Protecting the environment and eliminating or reducing the negative impacts on the environment from business activities are probably the most important challenges which face companies today.
The devastating impact of climate change has been in the news frequently this year from wildfires across Europe to flooding in India and, to a lesser extent, here in the UK. Investing in green business is on the up with solar and wind industries being among the fastest growing.
Being environmentally aware is not the preserve of these green industries, many companies in other sectors are realising that green is good for business. Investments in sustainable businesses is up 68% since 2014. Sustainability in business requires the alignment of financial strategy, people strategy and an environmental strategy.
Employees are the key ingredient in any business and attracting new talent, as well as retaining talent, is often easier for companies with clear environmental policies and initiatives which share the same values that potential job seekers and employees have. Staff are also likely to be more motivated and productive when they can see that they are contributing to reducing environmental impacts and sustainability objectives.
Of course, we cannot ignore profit, without which no company will survive. However, environmental policies and initiatives will often benefit the bottom line. For example, reducing waste production will not only reduce costs from buying raw materials but will also save disposal or recycling costs as well.
Assessing environmental credentials has now expanded from public procurement into the private sector. Securing new customers and clients is no longer just down to price and quality but environment as well. The ‘greening of the supply chain’ is here to stay, and it will be interesting to see how it develops – will customers pay more for a greener product or service?
Here at Jacksons, we have been developing our own environmental management system (EMS) based on the international standard ISO 14001. The standard is used widely as it shares its methodology with other management systems such as quality (ISO 9001) and occupational health and safety (ISO 45001) meaning companies can often integrate procedures. The Plan, Do, Check and Act process provides a good system for improvement and development.
Having developed our environmental policy and procedures, we launched the system in October with briefing sessions for all staff. As a service company, identifying our environmental impacts was relatively straightforward with our efforts being focussed on waste reduction, water and energy use. Reviewing our office facilities has resulted in some early gains by replacing inefficient equipment resulting in 10-20% reduction in energy use compared to last year.
Whilst the environmental management system is at an early stage, it has been well received by staff who have already made a number of suggestions regarding future initiatives. It is hoped that the Firm’s sustainability journey will benefit the environment, staff and clients. If you want to learn more about the changes we are making in the business, please get in touch for a chat.
