Sustainability Concepts

You may often ask yourself why people make the choices they make.  Given an endless range of possibilities, is sustainability one of the decision criteria which leads to the eventual outcome?

When it comes to daily choices, our personal and professional consulting views each decision point as an opportunity to integrate eco awareness into an eventual outcome.  While the result of every decision does not have to be directly aligned with sustainable values, the inclusion of sustainability concepts in the thought process can greatly improve the evaluation.
 
Integrating sustainability into your daily living is more than just a one-time single yes or no decision.  The pursuit of personal and business sustainability is a mindset change that incorporates expanded eco awareness into all decision making. 

The factors that lead to the choice of one path versus another are usually based upon personal value drivers.  By incorporating sustainability as criteria in decision process and recognizing that the pursuit of personal or business sustainability is not a single decision, this presents an opportunity to make alternative choices.

•    Explore healthier living.
•    Improved quality of life and work life balance.
•    Reconnect with local community.
•    Build your career with eco awareness.
•    Become an educated and conscious consumer.
 
Our sustainability consulting practice works with clients to build sustainability concepts directly into personal daily living.  We work with individuals to release resistance and embrace the benefits of personal and business sustainability.

Most leaders of successful organizations recognize that change can be unsettling, yet our experience in sustainability consulting still finds many of the leading businesses approaching change from the same traditional structured implementation processes.  However, facilitating business sustainability discussion can opens the door to a inclusion and a smoother transition..

One of the most common “miss-steps” taken by many business leaders is the roll of the salesman.  In this case, executives attempt to sell a predefined change to the organization as a way to attain agreement and accelerate implementation. Selling change to employees or other business stakeholders is often not the best strategy for success. 

An alternative approach is to align business sustainability with the needs of the employee.

•    Encourage employee discussion around business sustainability direction.
•    Focus on facilitating sustainability learning for employee development.
•    Stage implementation at a rate that is manageable for your workforce.
•    Encourage feedback from stakeholders  regarding change management processes.
•    Take ownership in the outcome of each step and make improvements going forward.

Successful implementations recognize that communication and learning are success factors in the pursuit of business sustainability.  By allowing for flexibility and promoting innovation across the organization, you are positioning the business to capture the interests of its stakeholders and ensure active and engaged participation.  This creates personal buy-in and ongoing support.

Our sustainability consulting firm works with business leaders and organizations to build business sustainability concepts into core practices and employee daily activities.  We work with individuals and groups to recognize the importance of change management as a key process in the pursuit of personal and business sustainability. 

We've all heard about "going green" and the corporate sustainability plans that many larger organizations are undertaking.  However, one of the biggest misconceptions around this topic is that sustainable business strategies are exclusive to larger organizations.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  
 
In fact, within our professional consulting with smaller businesses, we guide clients to use the best practices of larger organizations to sustainable business strategies they can use in their business that deliver bottom line and environmental results.

As an example, HP is known as a consumer and vendor of paper.   Internally, HP executed six guiding principles including efficient use of raw materials, sustainable forestry practices, responsible and low-carbon production, and waste minimization.   The results?  HP diverted   91.3 percent of its waste in 2008 and the company’s non-hazardous waste reduction program helped the company avoid sending 83,866 tons of waste to landfill, which was primarily paper waste.   Technology Business Research  says this strategy saved the company nearly $7.7 million from reusing items and avoiding landfill costs, and generated $2 million in revenue by selling material to recyclers.
 
How can a small business implement similar sustainability concepts in the business and generate similar results of cost savings, environmental impact reduction, and increased efficiency?
 
One approach taken in our business sustainability programs is to identify all the activities in a business that utilizes paper.  The obvious comes to mind like printers, copiers, mail, and collateral.  Areas to explore include:
 
•    How much paper do you use for events, trade shows, invoicing, literature, packaging, shipping materials?
•    What about the kitchen areas and bathrooms?  Remember, it's not just paper but paper products. 
•    Consult with people in other departments and get a clear picture of the paper they are using, where it is coming from, when they are using it, and how they are using it.
•    You might want to talk to your purchasing department and learn more about how much you are spending on your paper products.
 
