Personal Consulting

A business plan is a map that leads an organization on one of an endless number of possible journeys.  It provides a common understanding to internal stakeholders and is a communication tool to the external world of company’s values, goals, and business sustainability strategies.  So what is your plan saying and where will it ultimately take you?

In today’s complex economic climate, companies are redefining traditional business goals to include a broader definition of business sustainability.  Economic objectives are merging equally with environmental and social measures to deliver a more sustainable business future. 

Now is the perfect time to revisit your business plan and make changes for a new business environment.  As sustainability consultant to small and growing businesses, I advise my clients to develop a business plan with sustainability concepts in mind.

• Take the opportunity to change the direction of your company or tweak its current direction to capitalize on growing eco awareness.
• Build business sustainability into core processes to reduce cost, increase revenue, mitigate risk, and increase investment potential.
• Meet with employees, customer, suppliers, and inventors to align the business sustainability plan with align stakeholder concerns.
• Integrate sustainability into your supply chain.

Implementing business sustainability in today’s environment can be a delicate balance between planning for today and planning for the future.  While many organizations are taking more conservative action, our sustainability consulting finds leading companies are reevaluating and retooling for the future.  A business sustainability plan can be the framework that brings it all together.

Not all businesses and individuals are at the same level of sustainability understanding or implementation.  Whether your company is just becoming familiar with the concept of business sustainability or is sustainability leader in your industry, there are sustainable performance improvements that can help move your organization up the scale.

Companies often compromise by focusing on the short-term immediate gains at the expense to long-term value creation.  As a sustainability consultant we encourage clients to realize that the pursuit of business sustainability is a continuous long-term commitment - it's a journey, not a destination. 

Determining the criteria that will move you up the business sustainability scale, from where your company currently resides, is an important distinction. Breaking down a business sustainability plan into manageable steps will ensure that the approach is aligned in with your overall sustainability objectives.  At the same time, it will not overwhelm the business or your employees. 

Benchmarking where your business is on the green road map offers visibility to the eco actions to take and a means to measure and report on your progress.  Moving to ‘Business Sustainability Awareness’ includes:

•    Identify business sustainability potential.
•    Obtain leadership support.
•    Educate your stakeholders.
•    Set a vision for business sustainability.

The true value capture from business sustainability will come from the successful implementation of sustainability concepts and strategies.  Moving to ‘Business Sustainability Implementation’ includes:

•    Develop sustainability strategies linked to business drivers.
•    Clearly communicate an action plan.
•    Engage key stakeholders  in the sustainability plan.
•    Establish business sustainability policies and standards.

Managing a successful sustainability plan is a continuous process  that does not end with implementation.  Engaging with your stakeholders on the outside business world drives continuous improvement in the business.  Moving to ‘Business Sustainability Leadership’ includes:

•    Monitor and review successes and failures with stakeholders.
•    Capture and implement lessons learned.
•    Benchmark progress with industry and cross-industry sustainability leaders.

At Taiga Company, we recognize that each business is uniquely positioned somewhere along the sustainability scale.  Our  business resources work with clients to develop a successful sustainability plan that meets specific business needs- placing your business on the green road map.

Since the introduction of the concept of the triple bottom line, supporters and critics have debated the ability to link the environmental and social responsibility to business profitability.  Without a definitive financial incentive, companies have historically not been receptive to the idea of integrating sustainability concepts into core business practices.  However, recent trends tend to indicate that the business world may be changing their view.
 
Business sustainability is not exclusively environmentally focused. Business sustainability programs offer measures to save money and grow profitable businesses.  Integrating sustainability concepts into core business functions enables businesses to become more nimble in a fast-changing world.   Customers want it, it increases the bottom line, improves employee morale, reduce risks, and... It is good for the environment.
 
As evidenced in our business sustainability consulting, sustainable business leaders are evaluating new markets, new products, and are pursuing the most innovative people.  They are rethinking long-held strategic assumptions to challenge decades of conventional wisdom to drive organizational change  and innovation.  See if you know what they know about  business sustainability:
 
•    Improve Business Reputation 
•    Create Brand Differentiation
•    Capture Industry Synergies with other Sustainable Businesses 
•    Reduce Business Cost
•    Improve Employee Satisfaction and Retention
•    Lead Your Industry in Best Practices
•    Improved Stakeholder Engagement
•    Respond to Consumer Eco-Preferences 
•    Proactive Measures regarding Environmental Legislation
•    They know to act now, or get left behind…
 
At Taiga Company, our sustainability consulting practices assist clients to define business sustainability value drivers and integrate them into existing processes and evolving business models.

