Stick or carrot? Two lessons on sustainability

After years of being on a one-woman mission to inspire sustainability, On Purpose Associate Lieke van Adrichem (October 2014), reflects on what it takes to be an individual or business that creates lasting social change.

My attempts to ‘encourage’ sustainable behaviour around me have had mixed success: being Dutch, I plainly point out to those around me that I disagree with their unsustainable lifestyles. No one dares eat a tuna salad in my vicinity anymore, however I find the remnants of secret tuna indulgence in the trash regularly (‘but you weren’t here so it didn’t matter!’). Over the last few months I have come to realise two things:

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Chickpea of the Sea — just as tasty as tuna but more sustainable[/caption]

Firstly, being sustainable is a genuine challenge when facing reality. I might have used a ‘stick’ to encourage people to change but whilst I learn about the constraints around legal structures; the limitations of traditional financial services and investment models, or about the uncertain social implications of sustainable and social business, I realise that even businesses with the best intentions are forced to make unsustainable choices. The space between business and traditional charities, which we explore during our training, can be restricted by inappropriate regulations not fitting the needs of the social enterprise sector. Quite simply: it’s often easier said than done to navigate business sustainably in these unchartered waters.

Secondly, my placement working in Marks and Spencer’s Plan A team has shown me how to get people involved in

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Engaging everyone in the supply chain is crucial to create sustainable ways of working[/caption]

sustainability who are not necessarily interested. M&S strives to be the world’s most sustainable retailer, which they can only be by involving their whole supply chain. Their award-winning Silver & Beyond programme celebrates best practice in sustainability, and ensures the less interested suppliers improve their ethical, environmental and lean standards as well if they want to continue supplying M&S. A pretty juicy carrot. Working on this programme has made me realise that I shouldn’t only scold tuna salad lovers but also promote alternatives that are just as tasty but more sustainable.

So here is my new approach: I will focus on finding innovative and attractive ways to make it easier, for people and businesses, to make sustainable decisions in a challenging world.

And if they still won’t do it, I’ll need to find another way to give them a gentle push.