As a next step, take eco action and employ the sustainability concept of the 3 R's: reduce, reuse, recycle. 
•    Reduce your paper consumption by working with your purchasing department to reduce the amount of paper purchased and switch to buying  recycled paper (100% post consumable is best). 
•    Reuse paper by placing bins next to the copiers and printers for easy reuse of single sided scraped paper. 
•    Recycle paper that has been used.
 
Simultaneous with these efforts, we suggest the use of online document management systems for your documents.  Content management systems give you more than the environmental benefits of going paperless.  They offer the ability to manage different types of data: emails, contracts, logos, reports, forms, drawings, web pages, and blogs which contributes to improved efficiency, further cost reductions, and environmental gains.
 
Sustainable business strategies used by larger organizations are examples of best practices that can be utilized in small business to generate cost savings, reduced environmental impacts, and brand differentiation by going green.  

A recent Gallup poll shows that 94% of Americans are aware of Climate Change issues, and of that segment 75% feel that action needs to be taken.  So what percentage of Americans is transferring this awareness into action?  What impact would it have if 75% of the US population took personal action to address these climate issues?

The gap between awareness and action may represent the single largest opportunity for global sustainability progress.  While historical efforts have focused on expanding awareness, the recent explosion of information and global interest indicates that the “word is out” on most major issues.   The next step is closing the growing gap between knowledge and personal action.

One of our sustainability consulting missions for 2010 and beyond is to promote the action step  in personal sustainable lifestyle and business sustainability change.  Integrating sustainability concepts into everyday activities at home and at work doesn’t have to be a costly or laboring process.

As we discuss with clients and friends, personal and business sustainability is a continuous improvement process that challenges each of us to constantly transform our personal eco awareness into manageable and value adding action. Putting a plan into action creates alignment and further expresses or extends one’s personal commitment. 

Take for example a few basic actions to address personal impacts on climate change.  These concepts are not beyond our current awareness and simply need to be put into action.  In fact, these actions will not only make a positive impact but will actually save money.
 
•    Evaluate energy sources: at home, at work, and in transportation.

•    Evaluate electrical energy efficiency at home and at work.

•    Evaluate the impacts of everyday purchasing decisions .

An important aspect of creating a personal or business sustainability plan is finding the right incentives to keeping a program going.  As a sustainability consultant, I encourage everyone to look for the economic benefits as well as the personal satisfaction of a sustainable lifestyle.  Our goal is to help business and individuals take continuous inspired action on their growing eco awareness.

Engaging conversation around sustainable business strategies is always exciting and this morning was no different.   Why?  Because as a sustainability consultant in the heart of Texas, I was welcomed with open arms to speak at the Houston Business Connection.  The Houston Business Connection is an allegiance of business professionals in Houston’s prestigious Spring Branch/Memorial area in which its members are committed to fostering growth in the Houston business community by providing local entrepreneurs a central source for their core business and personal needs.  Generally, Texans are known for embracing independence and not necessarily sustainability concepts; however, this network of professionals demonstrated that eco awareness is alive and kicking in Texas.
 
We started out clarifying misconceptions around business sustainability.  Our working definition for the day: business sustainability is not only about the environment.  It's about profitable businesses including the social and environmental impacts of their decisions in a way that strengthens the organization, the community, and the environment. 

What were the hot topics? 

• Sustainability as a profit center
• Sustainable business strategies for the year ahead
• Energy efficiency to increase profits
• Double whammies!  Eco actions that boost productivity and also reduce carbon emissions. 

While there may be some in Texas still arguing that sustainability is a passing trend, profitable businesses are not.  Sustainable business strategies are designed to bring eco awareness and sustainability concepts to employees, customers, and suppliers which bring value to the organization and also broaden and expand sustainability concepts into the communities and lives of the individuals.  Many thanks to the Houston Business Connection for inspiring eco awareness in their organization and the community. 

Global economic uncertainty has reduced employee counts in companies around the world, leaving organizations in many cases resource limited.  However, recent signs of recovery have companies reevaluating their talent strength for a more positive future.  Our sustainability consulting finds the ‘recovery’ generation of highly effective organizations is creating a business sustainability culture to motivate and retain top eco-talent. 