In the last 10 years, the consumer product market has experienced a dramatic increase in eco awareness.  This significant shift is most easily observable in everyday consumer choices.  These consumer preferences for sustainable products have resulted in a corresponding response from the business world to meet expectations.  However, questions still remain on whether ‘green’ product offerings equate to a sustainable business.

Shifting market trends have given rise to a myriad of alternative products and services.  Evidence of this shift can be seen in the number of ‘green’ products available on the shelves at even the local grocery store.  With so many choices, ‘green’ product offerings could be replaced with business sustainability action as the primary sustainability differentiator in consumer purchases.

A recent study released by the Shelton Group, Eco Pulse, reveals that 60% of American consumers are seeking out green products.  However, many consumers are presently confused about what exactly are the criteria for green products.  According to Eco Pulse, this confusion leads to a lack of trust, often causing purchasers to look beyond the product.

Our sustainability consulting finds that business and product reputation have become increasingly important in the ‘green’ consumer market. The Eco Pulse study further examined the questions facing businesses looking to engage ‘green’ consumers.  Primarily:

•    What messages are consumers responding to in this market?
•    What terms and actions need to be clarified?
•    What promises do they really believe?

Growing consumer eco awareness has placed consumer preferences as a major and defining aspect of business sustainability.  As a sustainability consultant, I believe that this growing intelligence will place positive pressure on business to deliver new and innovative products and clearer communications.  The companies on the forefront of sustainable development will differentiate themselves and capture the greatest value.

Is your company waiting to see how the market responds before taking action?  Is management afraid to over commit resources and capital to a yet to be defined direction?  Are you stuck in a business sustainability ‘holding’ pattern?  Well, chances are the company may be actually increasing business stakeholder risk and directly affecting the competitive position of the organization.
 
As Jackson Brown said, "Opportunity dances with those who are already on the dance floor." Is your business on the dance floor or sitting in the bleachers?  Our sustainability consulting finds the key to long-term business sustainability is often a willingness to take motivated action.  By proactively reevaluating your organization’s internal processes and business strategies, you are taking a step in the direction of organizational directed change.  If left to respond to the actions of other businesses or in response to external circumstances, you may be unknowingly be falling behind the competition.
 
In, Why Investors Should Consider Sustainability Risk Management, author Daniel Goleman explains the new risks businesses are facing.  While regulatory and economic risks have been on the radar for a long time, the business world must now evaluate business sustainability from a new perspective. 
 
Leading businesses are taking the opportunity to rework traditional business practices and models to position themselves in a more favorable position for the future.  These businesses are now including environmental and social impacts in the profitability equation.  Putting on their ‘green’ glasses, today’s leaders are addressing some basic business sustainability questions:
 
•    What are the current and future dynamics in the market that could affect long-term business profitability?
 
•    What business risk might the company be incurring by not taking action?
 
•    What opportunities might the company missing out on now and in the future?
 
Taking proactive steps to anticipate change in the business world can not only create an opportunity to capture immediate value but can position and organization favorably in the future. Louis Pasteur said, "Chance favors the prepared mind.”   How prepared is your business?

Driven today largely by cost savings opportunities or risk mitigation, the business world is gradually moving forward on the sustainability continuum.  The feel good efforts of the past have been replaced with real bottom line business sustainability impacts.  Looking into the future, the next step-change will come when stand-alone project implementations become cohesive business sustainability programs across companies, industries, and business as a whole. 

Our sustainability consulting finds many companies are already exploring the larger and more impactful value aspects of business sustainability.  While this is a huge step forward from the very recent past, a much larger prize in your company may come from connecting these stand-alone projects under a singular corporate business sustainability program and overall business mindset change.

Working with both small and large organizations, we stress the value in creating an overarching business case for sustainability as a framework to drive internal cohesion.  Bringing unity to company’s resources and efforts, this aligned understanding will define and communicate the basic questions:

•    What are the business value drivers (cost, revenue, shareholder return)?
•    Are those drivers aligned with a sustainable direction of the company?
•    What are the current and future pressure points that could affect business sustainability?
•    Are we prepared and what are we collectively doing to determine our success?

