Sustainability in the Workplace

Sustainability has become one of the big buzzwords in modern business. Environmental responsibility, social accountability, and economic viability are becoming increasingly important, as many companies’ success is now being benchmarked against more than just profitability.

What is Sustainability?

Although being a sustainable business is often used interchangeably with being a green business, sustainability is actually a combination of three pillars. It requires companies to balance economic, social, and environmental considerations at their core, taking business practices beyond just making money and putting ecological conservation and ethical business practices to ensure social responsibility and long-term economic viability at the heart of strategy.

What is a green business?

Generally, a business can be described as being sustainable if it adopts the following environmentally conscious practices:

• Incorporating sustainability into decision-making and ensuring sustainability principles are ingrained into daily operations.
• Supplying environmentally friendly products or services that replace less sustainable alternatives.
• Outperforming traditional competition in environmental impact and committing to a higher standard of environmental responsibility than its competitors.
• Demonstrating a lasting commitment to environmental principles by integrating them into ongoing operations.

Why is Sustainability in the Workplace Important?

• Sustainability is vital for everyone: The world is currently at risk of global warming and finite resources; at some point, we will run out. Everyone must embrace sustainability to minimise resource consumption, whether businesses or individuals. More than that, the materials we do use then need to be recycled and reused as part of a circular economy to help us achieve a more sustainable future.
• Save Money: As well as positively impacting the environment by reducing your carbon footprint, implementing energy-efficient technology can save businesses money by reducing energy costs. Similarly, effective sustainability practices can vastly improve waste management and the cost of disposal.
• Regulatory Compliance: Governments and regulatory bodies worldwide increasingly implement environmental standards and regulations. Businesses can act before these policies become mandatory, mitigating their future risk of legal and financial repercussions.
• Risk Mitigation: Sustainability practices force companies to consider and anticipate environmental and social risks. The supply chain disruptions we saw during the COVID pandemic, for example, or future regulatory changes and reputational damage, can all be planned for, and the risks proactively addressed to help ensure long-term business resilience.
• Brand Reputation: Modern consumers and business stakeholders are becoming more and more environmentally and socially conscious, and embracing sustainability in the workplace aligns with new societal expectations. One survey reported that as many as 49% of consumers said they’d paid a premium for products branded as sustainable or socially responsible in the last twelve months.Sustainability can enhance a company’s image and reputation to differentiate it in the market, attracting environmentally conscious consumers and investors and giving them a competitive advantage.
• Employee Engagement: Employees increasingly seek employers committed to social and environmental responsibility. Integrating sustainability into the workplace can help attract and retain top talent and contribute to a motivated and engaged workforce. Businesses embracing sustainability can also see a knock effect on their employees’ well-being – perks like flexible work arrangements, wellness programs, and a positive organisational culture are part of the overall movement.
• Long-Term Business Viability: It’s easy to forget that sustainability isn’t just being environmentally friendly; sustainable practices also ensure businesses are economically sound. This can mean building agility and resilience into business strategy to ensure you’re better positioned to navigate change to help ensure your business’s future.Environmental sustainability encourages innovation in product development, operational efficiency, and business models. Your teams will be forced to think outside the box and find solutions to become more sustainable. It’s an opportunity for businesses – and individuals – to lead the way and become pioneers in their industries.

Six Examples of Sustainability in the Workplace

Energy Efficiency

One of the first things many businesses choose to do when focussing on becoming a sustainable workplace often involves energy conservation initiatives. The goal is to reduce your daily energy consumption, minimising your reliance on fossil fuels or other energy sources. As we mentioned earlier, this has the double benefit of reducing the environmental impact of greenhouse gas emissions and lowering overhead costs for the company.

Consider energy-efficient lighting, HVAC systems, and appliances to reduce energy consumption or switch to green and renewable energy. You can also engage your employees in the process by promoting energy-saving habits by encouraging them to turn off lights and equipment when not in use and to use natural light whenever possible.

Recycling and Waste Management

Encourage your teams to reuse, recycle and repair as part of a sustainable workplace mindset. There are so many ways to kick off these kinds of sustainability initiatives – here are some examples:

• Food Waste Programs – Introduce bins for food waste disposal. Composting food waste can then be collected as fertiliser, reducing the need for chemical alternatives. Some businesses have been known to use it in their own company gardens.
• Recycling Initiatives – Implement recycling programmes across the office. Put recycling bins for cans, paper, and plastic bottles in strategic places, like outside staffrooms and in kitchens. Have policies that reduce the use of single-use items, such as disposable cups and cutlery, in favour of reusable alternatives. You can also provide substitutes for everyday things like cutlery and think about the alternative materials you could use, like bamboo paper.
• E-Waste Recycling – Introduce recycling bins for electronic waste (e-waste) to help encourage employees to recycle old phones and devices. You can also look at reused components for manufacturing new electronics.
• Use of Recycled Materials – Manufacturing businesses can help promote environmental awareness through material choices. By incorporating production materials made from recycled content and reducing reliance on new materials, you can set an example for employees and consumers by prioritising sustainable business practices and minimising environmental impact.

Green Commuting

Promote public transport, cycling, walking, and carpooling as alternatives to individual driving and provide incentives for eco-friendly commuting. Then, support the initiatives by providing the necessary infrastructure – for example, installing bike racks, showers, and changing facilities.

To take this a step further, consider flexible working policies that allow employees to work from or near their homes or travel during off-peak times with flexible hours. Commuting is a significant contributor to carbon emissions, and reducing the amount your teams are doing can significantly reduce your environmental impact. On top of this, encourage virtual meeting platforms to replace unnecessary business trips and help maintain a culture of collaboration in remote teams.

Sustainable Pensions

Research by The Path, an advisory firm specialising in positive investing, found that moving a £100,000 pension pot with traditional oil and gas companies to a positive impact portfolio is the equivalent of taking five or six cars off the road.

Switching to a green pension plan for your business or even just offering the option to your employees could be relatively easy to implement but make a massive difference to your sustainability goals.

Sustainable Procurement

Net Zero is another key term in the sustainability world – along with its three stages, Scopes 1, 2 and 3. The concept is how many businesses and government organisations are choosing to benchmark their green targets.

The most challenging part of the concept is achieving Scope 3, which expands the green remit beyond your own business and includes emissions from suppliers and product users. Getting there needs to involve developing criteria for procurement decisions, selecting vendors based on their commitment to sustainability, including environmentally friendly practices and ethical sourcing, and considering the environmental impact of products throughout their lifecycle, from production to disposal.

Education

Many of us are unaware that our work activities influence the environment’s health. As a business, you can help build awareness with regular training sessions to educate employees on sustainability and your organisation’s commitment to it. The options are endless – you can bring in experts for presentations and interactive workshops, share informative videos or webinars on workplace sustainability, and even display reminders throughout the workplace.

Get creative about how you deliver training and encourage your teams to get involved by acknowledging and rewarding their contributions.