Sustainability is the topic of the moment, as the reality of the climate disaster continues to set in on a global level. Public opinion has shifted in the last two decades, with the majority of people supporting sustainability measures – and willing to do so with their money and their feet. As such, sustainability is a real concern for businesses hoping to secure their own longevity. ‘Going green’ could be a financially advantageous move as well as a societal one, but how might your business approach sustainability?

Set Effective Targets

In order to make any active headway in improving your business’ sustainability, you first need to set some actionable milestones – which means understanding your business’ current operation, and understanding the mechanisms by which it can be altered. A strong way to approach this is via ESG strategy. ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance, and concerns the alignment of a business’ ethos and direction with effective and progressive ambition.

ESG is used as a framework through which to ensure positive real-world impacts in addressing key pressure points between businesses and the world they inhabit; the ‘E’ part covers the environmental costs a business incurs, and the responsibilities it inherits both locally and nationally. For example, one target might relate to evidence gathered regarding a manufacturer’s impact on local ecosystems, with a target set being to oversee local natural redevelopment to a specific degree by a milestone period of time.

Reduce Energy Consumption

In terms of direct and immediate action to improve business sustainability, there are some infrastructural changes that can make a major difference. For businesses that own their premises outright, improving said premises to reduce their energy consumption is an excellent place to start. Offices can be made more efficient through the installing of insulation, which reduces heat loss and hence reduces reliance on heating or air conditioning systems.

Another way a business might address their energy consumption is through generating their own energy. Biomass boilers have grown in popularity recently, but do not address the potential impact of carbon particulates, byproducts of the burning. Solar panels are the most common and most efficient choice,

Address Your Supply Chain

Your business’ sustainability index is not limited to internal operations and operational decisions. Your sustainability can also be informed by the network of suppliers, distributors and otherwise partners with which you operate. Your internal milestones for reducing emissions could be hindered or even negated by the pollutive actions of a supplier to whom you provide a large amount of business.

Performing an audit of the businesses with which you work, to discover the extent of their own sustainability commitments and the size of their carbon footprint, can be a useful way to identify weak links. Using this information, you can forge a path forward with new partnerships, selecting and preferring organisations that align with yours in terms of sustainability. This might mean shifting approach to product and service design, in order to accommodate greener materials or services.