Champions of Change: The Vital Role of Sustainability Leads in Business
While 90% of business executives believe sustainability is important, only 60% of organisations actually have sustainability strategies in place. Could a sustainability lead be the key to bridging this gap?
In an era defined by growing environmental challenges and increasing consumer demands for eco-conscious products and practices, sustainability has emerged as a priority for businesses across the globe.
This has prompted many corporations to appoint a sustainability manager, an individual who coordinates business-wide efforts to improve sustainability practices. However, it’s usually only the larger corporations that have these roles in place. Because many SMEs’ resources are stretched to the limit, some business leaders believe this discounts them from appointing a sustainability lead – which is often seen as a business luxury.
We’re here to tell you that it doesn’t matter how large or established your business is, or how tight your budget is – every organisation can have a designated sustainability lead.
The Opportunities
A sustainability lead is someone within your organisation who is passionate about environmental issues and can identify opportunities for sustainable growth while mitigating potential risks associated with outdated and environmentally harmful practices. This could be investing in refurbished IT for your business or embracing the circular economy, for example.
The sustainability lead also takes the role of encouraging and incentivising staff to get on board with business-wide sustainability practices. This helps to foster and promote a culture of sustainability across the organisation.
By taking a proactive approach to sustainability, businesses can turn challenges into opportunities and stay ahead of the curve in an increasingly eco-conscious market.
Driving Sustainable Initiatives
Your business doesn’t need a full-time sustainability manager. An existing member of staff can put themselves forward for sustainability lead, helping to drive the development and implementation of sustainable initiatives within the company. This individual can collaborate with different departments to incorporate eco-friendly practices into their operations, encouraging teamwork and cross-functional sustainability efforts. A sustainability lead helps to ensure that a company’s sustainability goals don’t get pushed aside in the race for growth and profits.
Strengthening Stakeholder Relationships
A sustainability lead can proactively engage with stakeholders, communicating the company's commitment to eco-friendly practices and transparently sharing progress on sustainability initiatives. This engagement can build trust and strengthen relationships with stakeholders.
Working Collaboratively
We can only achieve a greener, more sustainable future by effectively working together to reach shared goals. A sustainability lead can identify opportunities for partnerships with like-minded organisations, such as Techies Go Green, helping to pool resources, knowledge, and expertise.
Next Steps
By embracing sustainable practices, businesses are contributing to the preservation of our planet and positioning themselves as responsible and forward-thinking entities in an increasingly eco-conscious world. Sustainability managers and leads play a vital role in these efforts.
Consider appointing someone in your business to take charge of sustainability today, and you’ll be helping us in the journey to a more sustainable, environmentally-aware future.
Still sturggling on where to even begin with appointing a sustainability lead? Get in touch with us on info@techiesgogreen.com for more information on how we can help.
Joining Techies Go Green.
If you want to learn more about sustainability and what your company can do to become more sustainable, consider joining Techies Go Green. Techies Go Green is a movement dedicated to decarbonising IT and tech-oriented companies through collaborating and sharing knowledge. Membership is open to companies within the UK and Ireland. We would love to have you join and to help you in your journey towards sustainability and decarbonisation.