‘Eco’ or ‘green’ talent management is becoming increasingly necessary for many industries and is gradually becoming a general business sustainability best practice.  As consumers seek out companies that can deliver new and innovative products, top talent is necessary to meet changing expectations.  Our sustainability consulting works with businesses to view eco talent as a driver of innovation and a true business differentiator.

Through continuous communication and employee engagement, companies are creating an internal resource driver for the company’s business sustainability plan.  Building and motivating the organization becomes critical to recruiting and retaining top eco talent.


•    What is the ‘green’ generation seeking from employers?

•    How do we train talent professionals to identify and attract top ‘eco’ talent?

•    How do we tap into the growing enthusiasm for sustainability in business?

•    How do we challenge the organization to engage in business sustainability programs?

•    What new managerial skills do the next generation of managers need to get the most from their employees?

•    How do we conduct effective retention and succession planning to ensure a diverse sustainable leadership pipeline for the future?

Employee development is critical to raising eco awareness of the organization and enabling these business stakeholders to identify and implement sustainability concepts that add value.  By tapping into what is inspiring to each member of your team and acknowledging  their contributions, your company can surpass the organization of the past.

The exploration of sustainability concepts, particularly in business, has traditionally been a reaction to an undesirable outcome rather than a pursuit of value.   Few organizations truly advance the sustainability conversation to unlock future business opportunities.  However, positive signs in the market may offer a new sustainability perspective.

As the business world begins to emerge from economic uncertainty, our sustainability consulting finds many organizations eager to explore a more positive future.  In general, we find companies have a more optimistic outlook and are interested in capitalizing on the lessons learned over the past few years.  To our delight, this has shifted the sustainability conversation from a corporate side note to a strategic value discussion.

The value of business sustainability has traditionally been demonstrated when sustainability concepts are directly applied to specific areas of concern in current business processes and practices.  The ability to transcend lagging business sustainability measures to a pursued future value can often differentiate an innovative organization from the rest of the pack.

While the pursuit of business sustainability value is often specific to an organization’s unique business goals, there are areas of common interest among most businesses.  It is this engagement of future business value that our sustainability consulting focuses much of its attention and resources to: 
 
•    Define new markets, products and service offerings to expand business.

•    Create company and brand differentiation to drive current and future sales.

•    Improve stakeholder engagement to align business sustainability goals and drive profitability.

The sustainable businesses emerging from the economic uncertainty are companies that will anticipate and take 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 organizations core business processes. 

Have you noticed how "green" is everywhere?  Enter a grocery store, and there are "green" products next to traditional ones.  Billboards on the highways promoting “green" homes.  How do you know which products truly embrace sustainability concepts versus traditional products with a marketing makeover?
 
Frequently discussed in our sustainability consulting is that it is often unclear what a green product is.  Eco labels help but still, there is a lack of uniformity in certifications.  In addition, the environmental claims on packaging vary in credibility.  To help clear up the confusion, within our eco friendly training, we define a green product as one that performs as good as or better than the standard product, has less of an environmental impact, and is cost competitive.
 
Access to information has put the consumer in the driver’s seat and for those living a sustainable lifestyle, there's power in leveraging purchases to support sustainable businesses.  Following are 8 tips to enhance eco awareness for the conscious shopper.  
 
 

1. A comprehensive tool that provides reliable sources of information on the health, environmental, and social impacts of products is the GoodGuide.
2. Research before you buy.  For larger more infrequent items, set aside time to research your options.  Evaluate products on the full lifecycle.  How much energy was used in producing the product?   What is the energy consumption of your intended use?  How it will be discarded later? Compare products with eco awareness in mind.
3. Buy local and buy in bulk.  Supporting local businesses eliminates the need for products to be transported far distances.
4. Buy organic.  Purchasing merchandise certified with organic labeling is another way to bring eco awareness to your lifestyle.   Buying organic means less pesticides in our ground water and better health for your family.
5. Buy Fair Trade.  Buying Fair Trade helps to end abuses such as child and slave labor.
6. Buy products from sustainable sources like bamboo.  Purchase products not tested on animals, made from renewable sources and packaged with recyclable and minimal packaging.
7. Electronic purchases: Consider buying "Pre-Owned" goods.  Purchasing previously owned products is a great way to implement the sustainability concept of recycling.  Ebay and Craig’s list are two good sources.  Also ask your electronics store about recycling options for older models.
8. Speak up!  Manufacturers are listening! Use social media to connect with business to communicate your preferences and experiences.  Consumers are the biggest drivers of sustainability changes.

