Making the Business Case for Sustainability
For professionals who are passionate about protecting our planet, acting on ESG is an easy decision to make. But selling it to the rest of the company can be a difficult process.
At Sustainit, we understand the pitfalls of pitching a sustainability strategy to senior team members, which is why we’re sharing our favourite tips for making the business case for sustainability in your organisation.
Outline Risks
Sometimes, the environmental and social benefits are not enough to convince colleagues of the importance of a sustainability strategy. When this happens, it’s important to speak their language. Demonstrating the business case for sustainability, including both risks and opportunities for the company, can be pivotal when discussing future strategies.
It’s not just your business’ impact on ESG that you have to consider. Outlining the impacts ESG will have on your business can help colleagues understand the importance of mitigating risks. Doing so not only helps to future-proof your business; having a meaningful strategy in place looks good for investors too.
The Mindset Shift
Remember, ESG isn’t all about preparing for the worst. Make sure to highlight the opportunities that acting can provide for your business too. Addressing ESG issues can position your organisation as a responsible business with a positive social and environmental impact. In turn, this can improve customer trust and strengthen relationships with clients.
Not only that, committing to sustainability opens the doors to grants and incentives, and encourages innovation. Reducing your impact on people and the planet, restoring biodiversity, or reaching net zero are all challenges that need to be met with creativity. Changing your mindset when approaching ESG can help position the business for long-term financial success.
Share Customer Feedback
Speaking of customers, using real feedback and questions from your customers can help boost the business case to take strategic climate action. We’re all aware that customers are becoming more vocal about their expectations for businesses to address their environmental impact. Providing evidence that sustainability is something your customers care about can help elevate the importance of addressing ESG issues in a meaningful way.
Furthermore, with the rise of greenwashing, it’s more important than ever to ensure everyone in the company understands your sustainability strategy in order to communicate it accurately and effectively.
Customers’ voices are essential when creating a sustainability strategy. After all, they are one of your business’ most vital stakeholders.
Remove Barriers to Engagement
The ever-evolving sustainability landscape can be hard to navigate for stakeholders who are new to the topic of ESG. This lack of knowledge and understanding can be a barrier to engagement with your company’s sustainability strategy. Consider sharing resources or providing training to help your colleagues get to grips with key ESG topics related to your business. Meeting people where they are on their sustainability journey can make discussions more accessible and help boost engagement throughout the company.
Need a helping hand?
We provide expert advice to help kick-start your business’ sustainability strategy. Our friendly team of consultants are experienced in stakeholder engagement and support our clients with bespoke sustainability programme development. Get in touch to find out more.