Your company is striving for sustainability. How can you embed it in every operational choice?

Agree with having robust policies, and for these policies to be effective they would need to cover the 3 three pillars of sustainability which are people, planet and prosperity, this in order to make the difference and stand out from the crowd.

En realidad no existe otra manera, quiero decir, tenemos que dejar de ver la sostenibilidad en las organizaciones como un departamento o una acción independiente. Si mis operaciones no cumplen con parámetros sostenibles, entonces es que no he entendido nada. Contextualizar el momento de la empresa es básico para iniciar el proceso. No decimos que es fácil, pero sí que es necesario. Cuando tu modelo operativo es permeable a vectores de decisión en el ámbito de la sostenibilidad corporativa, el camino comienza a tomar graduación descendente hacia la transformación final del modelo operativo.

Striving for sustainability goes beyond reducing plastic use or office paper. It's about integrating eco-friendly practices into every facet of operations. Greenwashing sucks—misleading claims won't cut it. We need real, transparent policies that show our commitment. Take my experience with Sweeft Analytics, for example. We found a way to turn data processes sustainable, minimizing energy use and optimizing server efficiency. This is the kind of innovation we need across all departments. Every decision, from logistics to product development, must reflect our sustainability goals. No more superficial efforts—only real, impactful actions. This way, we truly protect the planet and build genuine trust in our brand.

Before diving into policies, it's crucial for companies to establish a clear vision and set comprehensive goals for sustainability that address the three pillars: environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and economic viability. These goals act as guiding lights, shaping policies that align with broader objectives and ensure every operational choice contributes to meaningful impact across all dimensions. By defining clear targets, from achieving carbon neutrality to enhancing community well-being, businesses create boundaries that policies then reinforce. This strategic approach not only enhances accountability but also fosters a culture of innovation and purpose-driven decision-making.

Define clear goals, agree functional owners within the business and include delivery of these goals as part of their performance management.

Education and awareness is the best place to start. Show people the ?value and impact ?sustainability will have. Engage employees, clients and partners in the process. Consider reporting and analysing the value sustainability has on the business.

Have Operations focus on reducing the energy and water consumption of "on-site utilities"; i.e. air compressors and chillers have high-ROI projects which provide up to 50% of the net-zero goals for many of our subscribers, like DENSO.

Embedding sustainability into your company culture requires active participation from your employees. For instance, a tech company might launch a “Green Innovations Challenge” where employees are invited to propose eco-friendly solutions for the company’s operations. To support this, the company provides training sessions on sustainability concepts and the environmental impact of the tech industry. Employees are encouraged to form cross-departmental teams to brainstorm and implement their ideas. Successful initiatives, such as reducing energy consumption in data centers or creating a recycling program for electronic waste, are celebrated in company-wide meetings, and the team members are rewarded with bonuses or extra vacation days.

A sustainable approach is a continuous learning process. Therefore, process evaluation is key in order to identify what works well and what areas can be improved. I encourage organizations to analyze their current practices and see if they can make changes in some areas for increased efficiency and more sustainability in their practices. What are your alternatives in some operations? How can you reduce waste? How can you better manage energy consumption? Ask yourselves questions, act together, and have a long-term approach on your operations.

A key aspect in evaluating processes on our path to incorporating sustainability into operational choices is to establish a direct link between sustainability initiatives and business indicators. Success indicators for sustainability projects should encompass not only environmental KPIs like plastic, emissions, and waste reduction, but also how these improvements contribute to achieving the company’s core business goals. For instance, reducing the weight of packaging materials lowers operational costs, and cutting down on kilometers/miles traveled in logistics reduces both emissions and fuel consumption, leading to cost savings. Always consider this when defining what success looks like for sustainability projects

Imagine tearing apart every corner of our operations to find hidden gems of efficiency. It’s not just about token efforts like using less paper—it’s about a full-on transformation. Take a hard look at everything: how we source materials, our production lines, even the energy our data centers consume. Remember Sweeft Analytics? We turned our data processes green by slashing energy use and boosting efficiency. That's the kind of deep dive we need everywhere. It’s a relentless hunt for improvement, tweaking, and refining until every process screams sustainability. No half-measures, just bold, real changes that set us apart and make a true impact.

Continuous improvement is essential in embedding sustainability into operations. Audit processes with a proven track record of data collection and analysis to showcase initiatives. This approach not only enhances transparency but also ensures that sustainability efforts are grounded in measurable outcomes. By leveraging data-driven audits, businesses can pinpoint areas for improvement, track progress against goals, and demonstrate tangible impacts on environmental and economic performance.

