3 Easy Steps to Make Your Business More Sustainable
Even if you are not producing eco-friendly retail or selling natural organic soap, you can still embrace sustainability. And it’s much easier than you think. In fact, it all comes down to three simple steps:
1. Pick SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) that speak to you
Choose goals that you genuinely care about and that can be naturally aligned with your business model. For example, the “Zero Hunger” goal could work well at a food-related company. You can start with picking one goal, but we recommend choosing three or more.
Then, make sure to include those goals in your corporate vision — this way they can serve as a motivational guide if you are not sure where to go next.
2. Think big, start small
Now that your long-term vision has been defined, it’s time to think about what you can actually do to achieve those goals. A good idea is to make a brainstorming session with your team members where everyone can suggest activities and assign them to a specific goal.
These were the results of our first sustainability brainstorming session at Avanssion:
Interestingly enough, our sustainability planning has helped us develop our Haxning Enterprise programme, which has now become essential in our business strategy. Sometimes, corporate social responsibility can bring truly transformative and unexpected benefits.
3. Celebrate your victories
Going sustainable is a long journey and you will almost surely make some mistakes along the way. So it’s important to take some time to reflect and celebrate the things that are, in fact, going well. My teammates and I have decided to set up monthly meetings where we can enjoy good food and talk about sustainable activities we have achieved in the past month. It has gradually become our favourite form of social gathering.
Many businesses are also creating employee benefit systems that are helpful for establishing a culture of sustainability, such as energy efficient transportation incentives. Facebook, for example, is offering $10,000 to employees who are willing to relocate closer to their main campus. Transportation is one thing we don’t need to worry about at Avanssion, as we are operating 100% remotely!
One last tip: embrace change. Don’t stick to the decisions you made the year before and keep exploring new possibilities to create value in a responsible way. Look out for improvements in your strategy and allocate resources for your goals.
