Any corporate business needs to measure its footprint.

To understand what changes are needed, companies must grasp their environmental impact. Traditionally, that focused on a business’s operations that only tell part of the story. To adequately address the issue, we need to look at emissions across the entire value chain to gain a complete picture and to tackle areas responsible for the most significant emissions. Today corporate organisations can implement machine learning, IoT, the internet of things, and intelligent meters to accurately measure things like energy demand, carbon emissions and water or material use. Armed with this knowledge, they can set science-based targets for improvements. As an academic and consulting director, I have long worked for a closer link between industry and academia. To connect theoretical models with industrial practice and build a more sustainable world. The current scientific consensus states that society must be climate neutral, or at "net-zero emissions," by the middle of this century.

There will never be one metric showing a company is or isn’t sustainable.

Adapt the organisation's operations

With more excellent knowledge and realistic targets, a business can begin to adapt its operations. Specifics will vary, but almost any company can quickly improve its sustainability credentials by using energy, water, and raw materials more efficiently. Switch energy sourcing to renewables, consider phasing out petrol-powered vehicle fleets for electricity, and recycle as much as possible – most of the steps are as evident as they seem. One apparent hurdle may cost. As sustainability becomes a more significant priority and demand for more environmentally friendly operations rises, equipment costs will fall. We may have carbon taxes. I think and hope there will be more substantial penalties for unsustainable performance.

Plan for the long term

The path to sustainability may be extended and challenging for some businesses. The coming decade could be decisive for the long-term survival of companies and entire industries. Technological development is fundamental to creating a more sustainable way of life.

Communicate transparently

Awareness of sustainability issues among customers, employees, investors, and regulators is increasing. Greenwashing – when companies exaggerate sustainability claims – is still a problem. Still, it’s becoming much easier to spot. When it comes to environmental matters, businesses need to communicate honestly and transparently. More are doing so. How a company speaks on sustainability is tightly linked to its broader strategy around environmental governance. Sustainable businesses are becoming increasingly attractive workplaces, particularly among younger people.

The triple bottom line

Traditionally, the bottom line in a business had only been spotlighted on the financial results, whether the company makes a profit or a loss. Based on the definition above, a business can make large profits and still be harmful to society. Or vice versa, the company may struggle financially but have positive ripple effects on other conditions. The triple bottom line, often abbreviated to TBL, highlights that a business affects conditions other than its financial contribution. Including social conditions, environment and broader economic conditions, finance is only one part. Should one talk about sustainability in the true sense of the word and not just about the environment, we must include all three dimensions, social conditions, environment, and economy. TBL then becomes the foundation and operationalisation of the three dimensions of sustainability. The social bottom line highlights the company's impact on people, internally and externally, for customers, local communities, and the company. Businesses can do well financially while safeguarding a sustainable society. The objective is not only to meet the shareholders' and businesses' financial return requirements. The business must operationalise all three pillars of TBL. To succeed in sustainability, companies must be:

(I) Experience-centric versus solution-centric

In the 19th and 20th centuries, businesses that offered point solutions made significant profits because industrialisation introduced new goods and services that provided solutions to global citizens. But in the 21st century, people are more interested in goods and services from businesses that solve specific problems and consider the more significant sustainability-related issues.

?(II) Be result-versus input-based

The research shows that businesses create profits and ensure social and environmental sustainability by being result-based versus input-based. Today, companies are primarily measured based on their performance individual departments/divisions. A business can have four different departments/ divisions; even if one department/division does well, it may well happen that the other three departments/divisions lose, ergo, losing the business in the big picture. The companies must connect the cross-functional factors to all three TBLs to meet challenges that characterise the 21st century, e.g., competition, negative publicity, lack of legal frameworks and climate emissions.

(III) Be LEAN and agile versus bureaucratic and large.

The research shows that sustainable businesses are LEAN-focused and flexible. This requires companies to use resources and technology to eliminate all forms of waste. Traditionally, companies have been run by bureaucratic models, where management makes decisions and transfers those "downstream" in the industry. The decision-making process is extended as several people must be consulted before any concrete measures can be implemented. Employees often lack autonomy, and their knowledge and input can be ignored. This can contribute to a negative reinforcement rooted in specific guidelines. It is not without reason that we see that the lion's share of all digital transformations fails. It is a business-managed LEAN, and you work flexibly; this helps ensure employees’ autonomy to make decisions depending on market conditions and report to their superiors later. Lean-focused and agile companies promote employees and department managers according to their efforts and achievements and encourage competitiveness. A prerequisite is that employees can share ideas without feeling that their contribution will be accredited to others. Employees are allowed to promote careers while still working for the business. Businesses that treat their employees well contribute to achieving TBL's sustainability goals.

(IV) Be service-versus technology-oriented

More profit is created, and social and environmental sustainability is ensured by service-oriented technology oriented. Regardless of the business’s industry, the customer expects the best customer service. Consumers can lift or tear down a brand/business. The information shared through social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Space, YouTube, and Instagram can go viral in hours. Here we are talking about "Cancellation culture", "exclusion culture", and "freezing culture". "Freezing out" means stopping buying a brand or services from a business due to attitudes or statements. The demand for freezing is often communicated via social media.

?(V) Being Ecosystem Driven vs Embracing Destructiveness

Competition in the 21st century, businesses must strive to be ecosystem driven versus embracing destructive competition in the market. Ecosystem-driven means that industries work together to build, refine, and perform products and services needed in the market, and create consumer-based solutions. Today they are operating successful and responsible companies with cooperation versus being brutally competitive. Companies should seek opportunities where employees, consumers, suppliers, and suppliers can achieve sustainability, as the benefits gained are more significant than the value created individually. Central to the 21st century is working in a company willing to transform corporate e culture and spotlight the things that matter most, People, Planet and Profit (TBL).

Conclusion

Any corporate business needs to measure its sustainability footprint. Further, they need to connect the three parameters’ People, Planet and Profit, into their corporate strategy. This is a prerequisite to succeed with sustainability.