Companies increasingly have to respond to various challenges. Things we used to take for granted have become scarce and expensive — from water to energy. As a business, you can’t lag behind. To be future-proof, you should consider the transformation society is going through when making decisions.
So, is your strategy in line with societal goals? And do you contribute to a sustainable future?
Footprint investigation time
Biodiversity, nitrogen, the energy crisis, climate change: not too long ago, you didn’t pay particular heed to these terms. But they’ve become very relevant very fast. Today, these are crucial factors when devising your strategy for the coming five, 10, or 20 years — that is, if you want to ensure your business continues to be profitable and add value. For customers are increasingly environmentally aware, and investors have taken note of that. To keep attracting both, you’ve got some steps to take.
First, you should determine whether you’ve already included sustainability in your decision-making process. If not, should you change course?
Perhaps your company doesn’t cause CO2 emissions and you barely have a footprint. In that case, you might disregard the above-mentioned issues. But you should at least investigate it and substantiate any lack of action.
It’s not extremely difficult to map out your CO2 impact and incorporate the results into your decision-making. For many companies, it’s not yet mandatory. Nevertheless, it’s likely that all organizations must be CO2 neutral in a few years. So, if your business activities do impact the environment, it’s probably time to take measures. (Incidentally, we put our money where our mouths are — read our previous blog post to learn more about M3’s sustainability project.)
Path toward the future
What’s your sustainability story? How do you contribute to positive change? When will your company be CO2 neutral?
If you clarify these things in your strategy and create a path toward accomplishing your sustainable goals, it will motivate customers and employees. You’ll create a company culture characterized by awareness, which is essential to today’s talent.
By devising a clear-cut sustainability strategy, you can also make better investment decisions — whether these involve lease cars or new printers in the office. For example, it looks like all lease cars should be electric by 2025. Some might wait two more years to implement this new regulation. But why not incorporate it into your decisions now?
And while you’re at it, you can also have a close look at your travel policy. When should employees take the car, train, or plane? For instance, do you really need to fly toward your company outing destination? Perhaps your team bonding experience is just a train (or, even better, bike) ride away.
Ready to tackle (future) challenges?
That’s the million-dollar question. Make sure your decisions align with any future challenges at the societal level. For that future is knocking on our doors. If you adopt a wait-and-see approach, you might lose customers or employees. Before you know it, they’ve switched to a supplier or employer that has mapped their ecological footprint and taken appropriate action. So, jump on the sustainability train now to secure your company’s future and, most importantly, contribute to a better world.