We understand that sustainability can appear complicated, we wanted to do a sustainability myth buster to highlight the misconceptions sometimes associated with sustainability.
1. Sustainability is just about the environment
Although the environment is a key part of sustainability it is not the only aspect of sustainability. Sustainability takes a more holistic approach focusing on environmental, social and economic principles. By focusing on all three elements of sustainability we can protect the planet and the people who live here. Sustainability is famously defined by the United Nations Brundtland Commission as ‘meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’ (1) It is vital that businesses implement strategies in line with all three principles of sustainability to ensure we can protect our planet for future generations to come.
At Achieve Goal 12 we can help you develop a strategy and offer hands on support to help you implement these strategies into your organisation and supply chain to help you achieve your sustainability goals and implement new initiatives.
2. Sustainability is complicated and overwhelming
We understand that sustainability can feel overwhelming especially because there is a lot of jargon. We can help to simplify terms and train employees to help improve their understanding of sustainability and guide discussions to ensure you are implementing sustainability initiatives that will be most impactful to your business. Alongside this we offer strategy development to help you identify the most impactful areas of sustainability to your business and help you implement initiatives through hands-on support.
3. Sustainability consultants just focus on strategy
People tend to perceive consultants as only offering strategy and then walking away from the project, at Achieve Goal 12 we pride ourselves on offering hands on support and acting as an extension of the team. We can work with you to update and create documents in line with certification schemes and legal requirements, embed your sustainability strategy into your business operations, complete certification schemes, calculate your carbon footprint, create carbon reduction plans, conduct a double materiality assessment in line with reporting requirements such as CSRD and identify your risks and opportunities in relation to sustainability. Above are just a handful of services we offer, get in touch to learn how we can help you with your sustainability journey.
4. Individual contributions don’t make a difference
Individual business contributions can make a huge difference to sustainability. By implementing sustainable practices into your business practices, you can help reduce your impact on the environment and improve your contribution to society.
At Achieve Goal 12 we offer hands on support to help you develop and embed sustainability strategies that work for your business. We act as an extension of your team to allow you to implement sustainability initiatives without the commitment to hiring a permanent sustainability professional.
5. Sustainability is too expensive for small businesses to implement
Implementing sustainability into your business doesn’t have to be expensive and, in most cases, can actually lead to financial reward. Some examples of in-expensive initiatives include assessing your supply chain for human rights and environmental initiatives using a self-assessment questionnaire, using a courier that is transitioning to electric vehicles, implementing waste management techniques to minimise waste, developing an energy reduction plan to reduce energy use and therefore reduce costs. Sustainability can also help to attract and retain customers.
At Achieve Goal 12 we pride ourselves on offering a bespoke service to help you identify cost effective ways to improve your sustainability performance that is best suited to your business. We have developed a number of risk assessments and self-assessment questionnaires to assess suppliers. We can also offer hands on support to help you implement actions to achieve sustainability goals without having to hire an internal sustainability professional. We have helped three of our clients achieve Ecovadis Gold, we can help you develop documents in line with Ecovadis requirements and complete the questionnaire to ensure you are showcasing all of your sustainability achievements.
6. Sustainability is not good for business
It is recognised that consumers are starting to shift their purchasing behaviour towards more sustainable products. The Institute for Business Value Survey found that approximately 60% of consumers are wanting to change their purchasing habits in order to reduce their environmental impact. Consumers are becoming more aware of businesses commitments to sustainability. It’s important that companies take this into account and begin to implement strategies to become more sustainable. Becoming more sustainable can help to cut costs and attract and retain customers.
We can help you to develop reports such as bespoke sustainability reports that will help you to showcase your achievements and attract relevant stakeholders. We can also help you with strategy development and host workshops to give you the skills and knowledge to be able to implement sustainability into your organisation without having to hire an internal sustainability professional.
7. Sustainability is about having a big sustainability team
This is a common myth, but sustainability doesn’t need to be expensive or all encompassing. It’s important to embed sustainability in all areas of your business to ensure you are reducing your impact. This might mean delegating tasks to different people/ teams.
We can help you to develop a sustainability strategy that will help you to focus your efforts in areas that are going to be most beneficial. We can also act as an outsourced
sustainability team allowing you to utilise our skills and knowledge when needed but without the commitment of having to hire a permanent sustainability professional. We offer hands on support to help you minimise the workload associated with implementing your strategy and offer workshops and training to give employees the confidence to be able to embed sustainability into the work they’re already doing.
8. Sustainability is just about certifications schemes and meeting legal requirements
Although it is important that you are meeting relevant legal requirements, sustainability is so much more than this, it’s about implementing strategies that are going to benefit your business the most. Gaining certifications and accreditations is really just the starting point for your sustainability journey, the companies that put time into delivering the work are the ones that most often achieve Ecovadis Gold. We have helped 3 of our clients achieve Ecovadis Gold and have helped them to develop strategies to be able to implement sustainability into their own organisation and supply chain. We helped them with policy development, risk assessments, governance in relation to ownership, developing and reporting on targets and KPIs and giving them the opportunity to continuously develop.
9. Nobody reads sustainability reports
Sustainability reporting is a really good way of showcasing your sustainability journey , allowing you to track progress on KPIs and demonstrates transparency to relevant stakeholders.
We recognise that writing and creating a sustainability report can feel daunting, we can help you create and write your sustainability report helping you to clearly showcase your achievements. Stakeholders do review companies based on their sustainability reporting examples of stakeholders include Ecovadis, investors or even potential customers.
10. Only companies needing to comply with CSRD need to do a double materiality assessment
Although conducting a double materiality assessment is an important part of CSRD compliance it is also a useful tool for providing a much more holistic view of your material issues. A double materiality assessment allows you to assess how sustainability issues affect your business and how your business operations affect society and the environment. The double materiality assessment process allows you to gain a much clearer view on the level of impact caused by different sustainability issues.
We can help you conduct a double materiality assessment by helping you to identify which issues are most material based on the double materiality process. We will ensure that your double materiality assessment is compliant with legislation (even if this is not a requirement for your business as of yet). We can then help develop a sustainability strategy based on your identified material issues.
References 1. https://www.un.org/en/academic-impact/sustainability 2. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2022/aug/opinion-which-diet-will-help-save-our-planet-climatarian-flexitarian-vegetarian-or-vegan 3. https://business.vanderbilt.edu/corporate-sustainability certificate/article/sustainability-in-business/