Companies slow to take action to respond to change or take continuous steps towards improvement often find themselves out-of-touch with both their internal and external stakeholders.  However, making a step-change in the organization is not that difficult.  By simply determining the criteria that will move the company forward along the business sustainability continuum, your organization can have a clear map towards success.

When we think of ‘green’ jobs, we often picture a new opportunity, which may require a new set of skills, or a new place of employment with a job title and description that "sounds" green.   This may lead us to believe that ‘green’ jobs are elsewhere - and definitely not our current job.  Frequently, in our sustainability consulting, we are asked, "How do I find a green job?"
 
Keep in mind, every job is a green job: it's all in how you do it.  Granted, there are designated "green" jobs out there.  However, if it is making an impact and making a difference that you are truly after, then transforming your current job into a green job is the ticket.
 
Whether led by a sustainability executive or traditional management, your role in a sustainable organization can have an impact. 
 
•    Supply Chain Professionals: these roles interface with the company’s supply chain and can implement new sources of supply or work with current suppliers to incorporate sustainability concepts that improve operations.  Procurement play a role in coordinating sustainable purchasing practices across various departments within the organization. 
 
•    Environmental, Health, and Safety Professionals: these roles interface with the company’s operations and establish and implement the company’s sustainability policies.  They can also function as a communication vehicle to the organization.
 
•    Sales and Marketing Professionals: these key roles interface with the company’s customers represent the face of business sustainability and communicate the organizations values and commitment to sustainability.  Sales and Marketing link consumer preferences for sustainable products with the offerings of the company.
 
•    Human Resource Professionals: these key roles interface have a key role to play to help a company achieve its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) objectives.  HR professionals are encouraged to check out the new book, CSR for HR by Elaine Cohen for sustainable impact within the organization.
 
At its essence, the desire for a green job is an opportunity for meaningful work.  Specifically, work that transforms our environment and gives back in a meaningful way.  It is the reward of expanding eco awareness through deliberate eco action that generates shifts in business and personal lives.  Follow your eco friendly passions and take on new and exciting opportunities as they become available. Watch your job transform into the sustainability role you have always wanted.        

As any small business owner will tell you, the challenges they face can be very different than larger companies.   Small businesses are often resource constrained and in some cases financially limited.  However when it comes to realizing immediate benefits from business sustainability implementation, small business may actually have an advantage over these large corporations. 

Many small businesses are now subscribing to the idea that they can save money, increase sales, and improve brand and company value by implementing social and environmental business sustainability practices.  As a sustainability consultant working directly with small business leaders, I have personally observed the ability of smaller organizations to quickly respond to changing market conditions to capitalize on opportunities and lower their risk.

In a recent conversation with a prospective client whose objective was to dramatically  change the way their company had been conducting business over the past few years, we discussed the distinct advantages present within a small business setting:

•    Greater flexibility to respond to market changes.
•    Reduced decision chains to accelerate approvals and business action.
•    Closer relations with business stakeholders to capture feedback and address concerns.
•    Greater speed to transform business sustainability resistance into organizational action.

In many cases, small businesses are taking the lead away from larger corporations.  These progressive organizations are creating their own business case for sustainability and defining specific opportunities for improvement.  By leveraging multifunctional resources and close working relationships as a distinct advantage, small businesses are quickly adapting and capitalizing on business sustainability value.

Our small business resources interact with small businesses seeking to build business sustainability plans and strategies to promote stability and growth.  We engage with key stakeholders through a variety of mediums to guide businesses to their unique links between defined sustainability concepts and their business value drivers to positively affect change in the workplace.

When you consider that just in the last few years the world has seen a dramatic increase in public eco awareness, specifically in ‘green’ consumer knowledge, it is no wonder why there have been so many changes on market shelves. 
 
At the PEW Center for Climate Change's Energy Efficiency Conference held in Chicago last April, one of the plenary session speakers stated a remarkable statistic.  Only 8% of what you DO is sustainable -- the other 92% is in the supply chain -- in other words, what you BUY. So in essence, your eco actions add up but the products you purchase really add up because of the cascade affect in a sustainable businesses supply chain.
 
