How to Reach Your Sustainability Goals: A Step-by-Step Guide

Summary:

• Organizations advance sustainability milestones by incorporating social change and implementing environmentally friendly strategies.
• These strategies include transitioning to renewable energy sources, reducing a company’s carbon footprint, and working towards a ‘greener workplace’.

Sustainability milestones should accelerate social change, protect and preserve environmental integrity, and enhance overall business performance.

Believe or not, that last point is true; having environmental goals in place can actually increase a company’s productivity and profitability.

Research from UCLA has shown that companies that incorporate sustainability strategies are substantially more productive than their peers who ignore these goals.

Sustainable enterprises create environmentally friendly products or services and integrate sustainability principles into their business decisions and processes.

Sustainability milestones measure an organization’s ability to meet these predetermined ‘green’ goals.

The following are just some of the ways an enterprise can advance sustainability milestones…

Transition to renewable energy sources

Companies should start their sustainability efforts by reducing their energy usage. This can be taken a step further by an organization adopting renewable energy for its processes. If you are a facilities manager, it may be worth asking your local energy providers what is already available on the grid for your premises, as putting your own infrastructures in place is often not an option.

Some of the renewable energy sources companies can explore are:

• Solar PV panels: These are panels that can harvest photo voltaic rays from the sun and convert it to electricity. They are placed in areas that have access to sunlight for maximum results and are straightforward to install.
• Wind Power: Wind turbines are used to generate electricity from wind speeds. They are typically for industrial-scale use, because they require large areas and are considerably costly.
• Hydro-electric Power: This energy source uses the energy generated from water flow through a turbine engine to generate electricity. It is also best for industrial use, because of its high cost.
• Anaerobic Digestion Systems: In this system, organic material is decomposed without oxygen, to produce both methane and carbon dioxide gas. The two products are combusted to produce electrical energy.

Move to sustainable commuting

One of the ways companies can reduce their carbon footprint is by lowering single-car usage among employees.

Want an in-depth guide on how to reduce car dependency check out our blog – The guide to reducing car dependency at work.

Wayleadr’s parking management software allows for businesses to implement policies that can help reduce this form of commuting.

For instance, parking pre-booking can reduce the amount of driving your staff do around the locality. Not only that, data can be examined and incentives introduced, that will discourage drivers from single occupancy commutes.

Parking management isn’t the only lever available to move the dial. Discover how the wider proptech movement can help or how to boost public transport usage at your business.

Use sustainable packaging

Improved packaging methods, such as the use of eco-friendly options, can help your organization achieve their sustainability milestones.

Companies that are not involved in manufacturing can also buy fewer products with excessive packaging and create company-wide recycling policies. 

Sourcing materials locally is another great way to advance sustainability milestones, as this reduces the distance traveled by delivery trucks to companies.

Support an existing cause

To achieve sustainability milestones, you can align your company with a climate change initiative, group, or organization, already in existence. For example, your company can support a non-profit organization that aligns with your company’s eco-friendly goals.

This can help your employees feel part of a bigger cause and it also offers your organization the chance to learn from people who are experts in this area.

Get energy certified

Energy certifications are governmental initiatives in the UK, US, and other countries that give detailed evaluations of a business’s energy consumption and efficiency. They also identify key areas that need improvement, which can accelerate your company on its journey towards its sustainability milestones.

Advancing sustainability milestones can help companies reduce costs, increase profits, and improve their brand perceptions. Wayleadr can help your company accelarate this process and substantially reduce employee car usage. For more information, contact Wayleadr today.