 
With a little education and pre-planning, it's easy to maintain eco awareness in your shopping- even during the most inconvenient times.  Sustainable purchasing  is important because it can help you make better choices.  Those choices expand eco awareness within your network of friends and family, positively impact your local economy, reduce your footprint on the environment, and may actually help you save money in the process.

Whenever you want to improve in a specific area or program, just the process of increasing awareness will yield improvements.  The same applies to living a sustainable lifestyle.  Most of us recognize that change can be tricky:  habits and convenience make it far easier to slip back into the comfortable way of doing things.  However, implementing effective sustainable change does not have to be a laboring process.  The key is conscious awareness.
 
Awareness is the tool used to help discover the personal patterns of behavior that offer low hanging fruit for a sustainable lifestyle.  For instance, are you aware of your habits related to energy?  Consider how and when you consume the most energy in your day?  How could you be more efficient? What inspiring eco actions could you take? 
 
Conscious awareness is key to sparking the eco awareness in a personal sustainability program.  As noted in our eco friendly training, following are aids to assist in raising awareness:
 
•    Consciously notice what is most inspiring to you about living green and take eco action in those areas.
•    Notice your current patterns and invoke curiosity as to which eco actions would be a sustainable substitute.
•    Applaud your efforts: small changes add up.  In fact, daily habits have the most impact.
•    Observe how new changes become the new habit/ norm.
•    Momentum brings visibility to previously inaccessible ideas and behaviors.
•    Gain speed: There is ease in taking more eco action.
•    Inspire by living the example.
 
Each day we are presented with opportunities to expand our eco awareness and make informed choices.  The trick to capitalizing on those opportunities is being aware.  Conscious awareness offers us the opportunity to make changes that are inspiring and manageable relative our current life and the process of incorporating sustainability becomes much easier.  Being aware of sustainability concepts when shopping, or at work and play, contributes to living a more sustainable lifestyle.

They say blonds have more fun, but as a green living consultant, I'd have to argue, greenies do!  Greenies?  What's a greenie?  Greenies are those living a sustainable lifestyle or living green.  As described in our sustainability consulting practice, living green or sustainable living is a primary focus on eco awareness with actions towards reducing ones carbon footprint, managing waste, and embracing sustainability concepts in decision making.  You may ask: So what's fun about living a sustainable lifestyle?
 
Well, for one, greenies excel at eco math; greenies demonstrate exemplary qualities of kindness, generosity and willingness; and, they have a discerning eye for saving green.    The fun is the approach to life.  It's an innovative lifestyle: one that dictates awareness for new and efficient ways of doing things.  It's discovery of eco awareness in its many facets.  It's sharing.  It's connecting.  That is fun!
 
If you think about it, everything we do every day has an impact on our planet.  As a green living consultant, I know not everyone was raised with eco awareness, so why do it?  Speaking from experience in our sustainability consulting, some of the general answers received include:
 

• Families go green for their children
• It saves money
• Living with eco awareness protects the planet for future generations
• Because it's the right thing to do
• Participation in neighborhood or community eco awareness
• It feels good
• Living a sustainable lifestyle is healthier-investing in your body is less toxins and less illness
• It's an opportunity to reconnect with local community
• It's easy to go green now: more options and alternatives available

 
You don't have to be a fanatic to live green.  In fact, if you think about your life now, there are probably many eco actions that you are already taking.  A sustainable lifestyle is not an all or nothing approach.  Creating your own sustainable lifestyle is where the fun is.  Uniquely expressing yourself through sustainability concepts applied in your life, the way you like it and making a difference- is fun. 

In speaking with prominent business leaders, we have come to realize there are a wide variety of opinions on the topic of sustainability.  Some view business sustainability as re-purposed business jargon, while others stress sustainable development to be the most pressing issue facing their organization. 