The growing focus on Supply Chain Management (SCM) as a strategic function within the organization has proven to be opportunity to reduce cost and add value to the bottom line.  The recent emergence of sustainable supply chain management provides the opportunity to leverage this progress from an added perspective.  Mainstream thinking is just beginning to incorporate expanding eco awareness to include the role of social and environmental responsibility in supply chain value creation. 
 
However, in recent months, a number of corporate giants like IBM and P&G have announced new initiatives that pressure suppliers to do much more to measure and manage their environmental impacts. With water, carbon, and energy management becoming a critical sustainable business strategy to address internal and external supply issues, businesses addressing these areas are creating supply chain management alignment through increased eco awareness, cooperative business relationships, and applied sustainability concepts that can have immediate business impacts and reduce business sustainability risk. 
 
So, yes, buying green does make a difference.  As a consumer, you can vote with your dollar for sustainable change.

Too many organizations underestimate the power of asking their stakeholders important questions in a timely manner. Even worse, too many firms treat their internal disputes and disagreements as sensitive information to be hoarded rather than as valuable insight to be shared.  On the flip side, our eco friendly consulting subscribes to the likes of Tom Peters,
"Innovation comes only from readily and seamlessly sharing information rather than hoarding it."  
 
In the corporate world, most business leaders agree that achieving real bottom line improvements, whether through cost savings or improved revenues, is critical to business sustainability.  However, these bottom line achievements are the result of close collaboration with key stakeholders committed to the business’s success.  What happens if you aren't asking the right questions? Or, what if you are asking the right questions but to the wrong group of stakeholders?   Add to that, the complexities of conversations in social media.
 
The speed of business sustainability information rapidly increasing and global eco awareness constantly expanding, it has become increasingly important for companies to harness the power of social media to engage with internal and external stakeholders.  Social media provides employees, individuals, communities, businesses, and non-government organizations the ability to connect with business in meaningful discussion from anywhere in the world in real time.   As sustainability consultants, we encourage businesses to engage in the conversation by asking questions.  Curiosity elicits the best answers.  Consider the results of stakeholder collaboration:
 
•    Employees actively engaged in the sustainability strategies of the business.
•    The supply chain working together under aligned sustainability goals.
•    Business responsiveness to the expectations of the consumer.
•    Business practices designed for minimal environmental impact.
•    Realized benefits of a supportive local community.
 
What questions do you need to be asking your stakeholders to drive new levels of sustainable business performance in your organization?  

One approach to innovation is to wait for it to come to you.  Another approach is to seek it out.  Such is the case with sustainability.  Some get it.  Some don't.  What is it that the early adopters of business sustainability get that others are missing?
 
Specifically, leading organizations are finding ways to address current challenges and transform economic roadblocks into business sustainability opportunities.   How are they doing this?  Well, as we comment in our business sustainability programs, the universal concepts of business sustainability apply to all businesses, but how they are implemented in a specific business yield unique results.   Currently there are several trends continuing to create business and individual opportunity:
 
•    Sustainability is expanding business and entrepreneurship: Described as the next “gold rush”, sustainability is creating opportunity for new ventures and business expansion.
 
•    Creating an incentive for Innovation: Response to sustainability challenges/questions is sparking new ideas and technologies that are creating business opportunities.
 
•    Creating New Market: The exponential growth in consumer demands for more sustainable products is creating new markets for businesses.
 
•    Breaking Down Barriers: Corporate sustainability programs are refining supply chains.  New supplier criteria and qualifications are opening doors for new products and more sustainable companies that may not have access before.
 
•    Creating Jobs:  Corporate sustainability programs are redefining employee qualifications and creating new skill requirements and positions in business.
 
By recognizing and taking decisive action, small business and entrepreneurs are creating a competitive advantage over traditional competition.  Our sustainability consulting interfaces with businesses seeking to capture the value from business sustainability opportunities.  Do you get it?  Let us know!    

Is sustainable progress an absolute or relative measure?  Is it common or unique to a specific application or pursuit?

As a business sustainability consultant, I am forever engaged in the conversation of sustainable progress.  Whether discussing it in terms of environmental responsibility, social engagement, eco awareness, or business sustainability, the conversation as a whole has dramatically advanced over the past five years. 

But how do we know the steps taken are in the right direction…can sustainability be measured, evaluated, and compared?  What are the true measures of progress?

