Sustainability in Action

Last month, I was keenly interested in an episode of Nature that focused on “keystone” species. These groups—ranging from starfish to wolves to human beings—have an outsized impact on the environment around them, and their presence reshapes entire ecosystems. The episode was a reminder of how deeply interconnected we all are, and how the decisions we make and the actions we take—as individuals, communities, and companies—quite literally reshape the world we live in. It’s an opportunity that Bureau Veritas is helping organizations navigate every day as sustainability takes center stage in our global dialog.

While much of the environmental conversation is gloomy and ominous, I believe there is a significant silver lining on that cloud. Some of the greatest innovations in our world are born from the concept of limitation and the pursuit to solve a complex challenge. Times of tremendous need force people to reimagine how they approach problems and come up with innovative solutions. The same can be said for sustainability. Even as the world faces unprecedented crises, it is also creating innumerable opportunities for leaders to re-evaluate what they can do to make a difference.

We have an opportunity to turn sustainability from a feel-good CSR story into a do-good human story—one in which we innovate the world we live in through new products, ideas, and solutions. 

As we face these challenges, we can rethink our role as leaders and draw inspiration from those who are already blazing new trails. When I look at my own company and some of our most innovative clients, I see the signs of progress and potential all around us.

Leaders are reimagining their role in a changing world.

As the emphasis on “good corporate citizenship” continues to grow, leaders find themselves pursuing both big-picture sustainability goals and bottom-line profitability. Fortunately, it’s not an either/or proposition. If met, the UN’s Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) could add $12 trillion and 380 million jobs to the global economy in the next 12 years alone. With so much to gain, and consumers paying closer attention to how companies approach sustainability, business leaders are increasingly integrating SDGs into their strategies. As they do, they’re drawing new connections between their everyday business and the world around them.

Those connections are pushing established companies to reimagine their fundamental business models and create new products and services that support a more sustainable footprint.

For example, at BV, environmental protections and sustainability issues have been at the heart of our core business for nearly 200 years; but today, we are defining a broader role for ourselves as a “business to business to society” company. Meanwhile, a slew of start-up companies are proving that the sustainability challenge can serve as the impetus for entirely new business models and products that innovate the world we live in for the better.

Leaders are creating brand-new companies and innovative ventures that are redefining the future.

Electrify America is one example of a newer company whose business model is centered on partnerships and sustainability. It was founded by a group of traditional car companies and OEMs whose businesses were challenged by the slow adoption of electric vehicles in the U.S. Recognizing that inadequate access to charging stations was a key part of the problem, this group of suppliers and former competitors came together to create a company committed to launching a nationwide network of electric charging stations that are easy to find, convenient to use, and can charge a vehicle in only 30 minutes. Brightmark Energy, another BV client, is also a great example. Also founded in 2016, this company is on a mission to make a positive global impact by delivering waste and energy renewal solutions. They have invented a new technology that can recycle even the most challenging plastics – including straws, Styrofoam, and medical waste – and transform them into useful products like fuels and wax. They’re also tackling renewable natural gas from dairy cows, where their work will offset more than 100,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year – a carbon impact equivalent to planting more than 127,000 acres of forest!

These company founders saw the sustainability challenge and chose innovation over despair. As a result, they’re bringing new solutions to the table while creating new value streams for years to come.

Leaders in well-established companies are also transforming their thinking, driving innovation within historic brands.

With 37,000 restaurants serving 69 million people per day, McDonalds is using its “keystone” status as an opportunity to take action on some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. The restaurant giant has mapped its efforts to the UN’s SDGs and set some ambitious goals to transform the company’s packaging and recycling. By 2025, 100% of McDonald's customer packaging will come from renewable, recycled, or certified sources—a dramatic jump from its current rate of 50%. And despite varying country and state regulations, they’ve set a bold goal to recycle guest packaging in 100% of their locations by 2025 as well. It’s especially interesting how they’re pursuing these goals. McDonald’s is partnering with inspection experts like Bureau Veritas and nonprofits like the Environmental Defense Fund and Forest Stewardship Council.

By leaning on others outside of their own industry, the restaurant leader is embracing partnerships and creating practices that drive innovation and sustainability across their full supply chain.

Bureau Veritas is another prime example. We’ve had sustainability baked into our core business for nearly 200 years. Every day, our talented teams are delivering services that help the world’s largest companies design and use safer, better-quality, longer-lasting, and environmentally friendly products, equipment, and services. We’re proud to be a leader in the global effort toward sustainability and to rank #2 among Professional Services organizations on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.

We have signed the Act4Nature agreement on biodiversity; committed to cutting our CO2 net emissions in half by 2025; and take company-wide actions aligned with UN’s goals of the month. But we’re also changing our service offerings to help other companies on their sustainability journeys. BV’s Circular+ solution helps break ambitious goals down into achievable steps and gives organizations a framework for making concrete, actionable improvements in their sustainability programs—while measuring their results along the way.

It's so inspiring to work with BV clients who are pushing the envelope to advance sustainability as a fundamental business model! It’s time to go one step further. I would challenge all leaders to rethink their value proposition.

Every business—whether it’s two or two hundred years old—has an opportunity to innovate toward sustainability.

Find that entrepreneurial spirit within your own company. Fire up that energy of creating something new: a new business, new service, or new process that changes how you impact the world. By doing so, you can become one of the “keystones” of a better, brighter future for us all.