Can we see the potential?

When it comes to environmental or sustainable policy, it seems to me that businesses are making the same initial mistakes that they did when the internet first became available. At that time everyone rushed to create a website and packed it full of information, but failed to develop a strategy or to appreciate that the web could fundamentally change the way they worked.

Within just 10 years the internet became an integral and essential element in even the smallest business. Today we take it for granted and wonder how we ever managed without it.

Are businesses now doing the same when it comes to the environment? Do they simply send someone put together a document filled full of information, make a brief announcement and leave it on a server somewhere? ‘Job done’, boxes ticked. In many cases it appears so.

The environment or sustainability or whatever phrase you want to use, if assimilated properly, influences the strategy and business plan and in all probability requires shift in corporate culture if real and positive changes are to be achieved.

Like the web, the issue of the environment isn’t going away and anyone who thinks it is just a short-term fad is kidding themselves. It’s relevance to all organizations may not be clear today but, like the web, in just a few years time it will have become embedded in the way the most dynamic organizations operate.  

Communication and conversation around environmental and sustainable issues is almost non-existent in businesses and is often limited to the occasional poster, print-out or copy of the latest CSR document. Engagement with employees at all levels is going to be crucial if businesses are to remain sustainable in the future.

Fact: the cost of doing business will rise if you don’t change the way you work. Whether it is fuel, energy, carbon taxes or the price of resources, costs are only going one way, up.

It’s your employees that keep their computers on, run the taps, forget to switch off the lights, print out, bin it instead of recycling, drive to the business meeting and so on. It is your employees who can help you control costs, protect your business and ensure your sustainability. But they need to be in the right mindset and have permission to make decisions based on your environmental and sustainability objectives, as well as your financial targets.

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