In a recent post, Sustainability Measures for a New Economy, we discuss the relative indicators of sustainable success.  With each business navigating the economic dynamics and shifting sustainable expectations in the marketplace, we find the definers of sustainable progress are relative and unique to the experiences of the individual businesses.  

Our professional consulting subscribes to the concept of unique measures and leverage Guy and Kibert’s suggested criteria for identifying business sustainability indicators:

•    Validity – do they measure something relevant?
•    Available and Timely – is the data available on a regular basis?
•    Responsive – do they respond quickly and measurable to change?
•    Representative – do they cover the important dimensions of the evaluation?
•    Flexible – will they be available in the future?
•    Proactive – do they act as a warning or a measure of current state?

By constantly searching for indicators, rather than measures, of success in our own pursuits, one moves away from comparisons that might deviate from unique and specific goals.   Our sustainability consulting helps clients identify specific indicators that define the successes in each individual business sustainability plan.

Because most adults spend a majority of their waking hours at work, a sustainable working environment is critical.  The work site, organizational culture and working environment are powerful influences on behavior.   Wellness programs have been used as instruments to address weight reduction, reduced stress levels, improved physical fitness, health, and well being.   But did you know they are also linked to business sustainability programs improving the bottom line? 
 
Elaine Cohen, author of the CSR for HR  notes in a post, “It is estimated that employers spend $13 billion annually on the total cost of obesity. Approximately 9.1% of all health care costs in the United States are related to obesity and overweight. Workplace obesity prevention and control programs can be an effective way for employers to reduce obesity. They can produce a direct financial return on investment (ROI) by lowering health care costs, lowering absenteeism, and increasing employee productivity.”
 
Additionally, “Return on investment – Canada Life in Toronto showed a return of $6.85 for every $1 invested in its Workplace Wellness program; while the Canadian government realized $1.95-$3.75 per employee per $1 spent.”
 
Within our sustainability consulting, we cite the benefits of wellness programs as part of sustainable business strategies for all sizes of organizations:  

•    Enhanced recruitment and retention of healthy employees
•    Reduced health care costs
•    Decreased rates of illness and injuries
•    Reduced employee absenteeism
•    Improved employee relations and morale
•    Increased productivity
       
Providing employees with wellness programs not only provides them a way to improve their health, but it also demonstrates corporate social responsibility.  Businesses taking it to the next step are integrating sustainability plans into the core business and including wellness programs as a means to improve the bottom line.   

Sometimes when I talk about green living or a sustainable lifestyle to someone unfamiliar with environmental values, I get the "deer in the headlights" look.  You know, the eyes gloss over, there's a lost look in the face, and there's a gentle stare of confusion.  As a green living consultant, I view these moments as a gift in time to share the value of living a sustainable lifestyle for myself  -  with someone else.  
 
In my professional consulting, I've discovered the easiest way to promote a sustainable lifestyle to others is by sharing with friends, neighbors, and in the community.  Sharing is a genuine expression of the value found in the sustainability concepts that are embraced in your life.  It's easier for others to make the connection between the ideas of living green and how it's put into action when examples are shared. 
 
Following are suggestions mentioned in our eco friendly training to help get the conversation going.
 
•    Want to talk about the weather?  Grow that typical conversation about local weather patterns into an expanding discussion about climate change.  Take the lead and solicit opinions about global warming, pollution, emissions, or a host of other environmental issues and opportunities related to the weather.  Explore possible solutions and eco actions to take.
 
•    Want to talk about work?  Turn that uninspiring workplace problem into an exploration of business sustainability solutions.  Leverage those issues into a discussion of business innovation, operational efficiencies, or exciting new technologies.
 
•    Want to talk about family and children?  Explore conversations about green living, eco travel, or fun green activities for the kids.
 
•    Want to talk about projects around the house?  There is a number of topics to choose from, either though personal experience or thoughts of doing in the future.  As a starter, energy efficiency is always a conversation starter for home improvement projects and appliance upgrades.
 
Remember to share what you are doing and why you like taking those eco actions.  If it feels good to preserve natural resources, say so.  Are you saving money? Say that too!  We all have different motivations and your sharing of your sustainable lifestyle may very well inspire your friends, neighbors, and family members to discover the value in green living for them. 

