How to Integrate Sustainability Across Your Business

In a recent post, we talked about how to develop a sustainability strategy. This first stage in the process is often the most daunting for our clients, but really, the hard work comes in consistently pursuing your Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) sustainability goals.

One of the most critical success factors is whether sustainability is integrated across your business, or whether it’s parked with one department (or individual) who lacks the authority to drive holistic change. Businesses that see ESG as an organization-wide imperative tend to realize the greatest benefits of sustainability, including increased return on investment and lower risk exposure.

So, with that in mind, how do you establish and maintain an integrated approach to ESG?

Establish Key Practices Early On

There are a number of essential practices that, when in place, help ensure that every area of the business is engaged with making sustainability a reality.

Set up a Task Force to hold the organization accountable

ESG should be everybody’s business, and a priority in all departments, from HR to Operations to the C-Suite. This can be easier in theory than it is in practice, but a cross-functional committee or taskforce, with senior representatives from each area of the business, will help to embed your strategy in the most efficient way, with the added bonus of improving the flow of internal communication.

Consistent cycle of stakeholder engagement

Many organizations make the mistake of engaging key stakeholders at the outset of the sustainability planning process, and then ticking this activity off their ‘to-do’ list. In fact, a consistent cycle of stakeholder engagement ensures that people who have a role to play in delivering ESG outcomes are aware of progress, and have the opportunity to raise any challenges, ask questions, or contribute new ideas.

Setting and measuring KPI’s

It may be trite, but it’s still true. You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Each ESG objective should have a corresponding measure, or set of measures. This allows the business to track progress and correct course when required. It also allows you to see when you’ve succeeded, and celebrate success – an essential part of embedding change.

Best practices in transparent communication

Integrating your ESG strategy is naturally going to require effort from across the business. Whether it’s updating policies, upgrading IT systems or encouraging behaviour change like recycling or turning off lights, everyone will have a role to play.

Transparent communication is therefore going to play a key role in the success of your strategy. Your cross-functional taskforce is a great start, as its members will be able to keep their departments up to date. But a holistic organization-wide communication plan will be critical, ensuring employees understand why the changes are being implemented, what they’re being asked to do, and why they should care. Don’t forget that it’s just as important to share when things aren’t going as expected – honest communication builds trust and helps keep people motivated when change feels hard.

Start small and take small steps

Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Many businesses are tempted to make big, bold commitments when setting their sustainability goals. This is admirable, but it’s more important that goals are realistic. Setting goals that are not feasible for your organization’s capabilities and resources can lead to staff burnout and sustainability strategies being abandoned altogether.

Setting incremental, achievable goals will encourage those involved to do more over time, and will reduce the pain points as you transform your business. Progress over perfection is a great mantra.

Brave and informed leadership

Leading change takes courage. There will be resistance, and there will likely be stumbles along the way. And that’s OK – it’s to be expected. Transformation succeeds not when it’s flawless, but when organizational leaders have a clear and compelling vision, and are invested in the “why” of the change.

Being well informed about the benefits of sustainability, not just for the business, but for the people you work with, will help to clear obstacles from your path and encourage teams to take pride in the journey that you’re on.