Sustainability: business, life, environment

As we have discussed in recent blog posts, one of the main challenges in implementing a business sustainability plan is linking sustainability concepts to business value.  While sustainability unto itself is a noble business effort, companies are primarily in business to deliver returns to their stakeholders.  Defining a specific value proposition for each business sustainability initiative is one of the keys to success.

Leading sustainability organizations are creating a business case for sustainability.  These companies are defining opportunities for improvement, linking them to specific business metrics, and creating scorecards to evaluate success. 

As a sustainability consultant, I advise clients to look in five distinct areas for value:

•    Decreased operating expense
•    Decreased capital expenditure
•    Increased revenue
•    Improved timing and schedule of project implementations
•    Decrease business risk

Building a business case for sustainability provides a company with a clear understanding of the opportunities, risks and bottom line implications of their defined sustainability strategies.  In addition, sustainability leaders are creating clear line of sight to their organizations specific business driver, which embeds sustainability concepts into the core process of the company.

At Taiga Company, our small business resources work directly with clients to create a business case for sustainability for their organization.  Our professional consulting engages with key stakeholders to guide businesses to their unique links between defined sustainability concepts and their business value drivers.