With an extremely wide range of perspectives and view points of the world, it might seem crazy to think a common definition or framework of ‘sustainability’ could ever be defined.  Add to that, personal beliefs and business operating philosophies, and the conversation continues to expand.   However, our sustainability consulting believes that the point of convergence in the personal and business sustainability conversation begins and ends with value. 

From a business context, the realities of increased business risk, increased cost or the loss of revenue, often narrows the discussion of business sustainability pursuits.  When sustainability concepts are directly applied to specific areas of concern in current business processes and practices, the value of sustainable action is then seen in tangible results. 

The ability to transcend lagging business sustainability measures to a pursued value can often differentiate an innovative organization from the rest of the pack.  This forward looking definition of value can:

•    Define the company as a sustainable and profitable business.
•    Define the company as a sought after business partner.
•    Define the company as a stable investment opportunity.
•    Define the company in the marketplace as a technological or business sustainability thought leader.
•    Define the company as an adaptive organization and a facilitator of business sustainability change.

By taking proactive measures, companies like Wal-Mart and IBM are already addressing the future business sustainability risks and market changes that will directly impact business profitability.  But, what can small businesses do without the broad based supplier relationships of the larger organizations? 

Most of the companies we work within our sustainability consulting practice represent the larger population of businesses that lack the supply chain stroke of a large buyer like Wal-Mart.  Without this tremendous influence to modify supplier behavior through pure necessity, we find many businesses have to bring their supplier stakeholders to the table before setting supplier guidelines and procurement policy.  The trick to getting all parties on board? Creating mutual value.  

Have you ever had a brilliant idea lose its luster over time?  Ever asked, "Why wasn’t the idea by itself enough?  What was missing? What could I have done differently?"  Taking appropriate action may be missing.  From a sustainable business context, transforming your business sustainability mindset could be the key.

Finding yourself on a path leading in the wrong direction can be a scary proposition.  Sometimes  that can be attributed to shifting expectations or market changes, but our business sustainability consulting finds the more common culprit stems from a lack of planned eco action and participation in expanding  on the original thought. 

It's not uncommon for businesses leaders to regularly hang their hat on an idea or concept and then fail to engage and nurture a great idea along the way.   Or, an over commitment or attachment to simply make the ‘ship sail or plane fly’ can be detrimental to an unengaged organization.

As our sustainability consulting constantly reminds clients, business models and sustainability strategies can become stagnate.  Companies slow to take action to respond to change or take continuous steps towards improvement often find themselves out-of-touch with both their internal and external stakeholders.

Without feedback, a business sustainability plan can quickly loose favor with stakeholders and ultimately steer off course.  A business sustainability model of the future needs to be more dynamic than ever.  By referencing ongoing touch points, businesses create a dynamic  work-plan with periodic checks with engaged resources. 

•    What are the current and future dynamics in the market that could affect long-term business profitability?

•    What business risk might the company be incurring on the current course of action?

•    What opportunities might the company missing out on now and in the future?

Sustainable leaders of today are anticipating and taking proactive steps to address change in the business world.  Our sustainability consulting encourages clients to create a competitive advantage by building sustainability concepts and continuous improvement directly into the company’s business model to nurture those great ideas in to sustainable action. 

A challenge with corporate sustainability has been all about changing mindsets and systems.  Businesses often try to sell change to the organization as a way to attain agreement and accelerate sustainable business implementation. Selling change to people is most often not a sustainable strategy for success.  It creates resistance. 
 
Think about it.  When somebody tells you what to do, do you do it?  Probably not.  No one likes to be told what to do - even when they are up for it.  While sustainable business strategies may further the corporate vision and simultaneously create meaningful work for employees, the employees actually have to be engaged and involved for it to be meaningful. 
 
Sustainable change needs be realistic, achievable and measurable. Before taking action, it’s important to ask a few questions.  As mentioned in our business sustainability programs, we encourage business leaders to gain insights and valued feedback from those involved.   
 
•    What do we want to achieve with this change?
•    Why and how will we know that the change has been achieved?
•    Who is affected by this change, and how will they react to it?

 
The traditional methods and approaches of getting employees on board with a corporate program are ineffective.  Sustainability is all about inclusion. By embracing sustainability’s core principals of inclusion, transparency, and engaged communication with stakeholders, sustainable change is not only possible but encourages ownership and accountability within multiple levels in the organization.  

