Sustainability strategy is about solutions; it allows innovative strategists to consider how they can improve their service and creates a new focal point for guiding business development. A sustainable strategy for business aims to meet the needs of stakeholders today, without compromising the ability to satisfy future needs. It looks beyond corporate social responsibility and the societal activities that an organisation contributes to the community, concentrating also on how the environment impacts on an organisation and how the organisation impacts on the environment. With almost 20 years’ experience working with businesses, governments, and not-for-profit organizations all over the world, EMG has built the know-how and experience to guide you through the process from start to finish.

Making a start

It is becoming increasingly important for businesses and organisations to disclose their approach and demonstrate performance with regard to the integration of sustainable development in their business strategy. To start a plan, it is essential to first identify the minimum standards your strategy will aim to meet. These may need to be in line with national policy relating to your business and/or may be related to organisational principles.

Flexible and meaningful

Sustainability strategies help to ensure businesses and organisations are financially stable in the long-term, are complying with the law and preparing for potential future requirements, are maintaining a good reputation, are resilient to economic, social and environmental change, are making better use of finite resources and are providing a better service for customers, clients and the community. A strategy needs to be meaningful and tell the whole story of the functions of the business today and in the future.

Specific to ‘what you do’

A sustainability strategy needs to be created specifically for the organisation and should be considered as a positive, enlightening method of energising an organisation to be astute and innovative. To ensure sustainable development is not treated as an added extra but becomes embedded into the way things are done, it is important to integrate existing ambitions and challenges into a sustainability strategy.

A strategy needs to have the ultimate aim of making sustainability part of the decision process when planning and forecasting business delivery, when designing and building construction projects, when considering how employees work, when leading on strategic direction and when continuing with day-to-day actions. The overriding aim should always be to make sustainability everyone’s responsibility.

Consider both mitigation and adaptation

A complete strategy will include mechanisms to mitigate climate change by reducing emissions and acting more sustainably. This alone will not protect organisations from the effects of climate change such as longer and more frequent heat waves, increased flooding, harsher cold snaps and the impact these events will have on business continuity. Considering an organisation’s ability to adapt to future scenarios is important to a sustainability strategy. A sustainability strategy should address the organisation’s ability to adapt and change through forward planning; increasing resilience, managing risks, protecting oneself, customers, clients and the community and also, importantly, taking advantage of any potential opportunities that arise. Global changes in climate are already happening and will, without doubt, continue. This results in the need to ensure buildings and infrastructure are designed for future climates, that business functions are prepared to operate in changing conditions, that compliance with changing government regulations is assured and that the financial risks from possible increases in taxes and prices are accounted for.

Shared ownership and good management

A strategy is likely to be owned and performed by various people or departments across an organisation but it needs programme management by a sustainable business strategist. Organisations need to ensure that expertise within an organisation is embraced to bring together innovation and invention. Getting the right people involved from the start is very important and the following areas should be considered:

• Energy
• Procurement and waste
• Travel/transport
• Water
• Buildings, design and biodiversity
• Health and wellbeing (workforce, customers, clients and community)
• Partnerships and networks
• Engagement, communication and information sharing
• Governance
• Finance and reporting (including quantitative and qualitative measurements)
• Adaptation

Make it receptive to development and improvement

Strategies need to be able to evolve and writing a strategy should not be a limiting factor to develop new ideas. It is important to update and add to sustainability strategies by adding individual business cases which can be developed over time. This can be encouraged by making the strategy visible and accessible as an online/electronic program, rather than a printed document .

Follow your instincts, be bold

A successful sustainability strategy is not just about metrics, targets and financial savings. To be successful at becoming a sustainable organisation, trusting a ‘gut feeling’ of what is right will have a range of far-reaching benefits. These benefits are sometimes difficult to measure; however they should not be dismissed based on that fact, but embraced as ‘the right thing to do’. It is important to understand the principles and sometimes be willing to back intuition, investing without a specific business case.

To optimize an existing strategy, the first step is to see what’s going well, and what can be done better. Data analysis is key, hence our strong focus on effective ESG reporting. With almost 20 years of experience, EMG has built a strong track record in guiding organizations across all sectors to strategically increase the impact of their existing ESG strategy.Below is an excerpt from an article published by edie.net (Faversham House), the market-leading information resource for sustainability, written by one of our consultants. Titled ‘What is it ‘sustainability champions’ do that other companies don’t?’, the article explains how leaders in ESG have successfully built on their strengths from within. They have developed a unique sustainability strategy and plan that works seamlessly with their business and for their stakeholders, and have executed it to the highest standard.

Taking a look behind the scenes at EMG, here are five key steps that leaders in sustainability have mastered, which will serve as useful guidelines for organizations with their own ambitions for sustainability with substance, from an internal perspective.

Examine and understand

Truly understand the company’s values and corporate culture. The importance of this first step cannot be overstated. There are good reasons why any company today operates the way it does. At the core of a company’s actions – and reputation – are its values and culture, and its effect on employees. After all, it is employees that develop new products, employees that provide customer service and employees that tell the outside world about the company’s level of quality.