The willingness to ask and address some basic questions often differentiates business views and set varying business sustainability efforts apart.  Leading companies are adopting more comprehensive definitions of “sustainability” and implementing business sustainability strategies that run consistently through their core functions.  These organizations are chasing business sustainability value:

•    Corporate commitment to sustainability to minimize business risk.

•    Corporate commitment to sustainability to protect and differentiate business reputation.

•    Corporate commitment to sustainability to increase sales and ensure market position.

•    Corporate commitment to sustainability to ensure viable operations.

•    Corporate commitment to sustainability to ensure sustainable supply.

At a minimum, companies are now leveraging sustainability concepts to address their business exposure. The ability to manage and mitigate business risk often depends on the availability and access exposure.  Being able to sift through what is important and what is not can be a determining factor in transforming a good decision into business turning point.

These sustainable business strategies enable executives to focus on more than just cost and risk management.  They provide visibility to leaders that their response to environmental and social pressures for sustainable business practices can ultimately affect company profitability.  When you think of it, the title is really not that important.  It's whether or not business sustainability is occurring is what is important.

Choosing a business name is one of the most important aspects in starting a business. The name you choose represents the image and label of the business and carries a powerful energy.  In as much as biomimicry is used to inspire sustainable solutions by emulating nature, in a similar fashion, Taiga Company too found its essence inspired from the environment.
 
Taiga, pronounced, tahy-guh is a biome that stretches across a large portion of Canada, Europe, and Asia.  The taiga is truly vast in extent. It makes up 27 percent of the world's total forest and occupies 11 percent of the land area of the Northern Hemisphere.  The taiga's immense oxygen production literally changes the atmosphere and refreshes the plant. 
 
It is this inspiration that Taiga Company was founded and named.  The continuous renewal that the taiga offers our planet has shaped our company vision to drive similar change in the business world.   Collectively, we are entering an age of broadening eco awareness and changing societal expectations: our personal and professional views of the world and of business are changing.  As sustainability consultants partnering with small business to integrate eco awareness, sustainability concepts, and sustainability plans, we seek to transform traditional business processes, to explore, discover, and embrace new sustainable ideas, technologies, and best practices.
 
Business sustainability isn't about sacrificing profitability or becoming an environmental business.  Sustainable business strategies span a multitude of topics: stewardship of resources; best practices; reputation, brand management and customer service; leveraging technology and enable a business to meet goals of growth and revenue generation while simultaneously contributing innovative thought leadership to some of the world’s most complex and pressing concerns.
 
Taiga Company was founded to address the growing need for individuals and organizations to incorporate sustainability concepts into their everyday world.  Through demonstrated eco action and an inquisitive, sustainable mindset, the sustainability consultants of Taiga Company seek to be the "oxygen for your business."

It is estimated that the average person makes between five hundred and a thousand decisions each day.  Multiply that out by weeks and years and we are talking about hundreds of thousands of choices.  Some choices are small, like whether to keep reading this post (please do!), yet other decisions can have significant influence on your life and business.

Our eco living consulting work focuses on the daily choices we, as individuals, make that can have significant impact on our social surrounding, the environment in which we live, and on our personal life experience.  Some may be major sustainable lifestyle decisions while others may be as simple as:

•    Do you want paper or plastic?
•    Do you want organic or conventional?
•    Do you want a paper or an electronic copy?
•    Do you want to share a ride or take your own car?

We view each decision point as an opportunity to integrate eco awareness into some of these decision outcomes.  While the result of every choice we make does not have to be directly aligned with sustainable values, the inclusion of sustainability concepts in the thought process can greatly improve the evaluation.

The factors that lead to the choice of one path versus another are usually based upon personal value drivers at a given point in time.  By incorporating sustainability as criteria in decision process and recognizing that the pursuit of personal or business sustainability is not a single decision, presents an opportunity to make alternative choices.

Integrating sustainability into business or your daily living is more than just a one-time single yes or no decision.  The pursuit of personal and business sustainability is a mindset change that incorporates expanded eco awareness into all decision making.  Make sustainability a part of your daily thought processes and see how it can add value to your life.