Drop a pebble in a pond and you will see a number of concentric waves radiating from the point of entry.  Wait a few seconds and those same perfect circles become distorted, blurred, and eventually disappear. In business, particularly in the supply chain, this same pattern is demonstrated as information filters down the supply chain.  As information travels away from its source, growing uncertainty and risk often results in a returning product misaligned with expectations.

Our sustainability consulting experience leads us to believe that supply chains which experience the least amount of supply variability in times of uncertainty and/or change are arguably the most sustainable.  A defining characteristic of these sustainable supply lines is the ability to effectively manage the flow of information among key business relationships.  By increasing clarity within the supply chain, efforts to mitigate risk become activities to improve efficiencies.

Moving forward, business sustainability may be providing a common platform of discussion for businesses and their suppliers.  Companies, small business owners, and entrepreneurs now more than ever find themselves at the crossroads of supply chain risk and opportunity. 
 
Rather than scrambling to respond to propagating ripples of change in the supply chain, our sustainability consulting resources are focused on the opportunities of proactive business sustainability action.  We provide information and small business resources to clients of all sizes seeking to make incremental steps towards a sustainable supply chain.  Ready to get started?  Contact us today.

According to the post, Who's the Biggest Greenwasher of Them All?, consumers are the biggest greenwashers.  And perhaps, rightfully so.
 
The author, Joel Makower states, "For more than two decades, they've said one thing and done another, making outsized claims about their environmental commitments — and the actions they take where they live, work, and play — with little evidence to back up those claims." “If consumers were a corporation, we'd be boycotting them."
 
Which brings us to the case in point: Sustainability is two sides of the same coin.   Business sustainability and personal sustainability.   Businesses are stepping up to the plate.  As a consumer, are you?  At the PEW Center for Climate Change's Energy Efficiency Conference held in Chicago last April, one of the plenary session speakers stated a remarkable statistic.  Only 8% of what you DO is sustainable -- the other 92% is in the supply chain -- in other words, what you BUY.
 
As a result, we may not always have time to participate in the latest cause or campaign, but we do have one very powerful tool to affect social change… our consumer dollar. How we spend our money speaks volumes about our beliefs and values.
 
Noted in our sustainability consulting, sustainability needs educated consumers.  Everything you buy affects the Earth, but some choices have a lesser impact. Educating yourself about the products you buy can empower you to make a difference in protecting the planet. It's called "green purchasing," and it's easy to do. As a green living consultant, I've found the problem is, most people are simply not aware of the problems associated with purchasing less sustainable products, let alone the solutions.
 
So if the problem is a lack of education, then who is responsible for fixing it? We are.  Individually, we have a responsibility to seek out information on sustainable products and companies.  The easiest way to promote a sustainable lifestyle is by living your values. Sustainable purchasing is one way to demonstrate that value.  In fact, getting others involved in your purchasing habits is a great way to spread eco awareness to friends, neighbors, and others in your community.   

When you look back, what will be the defining moment in your company’s history?  Will it be a point of inspired action that lead to success or will it be a look back at a missed opportunity?  Chances are that this turning pint will come down to a definable and distinct moment of clarity and a simple decision to do something different. 

Exploring past choices and discussing resulting outcomes with business leaders, our professional consulting finds inaction is most often the greatest point of regret when business leaders look back on past business choices.  However, we still find many organizations in the current economic climate businesses are still ‘inactively’ waiting to see what is going to happen next rather than taking business sustainability ‘action’ now.
 
With more companies beginning to evaluate profitability and business sustainability as a similar pursuit,  the sustainability value proposition is becoming more defined.  Over the last few years, we have seen a noticeable step-change in the clarity of sustainability concepts and a resulting refinement of understanding within the business world.  In particular, our personal and professional consulting has witnessed a significant shift in the knowledge of our own client base as well as the general public’s expectations of corporate action. 

•    Is your business ready? 
•    Will you be on the front or trailing end in your industry?
•    Could you transform the future of your company with immediate action?

By leading the business sustainability conversation and facilitating alignment with business partners, an organization is setting itself up for business sustainability success.  At Taiga Company, our professional consulting encourages business leaders to take an internal approach to sustainability.  We help build focused business sustainability programs that define internal sustainability values in conjunction with key business stakeholder interests.