What you'll find in this article
In a world that demands more and more sustainability and social responsibility, such characteristics have become key assets for better and more business profitability.
While some still try to decipher the ROI of sustainable initiatives and investments, others have quickly realized the strong link that exists between sustainability and profitability.
Such a correlation is increasingly obvious as the world demands more sustainable entities, that being companies, organizations, governments or individual who look for overall more responsible interactions with what surrounds them.
From philanthropy to purpose
Not that long ago the way companies saw their finances and reputation benefited was by donating part of their revenue onto social or environmental causes.
These philanthropic endeavors are no longer a substancial contribution to a more sustainable world or equitable society, in fact, in many instances there is a risk of being labelled as greenwahisng.
Today philanthropy, although much appreciated, should be no more than an added contribution to the actual purpose of the organization. A purpose that puts the planet and people first and aims for continuous improvement.
Sustainability as a business concern
Today, sustainability, and more specifically, a sustainable purpose, is a must for many reasons; from talent attraction and retention, to compliance and reputation, caring for society and the planet is undeniably a business concern.
Unlike the optional nature of philanthropic initiatives, complying with basic sustainability standards and putting things like ESG or SDGs at the core of business strategies is the least that’s expected from companies.
And so, as sustainability becomes a business concern, it also becomes a means of profitability. Here is how.
Transforming sustainability purpose into profitability
Many companies have already gone through this transformation, this is, one that takes those past philanthropic efforts and transfer them into company purpose.
However, actual sustainable profitability won’t come as easy, and stating a sustainable purpose is just the beginning step. Such a transformation needs to happen across all levels and activities of the company.
In fact, this is one of the most common problems for organizations. While their efforts to have a better social and environmental impact increase, the sustainable purpose is not embedded in daily business operations, and so it is doomed to fail.
When such purpose and sustainability are deeply rooted in every day to day business activities, sustainability will become as profitable as any other activity.
The problem of the lack of return of investment tends to lie in the fact that most companies won’t actually take the time to let the sustainable transformation happen within the organization, across all employees, stakeholders and shareholders.
Embedding sustainability across the organization
We believe that employees are far from being indifferent from participation in sustainable efforts, and actually look for the opportunity to be actively engaged and find purpose in having a positive impact through their jobs.
That is why through our technology we work to activate and track employees’ impact, creating engagement that translates into improved ESG metrics, reputational value and an overall positive impact for the environment and society.
Because the workplace can in fact become the perfect environment to find that collective eagerness to make a difference, both for the sustainability and purpose of the company and a more sustainable way of being for all.