To embed sustainability into your operations effectively, conduct regular evaluations of your processes across all aspects of your business. Analyze how products are designed, materials are sourced, and energy is consumed to pinpoint opportunities for improvement. Focus on reducing waste, enhancing efficiency, and transitioning to sustainable alternatives wherever feasible. This proactive approach not only minimizes your environmental impact but also fosters innovation and cost savings over time. By prioritizing continuous improvement in sustainability practices, businesses can achieve long-term resilience and contribute positively to the environment and their bottom line.

Your business should have a sustainable procurement policy and then walk the talk and implement it. Start with making sure all key suppliers either answer your own questionnaire or else participate in a programme such as Ecovadis so that you can interrogate their rating and their answers. 75% of a typical business carbon footprint comes from Scope 3 emissions, a huge part of which is usually wrapped up in your supply chain, so making meaningful carbon reductions means having to engage meaningfully with your supply chain on sustainability and being consistent in your approach, ie. don't just decide to let a big supplier off the hook on their sustainability actions just because they are the lowest cost vendor.

Trabajar con proveedores sostenibles mejora la reputación de la empresa y puede generar beneficios económicos a largo plazo, ya que los proveedores que adoptan prácticas sostenibles suelen ser más eficientes y pueden ofrecer productos de mayor calidad. Esto, a su vez, puede reducir costes y mejorar la satisfacción del cliente. Del mismo modo, la colaboración y la transparencia son fundamentales en este proceso. Mantener una comunicación abierta con los proveedores y establecer criterios claros de sostenibilidad puede ayudar a alinear objetivos y asegurar que todos trabajan hacia el mismo fin.

Guess what - supplier questionnaires don't work! Your suppliers hate them. Rather, pick a small selection of your top suppliers that are incentivized to maintain business continuity with your firm. Work collaboratively with those suppliers to implement strategies that benefit your Scope 3 and their Scope 1 and 2. Streamline the process through case studies, webinars, and recognition programs such as public logo promotion. Create a supplier sustainability resource that your suppliers can strategize with directly - interact with people, not paper.

Choosing suppliers who align with your sustainability values is crucial. Look for partners who prioritize environmental stewardship, ethical practices, and resource efficiency. Opting for local suppliers can reduce carbon footprints from transportation, while collaborating with those using renewable energy sources can further enhance your sustainability efforts. By setting high sustainability standards for your suppliers, you not only strengthen your own environmental credentials but also promote a more sustainable marketplace overall. This approach ensures that sustainability resonates across every facet of your business operations, from procurement to final product delivery.

Our commitment to sustainability extends to our supply chain. We select suppliers based on their environmental and social performance, preferring those who share our sustainability values. We work closely with our suppliers to help them improve their practices and ensure that our procurement decisions support a sustainable and ethical supply chain.

We believe that educating our customers about the benefits of sustainability is crucial. We provide information about the environmental impact of our products and services and how customers can make more sustainable choices. By raising awareness, we not only foster a more informed consumer base but also drive demand for sustainable products, which in turn reinforces our commitment to green operations.

Eduque os clientes sobre práticas sustentáveis e como seus produtos ou servi?os promovem a sustentabilidade. Isso pode aumentar a lealdade e a conscientiza??o do consumidor.

To embed sustainability in every operational choice, a software package like an EPMS is essential. It establishes a baseline, allowing you to measure improvements and changes over time. By monitoring energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, and waste generation, you can track progress accurately. Using a dashboard to report these metrics internally and externally ensures transparency and accountability. This data-driven approach demonstrates a commitment to sustainability and continuous improvement, showing stakeholders tangible progress toward your goals.

Communicate your sustainability achievements and challenges through transparent reporting. Use reports to highlight improvements, set future goals, and demonstrate accountability to stakeholders.

I believe easy access to comprehensive sustainability data, enabling informed decision-making, empowering stakeholders to identify areas for improvement, and facilitating strategic alignment with sustainability goals.

To track our progress and hold ourselves accountable, we measure our sustainability performance using key indicators. We report on these metrics both internally and externally, ensuring transparency and continuous improvement. This practice not only helps us monitor our impact but also communicates our sustainability journey to stakeholders, reinforcing our dedication to sustainable practices.

Establishing metrics to measure the effectiveness of sustainability initiatives is a crucial step for companies to demonstrate their responsibility towards the environment and society. It involves collecting concrete data on energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and waste generation. This data provides a solid basis for assessing sustainability performance and enables areas for improvement to be identified. The use of blockchain technology can play a key role in this. The immutable and transparent nature of blockchain allows data on energy consumption and emissions to be stored securely and in a traceable manner. This enables companies to monitor and verify their sustainability data in real time.