In order to implement any change successfully within an organisation – in this case a meaningful sustainability agenda – it is crucial to understand the driving factors behind employee behaviour. Without the endorsement and dedication from the people inside the organisation, leading effective change will be practically impossible, or in the case of sustainability, condemned to a future of lip service and green washing. When your values and culture are properly understood, further steps of modification and development can then be initiated.

Keep it holistic

Link the past with the future, and make it count. To make business sense of sustainability, it first has to make sense for the business. ESG leaders develop a strategy that works for the business and its stakeholders, building on established strengths and USPs.

An important way of doing this is by linking relevant experiences from the past to the business’ current situation. This serves as a transitional bridge, so employees can relate to how the company has successfully implemented change previously. Companies that excel the strongest in sustainability have a CEO who is genuinely inspired by the benefits of sustainability and drives the new agenda with a sense of urgency.

At the same time, it is vital that sustainability targets are properly embedded into the organization, reinforced through standards such as key performance indicators. Make them count! This way everyone within the company is not only enabled, but also accountable for being part of the company’s new targets. Before you know it, what gets measured will get managed.

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Create a driving coalition. For a company’s sustainability ambitions to reach their full potential, it is vital that they truly become part of the company’s DNA. Establishing a task force for implementing sustainability principles is usually necessary, but it is crucial that such a group consists of dedicated employees with equal rights and responsibilities, and is without hierarchy.

This group of people will hold the critical role of being a connecting party between the board and the employees, and therefore must have the trust and respect from both parties in order to influence them. Good candidates for such a group would be employees who not only have energy and personal commitment to sustainability principles, but also have been recognized for successful engagement activities in the past.

Motivate and engage

Keep employees up-to-date, motivated and engaged. Once staff are excited about the company’s new mission and understand how they can contribute, it is important to maintain momentum. Engagement is key. Employees will be far more willing to participate in the new agenda when they feel they are a part of it, which in turn results in much faster uptake of the initiative.

Communicating to staff about milestones achieved – even modest ones at first – will keep people motivated by making genuine progress visible as the benefits of the transition are highlighted. By creating a corporate map or progress timeline, employees can see for themselves the journey the company makes and the targets that lie ahead, and will be more likely to take ownership of it.

There will inevitably be times when targets are harder to hit than anticipated; however, these too should be addressed with transparency, emphasisng that the company is still moving in the right direction.

Prepare to adapt

Stay flexible and adaptable. There’s no doubt that meaningful change takes time, and the journey of sustainability is an ongoing process. Along the way, there will always be unforeseen challenges and mistakes that need to be corrected. Again, the solution lies in company culture.

When the corporate culture is healthy, challenges will be addressed with flexibility and creativity, while transparency will create understanding. It’s a well-worn expression, but it’s especially true when it comes to ESG: where there is a will, there is a way. And while the way might be long, the journey is worth the effort.

In 2023, EMG proudly became the first Trusted Consulting Partner for the damtower method™. This groundbreaking approach to employee engagement allows organizations to embrace sustainability as a mindset for long-term success. With its foundation in transparency, education, and positive encouragement, the damtower method™ aligns perfectly with our own ‘eco-effective’ view on sustainable development. We are thrilled to be at the forefront of introducing this innovative two-month training program worldwide.The damtower method™, developed by talent management expert Benoit Montet, combines over 30 years of international leadership experience with cutting-edge AI capabilities. It is designed to inspire employees at all levels and establish a culture of sustainable thinking and action throughout the organization. By implementing the damtower method™, organizations can make a tangible difference in a remarkably short period of time.

In a nutshell, the damtower method™ comprises four interconnected components strategically designed to drive lasting impact:

1. The comprehensive damtower survey: Conducted by our experts, this survey benchmarks your organization’s current sustainability performance against international standards. It objectively identifies strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to sustainability and CSR, providing a solid starting point for your transformation journey.
2. The damtower management workshop: In this workshop, your project management team will receive an unbiased overview of the survey results. You will engage in insightful discussions with both EMG and damtower experts, gaining a clearer understanding of the gaps between perceived performance and reality. This workshop covers elements such as your organization’s mission, vision, and strategy, bringing further clarity to your sustainability landscape and goals.
3. The damtower ‘Name & Shine’ workshop: Tailored to your organization’s unique situation, this workshop focuses on the specific areas identified in the survey analysis and management workshop. Through engaging, educating, and empowering your employees, our experienced experts challenge your workforce to integrate new ways of working into their roles. Fostering ownership and a can-do mentality, we ensure full alignment with your corporate strategy and goals.
4. The damtower method™ concludes with a comprehensive management report consolidating the current state of your sustainability/CSR strategy. This report includes concrete recommendations for strategic and tactical improvements, co-created by your employees to enhance successful implementation. We recommend involving your Human Resources department to help integrate self-set goals and targets into KPIs. Furthermore, both the organization as an entity and every employee who participated in the workshop will receive certification. To maximize its impact, it is recommended to repeat the damtower method consecutively for a minimum of three years.

We confidently recommend the damtower method™ as the ultimate tool for fostering a healthy culture of sustainable thinking within your organization. It not only inspires but also empowers employees to drive positive change in line with corporate goals and strategy.

For more information or to schedule a free, non-binding introduction call to explore the possibilities for your organization, please contact us on +31 (0)165 233 003 or send us a WhatsApp message at +31 (0)6 5555 2533. We look forward to hearing from you.