Everyday in the news, there is another story about the perils of climate change, environmental degradation and the impact these will have on human health. With the complexity of human society, an ever-globalised system delivering and determining the resources available to particular communities at any on time, sustainability is itself solutions chained within these structural webs. Unpicking the strands and creating change can be daunting and difficult.
Within the legislative framework of the Climate Change Act 2008 and the subsequent Paris Agreement 2015, the world has the mechanisms to tackle the dangers posed by climate change. These are now linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2016. What is less clear is how these frameworks translate into action for countries, organisations, communities and individuals.
When approaching these challenges within organisations, it helps to undertake a ‘stocktake’ of what is currently happening and critically evaluate where the organisation wants to go. Regardless of the size and impact of the organisation, each has a role to play in reducing resource use and its augmenting business practices. In customer-facing business there are significant reputational gains to be found by pursuing an ethical agenda. There are also monetary gains found through resource efficiency, rethinking waste and boosting the principled productivity of staff or suppliers. The best approaches galvanise employees in the creation and delivery of sustainability programmes, actively seeking ideas and innovations from staff. In many cases, an initial assessment provides a series of ‘low-hanging fruits’, which can quickly be implemented creating momentum and successes that can be promoted and built upon.
FuturEcoLogic can help organisations assess their impacts and evaluate practices in line with their corporate values. We use recognised accreditation and assessment tools to guide management plans, working alongside clients to assess feasibility, costs and ROI, building business cases for investment and energising staff to deliver change. We impart our knowledge and experience to clients, so they can confidently undertake their sustainability journey with a clear idea of direction and ambition.