Evidence has shown that stakeholder engagement is critical to a company’s ability to capitalize on its eco awareness, product stewardship, reputation, and overall business sustainability.  But how are stakeholder informed of business sustainability milestones? 
 
The rise of social media has led companies to form new relationships with their stakeholders, including investors and customers, but also employees, suppliers, NGOs and others. Stakeholders are increasingly looking for authentic, transparent, two-way communication with organizations. 
 
Two questions surface:  "How does a business authentically and effectively communicate their sustainable business strategies to stakeholders?"  And "What corporate sustainability efforts should be shared?
 
Echoed throughout our professional consulting is a communication framework for companies to better communicate  their environmental message which includes:

•    Impact: Make sure it’s real
•    Alignment: Build Support Internally and Externally
•    Communication: Communicate it accurately
 
As far as which milestones to communicate?  There are the most obvious which include meeting and exceeding sustainability targets and recognizing/ rewarding the creation of specific value from sustainability efforts. What is most appealing?  Telling your story of how your business embraced sustainability concepts in your business and the results that you achieved.  Sustainability principals are universal, but how your business applies them to your circumstances and goals yields a different result and inquiring stakeholders are listening.     

Work over the past few years reveals that supply chain improvements are driven by a wide variety of business sustainability goals and objectives.  Although, businesses across all industries have one thing in common, the search for greater supply chain value.  However, the question that looms on our minds as sustainability concepts find their place in the supply chain: Are suppliers engaged in the value discussion or is this a one-way conversation?

Wal-Mart made the business sustainability headlines again this week with an announced goal to reduce their supply chain greenhouse gas emissions by a 20-million-tons by 2015.  The retail giant continues to set the mark for corporate commitment and supplier performance from which we can all leverage.  As a sustainability consultant, I am encouraged by Wal-Mart’s step forward and take note of opportunities for further expansion.

Procurement organizations view environmental and social responsibility actions within the supply chain as both a risk mitigating strategy and a business opportunity.   Companies are creating strategic sourcing and procurement guidelines aligned with their business sustainability strategies.  The next step, even beyond the Wal-Mart model, is expanding a one-way conversation to include active engagement with all key stakeholders.

•    Supply Chain Alignment: All business partners have input into the business sustainability direction and have equal value opportunity.

•    Supplier Integration: Integrated processes with supplier to improve communication, increase efficiency, and ensure common sustainable processes.

•    Customer Expectation Translation: Sustainable product expectations clearly communicated down the supply chain to material and service providers.

Creating supply chain management alignment begins with increased eco awareness, applied sustainability concepts, and corporate commitment.  However, increased value can be realized by active engagement and two-way communication with key business stakeholders.  Our sustainability consulting provides information and business resources to clients of all sizes seeking to make incremental steps towards a sustainable supply chain.

Spring is right around the corner.  The anticipation of sunnier days and fresh air inspires many to do spring cleaning.  Whether you're looking to freshen up your home or add some spark, why not opt for eco friendly options?   Sustainability concepts of energy efficiency, water conservation, and eco awareness can not only save you money and brighten your living space, but also reduce the load on the environment.
 
Transform your home into an eco haven.  Express your unique style and with eco awareness.  Following are resources offered in our eco friendly consulting classes to help you on your way:
 

• Decorate the Eco Friendly Way
• Eco Friendly Painting: A Breath of Fresh Air  
• Top 10 Plants to Reduce Stress, Cut Toxins, and Live Green
• Splish Splash: 20 Ways to Green your Bathroom
• Transform your Home Office to a Green Office
• Clean Green

 
Using sustainability concepts to guide you in your home decorating assists to reduce personal energy consumption and preserve natural resources.  All eco actions add up and make a big difference.    

Business leaders are always looking for new and innovative ways to improve their businesses.  One of the most dramatic ways to reshape your entire company, from top to bottom, is to examine the processes that run through it.   However, change without direction can often be scary proposition.

The questions we often pose to prospective business clients include: What is driving your business forward?  Are you embracing sustainability as a pathway to long-term value? 
 
