7 benefits of using a sustainability consultancy

Supply chains are becoming increasingly complex and organisations must be accountable for every aspect of their business. Failing to do so carries with it not only concerns for people and the planet, but also highlights inefficiencies within supply chains that can negatively impact profitability. From SMEs to FTSE 500s, any business can get started with sustainability and begin to align these goals within the contexts of their daily operations. From gathering the initial data to creative data visualisation, an exciting new world awaits for organisations looking to make a positive difference in the world. However, organisations often don’t have a large dedicated sustainability team, and it can feel like an overwhelming task. It’s easy to see why demand for professional sustainability advice and support is growing. We’ve outlined seven ways in which a sustainability consultancy such as Sustainit it can benefit your company.

Benefits of a sustainability consultancy

Expertise and knowledge

Sustainability consultants bring with them years of hands-on experience and expertise in helping organisations improve their eco credentials. From industrial manufacturing to fashion brands, consultants can leverage a wealth of knowledge in a wide range of sectors to create actionable strategies that meet the needs of an organisation.

By harnessing the power of accurate data and strategic planning, sustainability consultants can offer organisations directional guidance in every aspect of the supply chain to improve efficiency, profitability, and of course, sustainability.

Targets and goals

“Sustainability” is often thrown around board rooms and within marketing messages without much thought, but true sustainability needs clear goals and targets to aspire towards. Without prior knowledge, these targets can be arbitrary and lack significant meaning in real world contexts. Consultants can help sieve through the data and your organisation’s processes to find clear targets and goals that are worth striving for.

These targets and goals are subsequently more likely to reflect consumer opinions and attitudes, helping organisations leverage their sustainability credentials within their marketing and brand storytelling.

Consultants can also help set benchmarks and industry standards to help organisations understand where they currently sit and what areas need improving.

Implementation

It’s one thing to set goals and dream of a more environmentally friendly business, but it’s another thing to actually implement the steps necessary and execute this vision within the complexities and nuances of an operational business.

From onsite training to integrating new software and tools to manage supply chain data, consultants can help make the whole process seamless and ensure everyone involved understands the changes being put into effect.

For smaller organisations, implementing these changes could be relatively quick, whereas for larger, more complex organisations, the implementation may require a longer transition period to ensure the business is still able to function as required.

Small steps can lead to big changes, so even if changes appear small, in the long run, the impact can be significant.

Analysis

Quality data can be extremely powerful for organisations, but only if meaningful conclusions can be gleaned from it. Transforming detailed data into beautifully simple graphs and reports is a vital step in gaining stakeholder engagement and buy-in.

Data visualisation helps to bring data to life and communicate it in a way that everyone can understand. From internal use to external marketing messaging, the process of turning raw data into meaningful stories is a must for any sustainability campaign.

Consultants can ensure this analysis is accurate and help extract meaning from vast amounts of data points.

Business performance

Successful sustainability campaigns should be aligned with business efficiency and profitability, helping to create systems and processes that value environmental and sustainability efforts whilst ensuring business profitability doesn’t suffer. Otherwise, it becomes hard to convince stakeholders, decision makers and investors of the value sustainability can bring to the business.

Consultants bring with them the expert knowledge and strategic thinking needed to ensure that any new sustainable processes introduced don’t come at the expense of business performance.

Our approach here at SustainIt is centred around the belief that people, profit and the planet can’t ever be mutually exclusive, and that the right decisions have a huge impact on all three. This ensures the conversations are focused on company-wide inclusivity and an appreciation of every touchpoint within the supply chain.

Value

Not all organisations can afford to deploy a team dedicated to sustainability, so consultants offer an affordable solution to access the knowledge and skills required to implement sustainability goals within an organisation.

Consultants can also help upskill and train internal staff on specific areas of sustainability, to help them manage the process internally.

The long-term value of prioritising sustainable goals within an organisation is abundantly clear, as consumers increasingly value businesses that are environmentally friendly. In some industries, it has already become a must. As a result, the investment in improving environmental and social credentials is likely to yield a very positive return for brand reputation, share price and more.

Innovative

Like so many areas of business, best practice sustainability is constantly evolving and adapting to the world around us. Measures put in place years ago may no longer be the best way forward. Consultants are at the cutting edge of what works and what doesn’t, helping your business stay on track with the best in sustainable operations and data analysis.