Words: Stephen P Ashkin

Sustainability is no longer just a buzzword but a necessity for businesses aiming for long-term success. While large organisations can hire dedicated sustainability professionals and teams of consultants, small and medium-sized enterprises often have to chart their own path, making sustainability efforts pay for themselves while relying on leaders who are already stretched thin with other responsibilities.

Launching a sustainability initiative can seem daunting for these smaller companies, but following a structured five-step approach can help them integrate sustainability effectively into their existing operations.

Step 1: Conduct a realistic assessment

Before accepting the lead on your organisation’s sustainability initiative, conduct a realistic assessment to clarify leadership’s goals and expectations. Understand motivations, set achievable expectations, and ensure the initiative aligns with your organisation’s capabilities and strategic goals.

A realistic assessment aligns sustainability efforts with business objectives, ensuring the initiative is ambitious yet practical and feasible. It sets the stage for a successful journey, backed by organisational commitment and resources. Leading a sustainability initiative can be risky if the organisation isn’t genuinely committed. If the initiative is perceived as superficial and doesn’t bring real improvements, it could harm your career. Success depends on genuine dedication to change. If the initiative lacks support from top management or is seen as just marketing, it will likely fail to achieve meaningful improvements.

Step 2: Seek education

Education is a foundational step for launching a successful sustainability initiative. By understanding best practices, innovative solutions, and potential pitfalls, you can avoid common mistakes and use proven strategies.

Attend workshops and conferences, utilise online resources, and study case studies of similar companies. Joining industry-specific committees like the ISSA’s Sustainability Committee can also provide access to specialised resources, peer support, and ongoing learning opportunities.

Step 3: Assemble a team

A successful sustainability initiative requires a committed and diverse team. This team will drive the initiative forward, ensuring all aspects of the organisation are involved and the efforts are comprehensive and effective.

Form a cross-functional team by ensuring it includes critical players in operations and accounts payable. They will be essential for gathering data, defining team members’ roles and responsibilities, and securing leadership support to ensure the initiative has the necessary resources and organisational commitment.

However, go beyond choosing team members based solely on their work titles and tasks. Consider personalities, as it is critical that the team members are willing to put in the time and can work in an area that is rapidly changing. Not everyone has the time or flexibility, which can be problematic, especially when the initiative is beginning.

Step 4: Assess the initiative drivers

Understanding the motivation behind your organisation’s sustainability efforts and setting a starting point for the project is essential for setting realistic goals and tracking progress.

Identify initiative drivers such as customer requirements or cost savings. Next, conduct an environmental audit of your company and evaluate the social and cultural impact of creating a sustainability initiative. Finally, gather accurate data to establish a baseline for future comparisons in order to demonstrate progress.

Step 5: Identify key areas of impact

Not all sustainability issues will be equally important to your organisation. Identifying the most relevant and impactful areas ensures your efforts are focused and effective.

Engage with stakeholders for their opinions and conduct a materiality assessment, which is a simple term for identifying what is impactful to your organisation. Align your company’s sustainability priorities with its overall business objectives to integrate sustainability into the core strategy.

Go beyond the steps

Launching a sustainability initiative is a significant step for any small or medium-sized company. By conducting a realistic assessment and understanding the true commitment needed, you can ensure your sustainability efforts are genuine and impactful.

Remember, sustainability is a journey, not a destination. Continuous learning, adaptation, and improvement are key to long-term success. Your commitment will help protect the planet and position your business for future growth and success.

About the author:

Stephen P Ashkin is president of The Ashkin Group, a consulting firm specializing in green cleaning and sustainability. He can be reached at steve@ashkingroup.com.

Photo by Singkham on Pexels.