Coined by Adam Werbach, there are goals- and then, there are your company’s North Star Goals.  These define the singular overarching direction of the company. So why not integrate sustainability into your core business drivers?

Sustainability concepts, such as resource reduction or efficiency, do not simply apply to the large manufactures or environmental businesses.  Building business sustainability includes a recognition that your company is part of a larger whole; part of a process which interacts with other organizations, society and the physical environment in which it operates. 
 
The pursuit of business sustainability does not have to come from any one source.  It can generate from within your own company at the ground level, from internal resources, the customers you service, or your suppliers.  A key to success is to create a corporate culture that encourages and rewards innovation at all levels internal to the organization as well as external to the company.

Our business sustainability programs specialize in information, resources, and professional consulting services designed to work with clients who see the real potential of incorporating eco awareness into their business.  Find your business sustainability “North Star” and begin your journey to sustainable value today.

We have all heard and probably experienced the old adage: if you put the right tools in the right hands, great things can happen.  In our sustainability consulting experience, we have personally observed this to be true with the advances in supply chain thinking over the years.  As we move into a new era, the tools and incentives continue to push forward.

Progressive supply chain approaches over the past few decades has move us beyond the traditional win/loose mentality; wherein, negative outcomes where passed along to suppliers.  More recently organizations have seen the value in aligning supply chain goals in a now common win/win framework.  As sustainability concepts begin to emerge within supply chain discussion, companies continue to push for win/win progress.

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.

Our sustainability consulting work finds companies seeking out the unique value opportunity in sustainable supply chain management by creating aligned sustainability goals with suppliers.  Rather than regressing to the old model and passing along the cost and risk to suppliers, we are following the progress of leaders who are creating business sustainability incentives for existing and new sources of supply.

Most business leaders would agree that an organization’s strength is, in large part, based on its internal resources and the practices utilized to cultivate talent.  When it comes to building a sustainable business reputation, employees are just as critical, and who better to communicate the message than the internal business stakeholders who live the day-to-day operations.

Our professional consulting finds that highly effective organizations are doing more than simply attracting and retaining top eco-talent.  Through continuous communication and employee engagement, companies are equipping their internal stakeholders with the information to communicate their business sustainability actions.

In a recent article, The Role Your Current Employees Play in Attracting New Talent, PCS describes the critical role employees play in communicating corporate actions.  When attracting new talent, 80% of candidates view current employees as a credible source of information.

So what are your employees saying about your organization?  Are they equipped with information and engaged in your company’s business sustainability programs to passionately communicate the message you would like the world to hear?  Leading ‘green’ talent organizations are responding and creating sustainability advocates by:

•    Cascading business sustainability strategies down through organizational and individual performance goals.

•    Informing, motivating, and actively engaging employees in the company’s business sustainability programs.

•    Integrating Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) into the business processes, corporate performance, and employee recognition.

•    Actively engaged with key stakeholders on sustainability issues, including employees to understand how sustainability issues are affecting the business.

•    Performing transparent reporting on sustainability concepts and sensitive issues, with both positive and negative results.

Within our professional consulting experience, we have seen many companies over the years live and die by the quality and effectiveness of their staff.  Building and motivating the organization has always been a critical criterion to retaining top talent; however, it is becoming more and more important to communicating corporate sustainability actions. 

So your business is not a General Electric, Wal-Mart, or even a Starbucks.  And so you may not have the same unlimited capital and resources to take sustainability challenges head-on.  And so you may not make the newspaper headlines for your sustainability efforts.  However when it comes to realizing immediate benefits from sustainability implementation, your small business may have an advantage over these large corporations.

More small businesses than ever before are subscribing to the idea that they can save money, increase sales, and improve brand value by implementing social and environmental business sustainability practices.  As a professional consultant working directly in the field of business sustainability, I have personally observed the ability of small businesses to quickly respond to changing market conditions to capitalize on opportunities and lower their risk.

Just recently, in speaking with an "eco curious" business owner, 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 corporate action.

At Taiga Company, our small business resources work directly with clients to build a business case for sustainability for small businesses.  Our professional consulting engages with key stakeholders to guide businesses to their unique links between defined sustainability concepts and their business value drivers to positively affect change in the workplace.