Aidan Bell takes a look at what the business world can do for a long-term sustainable future
With the 2021 UN climate change conference scheduled to be held in Glasgow in the UK in November 2021, it is understandable that many businesses are looking at their own environmental credentials.
With only 10 years left to prevent irreversible damage from climate change, there is a requirement for strict legislation and funding incentives to go green.
‘But what happens if we don’t do that?’
To answer the question, if warming temperatures exceed 1.5°C, strong storms, rising sea levels, mass extinction and water scarcity are just several environmental reactions to be expected. These detrimental changes are mostly irreversible and will impact everyone and everyone’s wallet. It is predicted that the sheer cost of climate change would be the equivalent of two Covid-19 pandemics a year by 2050.
Legislation is the biggest driving factor when it comes to delivering the goal within a business, due to most businesses only being able to operate within the scope of shareholder value. However, that being said, all businesses must commit to sustainable change in order to secure a future where business can continue to thrive. And it is always better to start planning for these changes before being pushed by the government.
On a more positive note, having strong environmental ratings is great for business. You may have noticed the mass of environmentally based adverts circulating at the moment, from Amazon to innocent Drinks, big businesses know that being sustainable, or at least being perceived as sustainable is key in maintaining their customer base. This trend shows no sign of slowing down as the average consumer has become more environmentally conscious.
Consumers are increasingly concerned about the ethical ramifications of their products and will increasingly expect brands to forge the way towards destination net zero. Google announced last year that searches for ‘zero waste’ were growing six times faster than ‘sustainability’.
Additionally, ‘eco friendly’ queries grew by more than 200%. This represents a huge potential for a business to win more customers by selling sustainable products – if it can be matched by quality.
Sustainability also could positively affect your workforce. Having sustainable values is becoming more important when attracting talent. Millennials are quickly becoming the largest section of the workforce, a study carried out by Fast Company showed that nearly 40% of millennials have chosen a job because of company sustainability and most millennials would take a pay cut to work at an environmentally responsible company.
So, in short, adopting environmental standards is good for business.
How can businesses become more sustainable?
As a business, you need to understand that environmental standards come in many forms, from reducing waste, to recycling to reducing your company’s carbon potential. All of these are great to pursue, some will have more impact than others. Some important questions you can ask yourself are:
- How can you build circularity into your business model, whether that is reducing packaging waste, using recycled & recyclable materials, using greener delivery methods or extending the life cycle of your product?
- How can you ensure that your sustainability efforts aren’t interpreted as tokenism, but that they align strongly to your brand’s core values? How can you make sustainability a core part of your brand’s mission?
- How is your brand prepared for the future consumer who will also be assessing the environmental credentials of your products? Where is the evidence to back this up?
Once you have answered these questions then you can move onto action. Make sure you bring it into your monthly strategy, have sustainability targets alongside your financial and HR targets and build it into your companies’ quarterly business plan. Communication is key – be ambitious, launch it to everyone in the business so they can also keep you accountable.
Some jumping off points
Establish an environmental council or at least add it into your strategy
If the leadership team are able to lead by example and create a sustainable culture at the top, this will then trickle down into all aspects of the business and have the greatest impact on employees. At EnviroBuild we’re lucky enough to be on a mission-led business so our shareholders care more about that than just ROI. Gain feedback from the rest of the business, outside of production, are there any major sustainability holes in your plan?
Life cycle analysis
One of the most important things you can do is assess they actual impact of your business. If you are a product-based business then seriously consider completing a life cycle analysis. This will give you the actual carbon impact of your production line. The process itself can identify areas in which you can improve, it is important to know how green you are.
Carbon offset schemes
Additionally, a popular new ‘work perk’ emerging is a carbon offset scheme. Becoming carbon neutral or negative by paying for others to reduce emissions or absorb CO2 to compensate for your own emissions. For example, planting trees to suck carbon out of the atmosphere as they grow.
Please note that although paying to reduce carbon emissions is a good thing, planting trees can’t replace slashing carbon emissions.
Plastic audit
Look into conducting a plastic audit either yourselves or with the help of an organisation. Even in a more eco-conscious workspace, you’ll be surprised by how much plastic is consumed day-to-day. For example, stationary orders and desk bins are easy wins to cut down on, as well as encouraging staff to bring in their own food at lunchtime in reusable containers, making use of your kitchen’s cutlery. Wax wraps, made of beeswax, are a sustainable alternative to cling film and kitchen foil and can be washed and reused before eventually composting.
Reward sustainable behaviour
More people relied on their cars during the pandemic, which although understandable has led to a move away from public transport which is the more sustainable option. A recent survey by Campaign for Better Transport found that cars will take precedence over public transport post-Covid-19. Initiatives such as a ‘cycle to work’ scheme, where employers fully or partially cover the cost of a bike can help to reduce your company’s carbon footprint. We’ve seen a huge uptake of the scheme at EnviroBuild, with as much as 30% of our workforce choosing to cycle in.
Looking ahead
Although the responsibility for monumental change lies with governments, businesses can also play a crucial role in pushing forward the sustainability agenda. Although banning plastic straws from the office will not solve climate change, it’s not a bad place to start.
Dr Aidan Bell is Co-founder of sustainable construction company EnviroBuild
