5 Steps Your Company Can Take Toward Sustainability

5 Ways to Grow Sustainability in a Company

Interested in stepping up to protect the planet? It’s time to think about making your company more sustainable. 

Company sustainability initiatives are on the rise worldwide, with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns becoming a top priority for many brands. According to a 2020 McKinsey Global Survey, 57% of the investment leaders and C-suite executives surveyed said that ESC initiatives create value for shareholders. 

The benefits of sustainability in the workplace are far-reaching, and a corporate social responsibility plan can move your company in a positive direction. If you’re wondering, “How can a company achieve sustainability?” there are some important steps you can take to get started.

Step 1: Understand Sustainability and Find Areas to Improve

Creating the right workplace sustainability policy for your company means first gaining a better understanding of what sustainability means for you. You’ll need to look at a range of information and decide where you can make positive changes.

For example, consider the following questions:

• How and where can your company reduce waste?
• Can you improve your water usage in any way?
• How energy-efficient are your operations?
• Are you utilizing unnecessary resources in your marketing, environmental, packaging, or supply chain operations? 
• Can you exchange current materials for more sustainable ones?

It’s possible that you might need to bring in a third-party auditor to give you a stronger idea of where to start, although company records can reveal quite a lot about your current operations. 

Step 2: Talk with Shareholders and Employees 

Company sustainability initiatives can be heavily influenced by both shareholders and employees. Survey both your stakeholders and your employees from all markets and regions. Engaging in productive conversations with them about sustainability goals can help you move your company in a direction that feels like a win-win for everyone involved.

Step 3: Set Goals and Clear Ways to Measure Sustainability

Once you’ve decided which areas you’d like to focus on for your workplace sustainability policy, it’s time to set goals and clear ways to measure company sustainability. For example, is your company pledging to reduce plastic waste? Track all the ways in which you’re cutting back on items like plasticware, plastic cups, and bottled water at the office. If you’re looking to waste less water, set a budget and a calendar goal for installing motion-sensing sink faucets. 

Whatever office sustainability plan you decide on, make sure it’s right-sized for what your company can accomplish in increments, over time. There’s no way to make a business perfectly sustainable overnight, but you can start taking measured action and setting goals to get yourself closer to the target. 

Step 4: Identify Ways to Save Energy in the Office

A crucial part of any corporate social responsibility plan is to find ways to make your office environment more energy-efficient. For instance, take a look around at the appliances and everyday items you use. Could you upgrade to more efficient appliances (such as the office refrigerator, microwave, or dishwasher)? Could your windows be replaced to better regulate the indoor temperature and reduce the amount of power you use for air conditioning or heating? Is it possible to make the change to LED lighting? 

Some changes will require up-front costs that will pay off over time in energy savings. But even changes that seem insignificant can make a huge impact. 

Step 5: Collaborate With Other Sustainable Brands

One of the benefits of sustainability in the workplace is identifying and collaborating with other companies that share your values. Select vendors that offer sustainable solutions to your business and your customers, or work with sister companies whose goals mirror your own.

For example, here at Merchology, we offer sustainable corporate apparel and accessories from Zusa. Each piece of apparel from Zusa is made completely from recycled materials, making their logo-branded gifts and apparel a great addition to your office sustainability plan.

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So how can a company achieve sustainability? The answers lie in ongoing effort and the willingness to always keep learning and growing. Over time, your company will reap the benefits of sustainability in the workplace and you’ll be so glad you implemented the changes--not only for the good of your team but for the environment, too. 

Want to learn more about our company’s sustainability efforts and growth to see how you can improve your company’s impact, as well? Learn more here about our partnership with Zusa--now 100% carbon neutral.