Thriving, Not Just Surviving as a Sustainable Business

“Since I first began discussing the concepts of my businesses, it's always been clear that sustainability and integrity would factor into everything we do.” Jonathan Tjoa Algreen.

A great question to ask yourself no matter what position you are in at your organisation is, “what is my company doing for the environment?”. Sadly for many modern businesses, they may discover post posing this question, that they are actually doing more harm than good.  Although this can be at times devastating, you should not stop here but instead use your voice and actions to encourage change and social responsibility across all areas and practices at your company. Join me on my quest to prove that sustainability is not just the right thing to do but also a smart thing to do.

When it comes to sustainability, despite genuine interest, many businesses on a global scale are sadly still greenwashing in order to profit. It is this ingenious approach to being sustainable that is increasing damaging effects to our environment and confusion on how to identify green initiatives. I aim for my personal and professional story to illuminate a visceral need at the heart of leadership: to drive change for the better.

Soon into my career endeavours, it became evidently clear that purpose and profit were in fact closely aligned. I saw and encouraged my team to see how purpose, contoured with the values and mindsets of sustainability, could in fact drive profit. From there, my own role became clear, too: it was up to me to own the journey that would lead my businesses from those driven solely by profit to ones in which purpose fueled profitability.

Actions speak louder than words. Responsible and sustainable business conduct should be everyone's business. There are fewer and fewer problems specific to any one company, industry, or even country. As a result, global initiatives—preventing climate change, deforestation, or declining biodiversity—demand that we take a collective approach toward ownership.

Rather than worry about it, you need to think about how you are going to adapt your business model or how you can make transformational change happen. When you take ownership of sustainability, you bring to life a new leadership mandate for yourself and your team. Start now by asking those simple yet important questions. What are you waiting for?