Strategy
What is a Sustainability Strategy? Like any strategy it is a high level plan to reach a long term goal, often with short and medium term milestones included in the plan. Companies that put sustainability at the heart of their operational strategy will ultimately have a business that will be sustainable in both meanings of the word.
The Basics
Where To Start?
Case Study
The two definitions of sustainability from Cambridge dictionary
- The quality of being able to continue over a period of time.
- The quality of causing little or no damage to the environment and therefore able to continue for a long time.
A good strategy starts with establishing a baseline of carbon emissions and defining your financial, environmental and social/community impacts. Once you have that in place you can start creating a plan to mitigate your emissions and be a planet positive business.
Resources Library
Balancing sustainability and profitability
IBM Institute for Business Value Consumer research highlights how businesses can protect people, the planet, and the bottom line. Today’s executives walk a tightrope, balancing the long-term imperative to protect the planet with the short-term need to preserve the...
How Sustainability Can Be Profitable For Your Business
Wayne Elsey Forbes Council Member The team at our company noticed something not too long ago as they updated the content calendar for our brands. Whereas only a few short years ago, it was tough to find brand shoes and sneakers that were sustainable, now it’s not. In...
Sustainability and profitability can co-exist. Here’s how
World Economic Forum This article is part of: World Economic Forum Annual Meeting There is an urgent need for businesses to look beyond the bottom line. Businesses with ESG principles built into their strategy, can mitigate risk and drive profitable growth. The onus...
Which framework for your sustainability strategy?
LinkedIn article by Phillipe Coullomb His reflections on his take-aways from attending a sustainability conference In a recent article - The right tools for thinking - I reflect on the use of models to support strategic thinking and operational navigation within and...
How to develop an effective sustainability strategy
7 recommendations from leading practitioners We interviewed sustainability professionals from some of the UK’s largest companies to find out what they think makes an effective sustainability strategy. In this blog, Jamie Pitcairn, Ricardo's Technical Director for...
ESG & Net-Zero Strategy McKinsey
Helping leaders and organizations rewrite the climate math equation Several forces have pushed sustainability to the top of the agenda. Investors and financial markets are increasingly demanding a compelling environmental, social, and governance (ESG) plan and a path...
Accenture Environmental Sustainability
Creating 360° Value We’re committed to addressing environmental issues both for Accenture and by helping clients and suppliers make and meet their commitments. We are working to embed sustainability into everything we do, with everyone we work with, to create business...
SDG’s- The Green Zebra Resources
Read our 101 guide to the UN Sustainable Development Goals With 17 goals and a subset of 169 actions, there are plenty of ways that even the smallest businesses can get involved. However, with so many options choosing where to start may seem overwhelming. As with all...
Carbon Neutral vs Net Zero: What’s the difference and why it matters
As states and corporates swing behind climate action there is much talk of carbon neutral and net-zero goals. Yet these terms offer very different approaches to tackling emissions. But what does ‘net-zero carbon’ mean in practice – and what are we setting out to...
Defining Strategies to Achieve UN Sustainable Development Goals
Citibeats | World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer 2022 Here’s an overview of the 17 SDGs, along with an explainer about why real-time insight is so critical to achieving them. Read the full article - a quick look at each SDG in the context...
Leading on Business Sustainability – McKinsey
“You can’t outsource sustainability.” McKinsey Sustainability leaders Daniel Pacthod, Dickon Pinner, and Laura Corb, explain why businesses will need to embed sustainability in every part of the company. Watch 2 min video here
Strategy case study: Lidl
Lidl’s Sustainability Strategy has 4 pillars; Responsible Sourcing, Protecting the Environment, Team Lidl and Lidl Community Works. Responsible Sourcing Since entering the market in 2000, the proportion of Lidl purchases from Irish suppliers has grown year-on-year....
Strategy: where to start?
Define your commitment Strike a balance between ambitious but possible! Start small, think big.Your strategy can be as ambitious as Net Zero or it can be more moderate, like reducing waste by 20%. Set targets, monitor and review Setting your targets is only the...
Strategy: the basics
Writing your sustainability strategy should be something that is integrated into your overall business strategy and not a side show to your existing plan. How your sustainability strategy fits into your business The real business benefit of running a greener...