Embarking on the sustainability journey requires a change of mindset from everyone in the organisation. For any company to adopt a long-term integrated sustainability strategy, a top-down approach would be the preferred starting point. Top management needs to evaluate options, decide what to focus on and develop a strategy.
"Small actions can make a big difference" - Unilever's sustainability slogan. Sustainability in a company is a top-down approach and employees are your internal stakeholders. To drive a sustainable agenda and truly integrate it into the ethos of the organisation, companies can consider the following points:
* Define the purpose:
Clearly articulate the purpose of the sustainability agenda and what you hope to achieve. This will help employees stay focused and aligned on the goals.
* Communicate progress:
Regularly communicate the progress of the sustainability initiatives to the employees and encourage everyone to get involved in these activities.
* Analyse social KPIs:
Regularly assess the progress of your sustainability initiatives and make adjustments where necessary. Consider which KPIs, such as employee retention, productivity, and overall employee engagement, should be tracked alongside sustainability initiatives and their impact on the costs. This will help ensure that your efforts are having the desired impact and that your organisation remains on track for sustainability.
* Incentivise:
Employees are the backbone of any business. Every employee action counts. Celebrate the successes by linking these actions to a reward system within the organisation. This will help keep everyone motivated and engaged in the effort. It will also ensure that the effort is not just a one-off activity, but a continuous improvement over time.Enable and incentivise team leaders to be sustainability champions, establish communication channels within the respective business functions and teams.
* Create a sense of belonging:
Helping employees see the business case for operating in a more sustainable way is not always easy, but it is critical. Create a dual mindset among the employees about 'doing good' and 'doing well' through the company’s long-term purpose, values and transparent communication.
23% higher profitability
for companies with a highly engaged workforce
(Gallup)
14% higher productivity
for companies with a highly engaged worforce
(Gallup)
TMI resources and solutions:
- Employees Engagement, Development and Training
Articles:
- HBR - How to talk to your CFO about sustainability
- Stanford Social Innovation Review - Engaging Employees to Create a Sustainable Business
- HBR - How to Make Sustainability Every Employee’s Responsibility
Green Nudge is a social enterprise that supports businesses and communities to achieve positive environmental impact through activities such as coastal cleanups and workshops, outreach talks and sustainability consulting. By raising awareness and co-creating call-to-actions with various stakeholders on sustainability efforts, Green Nudge aims to create a normative shift in the way we create and deal with waste to achieve a low carbon, zero waste future for Singapore.
South Pole has been at the forefront of decarbonization since 2006, developing and implementing comprehensive strategies that turn climate action into long-term business opportunities for Fortune 500 companies, governments and organizations around the world.
South Pole is more than a consultancy, its team of 1,200+ experts have developed projects, as well as designed innovative tools across finance, climate neutral APIs, and carbon offset solutions to help clients reach their carbon mitigation and Net Zero goals.
To date South Pole has worked with over 1,000 clients, and will soon have developed 800 offset projects across 30 offices globally.
Our solutions have created tens of thousands of jobs in developing countries, hundreds of millions of dollars for business, improved brand value and better living and working conditions for countless people in vulnerable communities around the world.
SustainableSG was started in September 2018 to accompany companies, non-profit entities and government agencies to review and implement effective and sustainable corporate strategies. Our services include:
Sustainao supports companies in their sustainability journey by building an impactful strategy, embedding sustainable practices across operations, and reporting performance to stakeholders.
Our sustainability consulting services are designed in a continuous improvement process:
At Tulyā, we are accredited sustainability consultants holding certifications in GRI, SASB and TCFD (now IFRS-ISSB), and ISO 14064 GHG Lead Verifiers, alongside being Singapore Certified Management Consultants. We are dedicated to driving sustainable business development across industries through Sustainable Management Accounting.
We help MNCs with:
We help SMEs with:
