Starting out in Sustainability
Sustainability is taking centre stage, but for many businesses the path to a sustainable corporate environment can feel overwhelming. If you’re an SMB, there’s almost too much information out there about doing green business or carbon neutrality. The biggest hurdle is always getting started, but with sustainability it can be difficult to even know where to begin.
I’ve been in that place myself. That’s why I, with the support of Highgate IT Solutions and Techies Go Green, want to support others in the IT industry and channel as they embrace sustainable work practices and initiatives.
We have a collective responsibility to reach our climate goals and move towards a sustainable future. Any business, no matter how small, can make a difference. Here’s some guidance for starting out:
Get stakeholder support
When embarking on your sustainability journey, the first step is to ensure that your stakeholders support your vision. Many stakeholders will already be sympathetic to green issues but may not have previously had the time or impetus to implement any tangible plan or strategy. Getting stakeholders on board will help establish a sustainability-first culture within your wider company. The ultimate aim is for sustainability to become a core business value.
Appoint a sustainability champion or sustainability lead
I believe that every business should have a nominated sustainability champion, or even a Green Team if there are multiple employees within your company passionate about sustainability.
You’ll want to embed your sustainability goals (more on these below) within your company culture, and one of the best ways to do this is to ensure that there’s a point person who can help pull in knowledge, keep the company accountable, be the lead in measuring sustainability goals, and champion your company’s successes and results.
Set actionable, measurable goals
We already measure success for numerous business targets and KPIs. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t do the same with sustainability. So, what might sustainability goals look like?
All goals must be actionable and achievable, so that employees and stakeholders alike know what they’re working towards. If you’re feeling confident about your sustainability plan, you may also want to consider some ambitious, long-term goals. Aim to answer the following questions:
What small steps will your business take to reduce plastic use, lower energy consumption, and cut travel miles?
What major sustainability win would you like to see for the business in five years’ time?
What are the incremental actions each employee or team can make in the next year to ensure your goals are met?
Consider focusing on one sustainability goal to start. Is there a specific area that your business is particularly passionate about? You might decide that reducing your firm’s carbon output should be your primary focus. You may want to think about how to reduce utility usage or manage waste disposal. Especially when starting out in sustainability, it can be useful to make a single, simple commitment. Meaningful impact, no matter how small, will always triumph over multiple unfulfilled promises.
Your company may even want to consider how its sustainability goals combine with business imperatives to really establish an environmentally-aware company culture. For example, what if your company sets a target to reinvest a set percentage of its profits back into sustainable initiatives? Demonstrating that a commitment to sustainability is woven into the fabric of the company is impressive to customers and suppliers.
When you’ve got goals in place, and you’ve outlined the actionable steps to reach them, make sure you regularly check in with your employees, Green Team (if you have one), and stakeholders. Share your sustainability achievements with your team, as well as your suppliers and customers. You might even inspire someone in your supply chain or the wider IT channel to follow your lead.
Share resources and encourage training
Make sure that employees are empowered with the right tools and resources that’ll encourage them to get involved with your sustainability plans and goals. This will look different for each and every organisation. You may want to get your sustainability advocate to put together a list of their favourite websites, books, or podcasts about the necessity of sustainability practices at work and invite other team members to contribute. At a higher level, your company might want to incentivise employees with green competitions or activities. For example, provide rewards for those who opt for greener ways of travelling or who minimise hardware replacements and waste. Perhaps arrange a company-wide ‘low energy hour’ by encouraging everyone to switch off their tech and go for a walk.
Consider giving employees the freedom to embark on a sustainability course or training. There are a range of sustainability courses out there for professionals looking to widen their knowledge. For example, the British Standards Institution (BSI) has a range of on-demand webinars on topics including sustainable supply chain management and carbon neutral workplaces. There are several short courses offered by accredited institutions and universities, too. Imperial College London offers an ‘Introduction to Corporate Sustainability, Social Innovation and Ethics’ course online, for free (or a small fee for an upgraded version).
Getting started with sustainability in the workplace is no mean feat. But when you’ve devised your plan, set your goals, and you’re underway, you’ll begin to see a difference. There’s an opportunity here for the IT channel to effect meaningful change by pulling together and encouraging one another to make a start in sustainability. Will you join us?
Look out for my next blog at Techies Go Green, where I’ll be looking at why no business is too small to make climate-positive changes. I’ll be providing some real-world examples from Highgate IT as well as other Techies signatories on how they’re meeting their sustainability goals and targets.
Joining Techies Go Green.
If you want to learn more about sustainability and what your company can do to become more sustainable, consider joining Techies Go Green. Techies Go Green is a movement dedicated to decarbonising IT and tech-oriented companies through collaborating and sharing knowledge. Membership is open to both companies and individuals within the UK and Ireland. We would love to have you join and to help you in your journey towards sustainability and decarbonisation.