Six Thoughts on Sustainability

The average man in this part of the world typically associates sustainability with the intensity of the sun or the impact of drastic weather changes on his farm and way of life. Unless faced with extreme weather conditions, many people in our region fail to recognize the importance of addressing sustainability issues.

1. Defining Sustainability

To me, sustainability involves achieving financial, social, environmental, and intergenerational equity. I connect with the three pillars of people, planet, and profit, which have become synonymous with the concept. The essence of sustainability lies in ensuring that our natural resources endure for future generations. In practical terms, it entails renewing, restoring, and recycling nature for the benefit of future generations.

Contrary to its reduced perception, sustainability is not solely a function of large organizations or corporate social responsibility aimed at creating a positive brand image and emotional appeal. At its core, sustainability should be ingrained in the consciousness of individuals, who then carry it forward even within organizational contexts. I view sustainability as primarily an individual responsibility rather than an organizational one.

2. Why Are SMEs Quiet?

Recently, I have noticed a resurgence in the appointment of people to sustainability positions. Some leading telecommunications, banking, and beverage companies continue to lead the way in such appointments and investments in sustainability. While this is a positive development, the question remains whether these investments truly match the level required to address the ever-growing issue of sustainability. One major concern is our tendency to place the responsibility for sustainability solely on multinationals or organizations within a certain elite echelon. Unfortunately, it seems that most small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which constitute about 85% of Africa's economic base, do not fully grasp the meaning of sustainability. As a result, while multinationals make efforts to present a positive image, the lack of participation from SMEs creates a significant deficit that puts Africa at risk. We need to educate individuals to the point where even the woman selling goods at Makola market understands how her actions and inactions contribute to sustainability risks.

3. Is Africa Ready?

At times, I am tempted to believe that the average Ghanaian or African is not interested in sustainability issues. This lack of interest is not surprising, considering that the subject seems distant from the everyday bread and butter issues that typically capture our attention in this part of the world. Some questions I have pondered include: Will the average African be willing to pay more for a product or service from an organization that has demonstrated sustainability? Will Africans reward organizations that have tangible sustainability footprints? Is the pursuit of regulatory compliance sufficient motivation for organizations to invest in sustainability? Perhaps we need to focus on extensive education regarding sustainability.

4.Do Organizations Have Incentives to Pursue Sustainability?

Globally, ample evidence supports the view that organizations that prioritize sustainability are more profitable than those that do not. However, this statistic does not seem to reflect the reality of developing economies, especially in Africa. Aside from the fact that only a few organizations actively track and report on their sustainability efforts, the necessary structures and mechanisms to verify these metrics are often nonexistent. The inability of organizations to easily connect their sustainability practices with their bottom line acts as a disincentive for them to continue their efforts.

5. Where Are the Watchdogs?

The media, a crucial watchdog responsible for generating support, advocacy, and education on sustainability, seems to be lagging behind. There is a vast uncharted territory when it comes to sustainability reporting, and it remains unclear whether any of our communications schools have integrated sustainability into their curricula. Only a handful of think tanks in Africa truly focus on sustainability issues. The advocacy for sustainability does not seem strong enough to address the challenges we face.

6. Sustainability REREASONED.

Some organizations have made reasonable cases on their sustainable practices. Apart from the fact that these efforts are usually geared towards building positive public sentiments for their brands, the urgency to drive these organizations to even do more is lagging. The lack of accountability and incentives may deceive some organizations into thinking their sustainability practices are but only a favor. This could pose some threats to our ability to manage the environment and whatever nature has endowed. More than ever, we need to be conscious about demanding for greater accountability and responsibility from individuals. Apart from their own efforts at reducing the impact of their operations on the environment and nature, organizations must also educate, sensitize and empower people more to demand on them to be more sustainability conscious.

In the nutshel,the sustainability challenge is a people challenge and until we train individuals to be more conscious about how their actions and inactions affect same, there is a little that organizations can do. The threats that sustainability challenges pose is real and we need to be conscious about that.

I write about Media, Marketing Communications, Content Marketing, Public Relations, Sustainability and More......