Importance of Sustainability in Business

The scientific evidence is irrefutable: climate change is the most significant challenge our planet currently faces. Its impacts include rising sea levels, loss of biodiversity, extreme weather events, famine, and mass migration. The best solution is a substantial global reduction in emissions and a transition to a fully NetZero world. Therefore, adopting a sustainable approach in business is essential. Progressive companies understand that “going green” offers numerous benefits, from attracting customers who prefer sustainable products to complying with EU regulations, attracting new talent from Generation Z, and enhancing engagement and retention of current employees.

At Cpl, our journey towards sustainability has been ongoing for several years. Starting with a CSR-focused approach in 2018, we released our first Sustainability Strategy and Report in December 2022, marking significant progress towards becoming a more sustainable organization. To demonstrate our commitment to environmental responsibility, we appointed a Sustainability Consultant. This role is crucial for embedding sustainability into our company culture, overseeing carbon data collection, and reporting our advancements.Our initial steps to reduce our carbon footprint included calculating it. We collaborated with external consultants for data collection and calculation. After establishing our baseline, we conducted a materiality analysis and aligned our operations with the Sustainable Development Goals. This process helped us identify the areas where Cpl can make the most impact. In 2023 we voluntarily reported to the CDP and received a Bronze EcoVadis Sustainability ratingin the large companies’ category, and we hope to do even better in our upcoming evaluation.

Businesses must take action

No matter the size or industry, there are several strategic steps that can be taken. These include calculating your current carbon footprint to establish a baseline, setting targets to achieve NetZero, and developing action plans to align business strategies with sustainability goals. While this is a long-term, complex, and ongoing process, there are immediate steps that every company can start implementing right away.

Here are some additional measures we’re implementing at Cpl to minimize our environmental impact, which might inspire your sustainability efforts:

• Evaluate your electricity provider and switch to renewable energy sources where feasible.
• Assess your company fleet and transition to electric or hybrid vehicles as older ones are retired.
• Revisit your company travel policy, prioritizing videoconferences over in-person meetings whenever possible.
• When business travel is necessary, opt for trains or other public transportation if practical.
• Implement a work-from-home or hybrid working policy.
• Create an internal team dedicated to promoting employee engagement in sustainable activities.
• Use team-building opportunities to volunteer in ecological projects like tree planting or litter picking.
• Ensure any marketing merchandise used is sustainable.
• Educate your staff on sustainability through workshops, newsletters, quizzes, and competitions.
• Introduce green benefits such as promoting biking or providing public transport commute passes.
• Organize company events to promote sustainability, such as clothes swaps or sharing a vegetarian meal with colleagues to celebrate World Vegetarian Day.

Would you like to start your sustainability journey?

Contact us!