Here's how you can navigate conflicting priorities in sustainability projects.

Start by thoroughly understanding the overarching goals and objectives. In a project aiming to balance environmental conservation with economic development, identify specific targets such as reducing carbon emissions while promoting job creation. Prioritize goals based on their significance and alignment with broader sustainability principles. For example, if preserving biodiversity is a core objective, allocate resources and efforts accordingly, even if it means adjusting other project elements.

The variety and number of sustainable and environmental goals is big. It is important to know your industry and sector. Must know the components and points of discharge: for example reducing or changjng fuel cosumption can have an impact on GHG emissions; knowing the water discharges in ppm will impact downriver flow; etc.

Prioritize tasks based on their urgency and impact on project objectives. If reducing water usage and minimizing waste are both essential goals, prioritize implementing water-saving measures first as they may have a more immediate impact on resource conservation. Evaluate tasks against project timelines and resource constraints to determine the most critical actions. For example, if a project deadline is looming, prioritize tasks that contribute directly to meeting that deadline while ensuring essential sustainability goals are not compromised.

Prioritisation of Goals and Projects can be done via conducting Materiality Assessment. The assessment helps in focusing on 3-4 main topics where the company wants to focus for the next 1-2 years. Once these topics are on your priority list, one can start initiating projects and programs to improve the sustainability metrics of the company.

One thing I have found helpful is to first start with the low hanging fruit. Categorizing them by cost and impact. Then move to those tasks that require more cost and have most likely a higher impact. One task important not to forget in any industry is capacity building and training, consider that all employees had to go through a sustainability or environmental health and safety course when hired, any new project in these areas will need the buy-in of all employees for the best result.

To navigate conflicting priorities in sustainability projects, actively engage stakeholders in open discussions about the conflicts. Understanding their perspectives and priorities can facilitate compromises or innovative solutions, balancing diverse interests and moving the project forward constructively. This stakeholder engagement is crucial for identifying shared goals and fostering collaboration amidst conflicting priorities.

Having conversations with each stakeholders in the group is essential, as this generate insights on the priorities each stakeholder has, e.g., Finance team would require ROI on project, Operations would want less Opex/manpower requirement, Projects would want to reduce project deployment timeline and Capex invested. All these priorities can also become key metrics to track for projects and will help in getting required support and making a project successful.

To avoid potential conflicts and conflicting priorities change the colonial mindset of knowing what is best for others and engage with the communities. Organize town hall meetings and canvas the groups around the facilities and areas. They will certainly know more about what is needed. Within an industry it is important to have a suggestion box or similar for all employees of all levels to add their contribution to what is important at their level, by doing this you will end the idea that management is always right.

Once the canvasing from communities and stakeholders has taken place, it is important in the project planning to categorize goals and actons by cost, impact, time needed and resources (human, expertise, etc). This will help us develop a Gant chart with all the necessary elelements to manage each stage of a project and allow for flexibility in deliverables.

Measuring impact of a certain project financially and non-financially is equally important. Financial impact on revenue generation or cost savings increases management interest in investing in projects. Non-financial impact such as brand building and awareness, helps organization create a better brand identity.

It is easier to use the SMART system when establishing goals and objectives. This means: Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Time oriented In the Measurable is important to establish how we will measure the increase or decrease experienced by the result of the project (e.g. tons of CO2 or CH4, gallons of dischaged water / solutions, acres or number of trees planted, children attending school, sick people being cured, number of orangutans saved, etc).