KEY POINTS:
New Zealanders have for many years enjoyed the feelgood factor and the more tangible business benefits arising from our "clean, green" image. Primary production and tourism are only two of the industry sectors whose wellbeing is directly attributable to that perception.
The release of the State of the Environment Report by the Ministry for the Environment in 1997 muddied the perception of a clean, green New Zealand. It highlighted poor rural and urban land use practices, inadequate management of hazardous substances, resulting in a large number of contaminated sites, the failure of our major cities to meet World Health Organisation standards for air quality, and concern about our increasing use of coal and oil. It also drew attention to the flood of pollutants entering our waterways, and the fact that New Zealand produced twice as much solid waste as it did 15 years before.
An update to the report in 2007 found we have made some progress, but there are still indicators and trends that show we are further away from making the image a reality.
Many of these concerns can be attributed to the way businesses here and overseas operate. All businesses and the people who work for them contribute directly and/or indirectly to most of the ecological and societal challenges we face today.
Business has the resource and management skills to provide solutions to many of our sustainability issues. Businesses that make changes with sustainability in mind will benefit from an improved financial bottom line and contribute to the wellbeing of our society and the environment. There is evidence that where businesses align with more than just financial goals and targets, a flow-on effect is increased staff loyalty and retention, as the business more closely reflects the employees' values and behaviour. Conversely, employees who lead by example will motivate and encourage their employers to take action.
Innovative businesses create products for a global market of aware consumers by bringing their products in line with sustainability criteria. There are a variety of very simple things businesses can do to improve a company's environmental and social performance.
For employees, the easiest way to become more sustainable is to increase resource efficiency. Within a company this could take on a competitive spirit, with employees or teams challenged to meet specific targets for improvement. Some initiatives could include:
Printing only when it is needed, double-siding print-outs or sharing reports using a circulation list.
Turning off lights and computers when not needed, especially at the end of the day.
Converting to energy-efficient appliances and lighting.
Re-using and recycling as much as you can (toner cartridges, paper, cans and glass, food scraps, mobile phones, and batteries).
Sharing office equipment like staplers and hole punches instead of buying one for each person.
Removing waste paper bins from work stations, replacing them with "cubes" and paper recycling trays.
For business owners, getting into sustainability could involve a staged approach and should be treated like any other project intended to bring benefit and add value to the business.
Create a small project team, outline a basic strategy on a particular issue, then roll out some changes. A useful mantra in this process is "measure, monitor, record". You will soon identify the most pressing issues, and areas where you can achieve the greatest savings at least cost.
Identify and understand the environmental and social issues in relation to your business. The next steps involve creating a business case for improvement options and gaining buy-in from key stakeholders (for example, suppliers and staff).
An action plan with supporting policies, procedures and reporting structures is then developed and implemented. Remember to celebrate and reward success and progress toward meeting targets. Positive reinforcement is a much more powerful motivator than rules-based "compliance" approaches.
Some areas worth tackling first are energy use or the amount of waste going to landfill. These easy wins will save the business money, enabling resources to go towards further initiatives. They will also motivate further action to embed sustainability into all business policies and processes, and empower staff.
Organisations like the Sustainable Business Network will provide you with the support, tools, and experience of hundreds of organisations that have already realised that sustainability makes good business sense.
David Clendon is the Northern Regional Manager of the Sustainable Business Network.www.sustainable.org.nz
