Even though it has been around for a while, sustainability is still a fairly new discipline compared to business management or food safety. Only in 2015, the United Nations established the 17 Development Sustainability development goals. Gone are the days when sustainability was a synonym for environmental impact reduction – in today's financial metrics, worker safety or consumer health and food security are pillars of comprehensive sustainability programs.
But how do you go about implementing or continuously improving a sustainability program in a small to medium-sized business without a full-time, experienced sustainability manager?
I found myself in exactly the same position. When I started at Select Harvests, one of Australia’s largest almond producers, I was tasked with developing a sustainability program, building on the excellent but less strategic and more ad hoc work that had been done previously. I had no technical background in sustainability but was eager to take on this challenge. Below is what I learned:
Sustainability Culture – Market Sustainability as an Opportunity, Rather than a “Tick the Box” Exercise
Sometimes, change is forced upon you through legislation. Sometimes, customer/retailer or not for profits will influence your sustainability journey. However, if done well, the economic benefit of innovation and change driven by sustainability will be your best selling point. The positive commercial effects of sustainability programs have been widely studied.
Without the appreciation and support of the wider business, your project is already doomed.
Establish a cross-functional sustainability committee – new product development, operations, finance, human resources, quality assurance, sales, and marketing.
Engage your team members – speak about sustainability during team meetings or town hall discussions
Engage your team members – speak about sustainability during team meetings or town hall discussions. Have your CEO talk about sustainability. Participate in local or national not-for-profit sustainability events, such as ‘Plant a Tree Day’ in Australia.
Consider having an SLT/GLT/Board sponsor – someone high up in the authority change to act as a figurehead for the project to show importance.
Data, Data, Data
Assess your current sustainability performance. What data do you have for carbon emissions, energy consumption, females in leadership positions, etc., and how can that data help you show weaknesses in your system? Perform a SWOT analysis – strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats a lack of sustainability can bring your business.
How do you benchmark against similar companies or direct competitors? What do they look for, and why should or shouldn’t you do the same?
Reading sustainability reports of businesses in your own country but also around the world to see what is out there is a great way to get a first idea of where to start.
Conduct a materiality assessment – consult internal and external stakeholders and map the importance of their preferred and significant sustainability initiatives (e.g. do consumers find healthy eating or water consumption reduction more important for your product?)
Develop your Strategy
Start with a mission and vision statement. You will not be able to do everything, so prioritize based on your materiality assessment which areas are of the highest importance.
As with any other strategy – a balance of impact vs. effort needs to be achieved. Understand and map the projects that will add a lot of value/have a high impact but will take a lot of resources and are very complex, vs. the quick wins with limited effect but low resource requirements. This will also make you understand potential money pit bets to avoid.
Set a Clear Action Plan and Establish Kpis
What does good performance look like? How are you tracking your sustainability journey? Without clear goals, roles and responsibilities and regular check-ins, your program will fail.
Having an official launch event or annual update with the business (from the board to the shopfloor worker) often has a great impact.
Reporting and Communication
Consider marketing your strategy and update: Is there any easy way to create a logo out of your business name and overall brand strategy? Do you have some creative minds that would like to get involved, even as a little competition to develop a logo? Often, consistent messaging can help you communicate effectively.
Accountability will drive change; consider reporting to your senior management team or board on a quarterly basis.
