The United Nations has determined that the environment and climate change are the defining issues of our time.
Business experts say 2020 marks an era of sustainability with every business being called to make change.
A convergence of forces is driving this urgency, encompassing shifting weather patterns, rising sea levels, and an increasing demand for ethical consumerism and governance.
These forces are creating impacts that are hard to ignore:
- Our “throw-away” culture is creating 8 million tons of plastic every year with only 14% currently recycled.
- Land masses are becoming inhospitable, putting animal and plant species at risk of extinction.
- Drought, agricultural failure, food and water shortages are causing human displacement.
- Mass migration of peoples is creating a humanitarian crisis for governments that need to learn to cope with new priorities and policies.
The impacts are cascading to such an extent that business giants admit it is time for radical action. Microsoft has announced plans to be carbon negative by 2030, and Amazon has pledged $30 billion for climate change.
The World Economic Forum goes even further to say that “businesses must serve society and the planet, not just shareholders.”
How, then, does a business or business professional serve society and the planet? First, the business community needs to recognize that sustainability touches every part of a company – from its physical workspace to its supply chain operations. Second, the community needs to reckon with the fact that consumers are looking for them to lead the sustainability revolution by identifying ways consumers can reduce their carbon emissions and by cutting down on the plastic choking oceans.
Here are some actionable ways other companies are transforming in a sustainable direction:
1. Make sustainability part of your service.
What new tool, platform or ongoing service can your company develop to help consumers reduce the negative impact of their consumerism?
Specific company examples to jumpstart innovation:
- Ecommerce platform Upchoose stocks organic cotton baby clothes that can be returned as babies grow.
- Finland-based payment provider Enfuce created an app that shows consumers the CO2 emissions of their purchases.
2. Reimagine your brand or industry to exemplify sustainability.
Not only is your internal culture a key part of your public-facing brand, but so is your whole end-to-end supply chain. Share what you know for the benefit of society and the planet. Look for ways to make your supply chain “circular.” Don’t be afraid to be a disruptor.
Specific company examples as additional idea-starters:
- The UK-based rock music band Coldplay chose not to tour their new album “Everyday Life,” due to environmental concerns.
- IKEA built a new store in Vienna without a parking lot with the expectation that shoppers will arrive on foot or by public transportation.
When it comes to sustainability, we are at a defining moment. How will you or your business answer the call?
*
At UW-Green Bay, we have created a noncredit Sustainability Certificate Program that we believe can help drive Wisconsin forward through sustainable business and build sustainability leaders.
Our Sustainability Certificate Program not only adopts a proven and successful model, but it is affordable, accessible and flexible.
The program is 100% online with three core courses six weeks in duration, encompassing multi-facets of sustainability — environmental, business practices and public policy. The final capstone course requires participants to put sustainability theory into practice within their organizations, an efficient and practical way to encourage sustainable business.
Full program details are available online.
*
RESOURCES:
Forbes. “2020 Will be the Year of Sustainable Business: Here’s Why,” Jonquil Hackenberg, November 28, 2019.
Forbes. “7 Global Trends Impacting the Sustainabilility Movement,” Timothy J. McClimon, April 15, 2019.
Trend-Watching, “The Future of Purpose,” Make-Shift Quarterly Report, February 2020.
United Nations. “Climate Change,” Global Issues.