responsible for more than $26trn of assets—points to an evolution in the way companies and investors view sustainability.

“In the past, sustainability was seen more as a separate CSR [corporate social responsibility] silo but now boardroom conversations are focusing on this,” he says.

Over the past decade a number of factors have driven the shift. Among these are environmental disasters, climate change, an increasing exposure of abuse of labour rights, particularly in supply chains, and inequality of opportunity, forcing companies to improve their governance and responsibility. “These issues can no longer be avoided,” Dallas says.

Public and investor anger at the controversial Dakota Access oil pipeline in the US with regard to  violating human and environmental rights, and the scandal at Volkswagen, the German car maker caught cheating over diesel emissions, make sharp lessons for any board. The reputational damage that can follow malpractice and irresponsible behaviour is also pushing risk management to the top of the boardroom agenda.

This was originally published by Board Agenda.

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