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Each year on Earth Day, April 22, people around the world celebrate while bringing recognition to the current environmental challenges. While there are many options for taking actions to benefit the health of the planet, one of the most important actions for organizations may be to focus on a sustainability strategy that addresses material environmental issues. By doing so, organizations can adopt strategies to minimize their own environmental footprint while supporting the health the well-being of their communities.
Sustainability strategies must incorporate four main sustainability criteria – Environment, Operating Practices, Products and Services, and Community. These criteria form the basis for their respective metrics (air emissions, water use, waste generation, etc. as part of the Environment criterion) that require programs to be developed to ensure their improvement. The Environment criterion is foundational to a sustainability strategy and affects the implementation and results of the other three criteria.
While all organizations impact the Environment in one way or another, the degree to which it is impacted can be mitigated through carefully planned management of direct and indirect effects. The Environment includes a wide range of metrics such as water consumption, waste discharge, air emissions, etc. depending on an organization’s sector. It is important to identify appropriate indicators to measure, either quantitatively or qualitatively, how well a program is performing with respect to its chosen metrics in order to not only identify the benefits to the organization itself but also the Community. Examples can include amounts of water recovered or reused, waste diverted from landfills, or air emissions minimized in relation to volatile organic compounds which can only contribute to Community wellbeing. Beyond the ethical reasons for assuming responsibility in this way, an organization’s profile within the Community can be strengthened by their commitment to the health and well-being of the community members. The organization’s bottom line can also be positively impacted by reduced costs due to improved energy and water use, and waste minimization as well as from rebates and incentives that may be available such as for the use of alternative fuels and renewable energy, construction of energy efficient buildings, and incorporating recycled materials into production.
Setting a good foundation with the environmental aspects of a sustainability program is also key to achieving the other dimensions of sustainability. For example, it would be difficult to fully realize achievements within the criterion of Operating Practices, which involves ethical behavior, occupational health and safety, and human rights, while neglecting the condition of the Environment leading directly to the health and well-being of employees, their safety in the work place and Community.
Environmental considerations are also deeply engrained in the Products and Services Sustainability Criterion. Metrics such as life cycle considerations and responsible sourcing go hand in hand with protecting the Environment due to reduction of environmental impacts from material and the management of the eventual disposal or repurposing of material.
Community metrics such as community development and philanthropy can have a meaningful impact when there is a focus on the environment, especially when examined from the perspective of an organization’s impact on the environment and its stakeholders’ priorities.
In 2015, the United Nations established 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for all countries to work towards to secure a sustainable future. By developing a sustainability strategy, organizations can commit to their own pursuit of these goals through the metrics they monitor. In aligning their goals with the global SDGs, organizations can demonstrate they are onboard with the worldwide movement towards a sustainable future. Global Compact Network Canada honors this kind of work through their annual SDG Leadership Awards where organizations such as Manulife, Wateraid, and Matrix 360 were all recognized in 2019 for their work in advancing the 17 SDGs.
These SDGs can be correlated to metrics across all four of the sustainability criteria mentioned above – Environment, Operating Practices, Products and Services, and Community. For example, in working with the metrics for the Environment category, indicators of energy metrics such as fossil fuel, electricity or steam consumption and renewable energy, can correspond to the following SDG – #7 Affordable and Clean Energy, #8 Decent Work and Economic Growth, #12 Responsible Consumption and Production, and #13 Climate Action. While metrics established for the four criteria may be unique to the relevant issues of a particular organization, most metrics will correspond to the aims of the SDGs.
Creating and managing a corporate sustainability strategy can be a challenge. Organizations need to not only identify and prioritize which metrics and indicators are relevant (i.e., material) to their operations but also manage them in a way that will enable continual improvement, to have a positive impact. As people around the world bring recognition to the Environment for Earth Day, now is the perfect time to make a commitment to do more.
Although it may seem difficult to initiate or further develop your organization’s sustainability strategy, it doesn’t have to be. Tavares Group Consulting has developed Staarsoft®, a digital version of its Sustainability Toolkit, to help organizations plan, implement, manage, and report on their sustainability programs and overall strategy. From identifying metrics and indicators to reporting on progress, Staarsoft® can provide sustainability solutions for organizations of any size or sector.
Contact us for more information on our sustainability approach, consulting and a demo of our Staarsoft® software.