Reduce your Use, Reduce your Costs

Such a large part of where sustainability keeps ending up seemingly at odds with business is the trade offs. "Sure," management thinks, "we could invest resources in sustainability initiatives, but that would mean we were diverting them from some other value (and probably revenue) creating activities."

But business cases are starting to be made - actually many business cases - where sustainability is not "taking a bite" out of the company pie, it's adding ingredients and taking us from an 8" to a 12" pie pan! Yum!


One of the major areas where we see this clear mutual benefit has been in reducing the amount of packaging used in normal operations. Not only does this reduce the amount of plastics and other packaging materials littering the Earth after use, but companies are paying for packaging! So reducing packaging reduces costs.

A new study by As You Sow and the Natural Resources Defense Council shows that major Brands Waste $11.4B per year because of bad policies surrounding packaging (read more: http://www.environmentalleader.com/2015/02/02/132669/). While many of these Brands represent the food and beverage industry, consumer packaged goods, apparel, and other industries can experience massive benefits from reconsidering how they treat packaging in their business.

Sustainability-minded yoga and rock climbing lifestyle fashion brand prAna has saved more than 4.5 million plastic bags from going to landfill, which is 31,000 pounds of plastic and over 1.85 billion BTUs of energy, by taking over 50% of their product line poly bag free in 2012. (Read more: http://www.prana.com/life/2014/08/10/prana-polybag-project-update/)

And global giant Unilever sent zero waste to landfill (goal for 2015), in turn reporting that this action saved them over $226 million and created hundreds of jobs. (More: http://www.environmentalleader.com/2015/02/02/unilever-sends-zero-waste-to-landfill-saves-226m/)

It's stories like this that give us hope for more immediate change. Savings for your business while saving the planet - hopefully in the next couple years become a no-brainer so we can push for other important but less "balance sheet obvious" ideas.

Regardless of who you are, all these companies who have experienced success in reducing environmental waste and operational costs through reducing packaging got one thing: this is real, it is happening, and you can benefit any time you want by making a change. Remember the waste hierarchy:


It is easy to always think of recycling as the greenest option in the movement, but are there ways we can use less, use again, or not use at all?

No one expects the next big technology breakthrough (Twitter, cloud services, self-parking cars, bullet trains) to come from sticking to "business as usual", why do we think we can get away with treating operational activities like packaging that way? Innovate! Who knows? You might just save money and save the world at the same time.

Idealistic Gifting Ideas for Your Green Valentine

Hug Trees and People!

Here are a couple ideas for the awesome people that are still searching for the perfect Valentine for your love/friend/hubby/awesome crushable co-worker! Show everyone you can appreciate your person while respecting the planet - share the love and save the planet at the same time!


1. Fair Trade Flowers | If you have your heart set on flowers for your Valentine, keep your eye out for the Fair Trade logo. Support farming communities by giving them access to health care and education. Fair Trade farms encourage women workers to pursue leadership roles, and also receive paid maternity leave and a guarantee of their job upon their return.


2. Book Buddies | Use what already exists as a neat gift! Go to your local used book store & repurpose a book of love poems or just find that lightly used, twice loved book by your pal's favorite author.



3. Uber-Sustainable Underwear | A little more personal than the rest, but check out PACT http://www.wearpact.com/. They track the cotton in their pantaloons (and socks and tees) from growing and harvesting organic cotton in the field to final sewing, and everything in between! With PACT's organic, Fair Trade, and adorable style, let your Valentine look good and do good at the same time!



4.  Neighborly Nourishment  | Just shop local when creating that perfect dinner or breakfast for you darling tree hugging special someone. Get creative with your heart shaped cookie cutters and go to town with organic produce and local specialties for the perfect V-day menu!



(Also, if you're really in the romantic mood, you know, with Marvin Gaye playing in the background...check out http://sustaincondoms.com/. Fair Trade, sustainable, natural latex condoms. Who knew? Note: they're vegan too!)

Be Awear - Taking what we wear and telling a good story

Last week I had the chance to get interviewed by Kestral Jekins the curator and founder of Be Awear. The idea is that we all have the ability to be Change makers using our clothing as a conduit for that positive change.
How often are you out with a group of friends and someone says "Oh I love your (sweater, dress, scarf, earrings, shoes... you name it)"?
The statement is an invitation to tell a story.
It could be a short story - "I bought it at the GAP on sale" - or it could be a story that gets people thinking and engaged.
What if your response instead is, "I got this used from a friend of mine I have known for 10 years, or I spent months searching for the perfect organic cotton jeans and here they are, or I bought this from ABC company who is committed to sourcing everything Fair Trade and out of recycled materials."

Our clothes have the opportunity to share a story about the world we want to see, about how one lives their values through the purchases we make.  And acts as a starting place for a robust conversation toe hare stories about the people who make our clothes, what they are made out of and how we are part of a global connection to everyone along that supply chain.

Check out a video I did to share the Awear story and visit the site to see a lot of fashionable, passionate change makers that will inspire you to look at your clothes differently.

And adopt the BeAwear Principles - they are good rules of thumb when you go shopping!

Everything is Made for the Big Guys | How do we give the little guys a chance to catch up?

We try to stay involved in the relevant realm of sustainability and up to date with the latest trends, discoveries, patterns, and more. Working isn't enough; we need to make sure we are constantly learning to offer the greatest services to our clients, not just of what we know but of everything there is out there to know. I find myself reading more than twenty articles, listening in on at least one webinar, trying to squeeze in one informational interview a week. The discussions include trends in corporate social responsibility reporting, sustainability data tracking software, tools for embedding sustainability in your organizations...the list goes on and on.

One thing that struck me in the last couple articles I read and webinar I attended was how much the new tools and services and standards available are all catered to the largest market players. While this is good because the Wal-Mart's of the world can alter proportionally much more of the industry with a switch in sourcing standards than the bottom 80% all banding together to push for change, it does make it hard for thousands of small and medium companies to utilize some of the amazing new techniques that will help with sustainable practices and standards within their organizations.

Unfortunately, standards and protocols aren't as "one size fits all" as they are presented to be.
Software can be prohibitively expensive for smaller companies. Small and medium size companies lack the resources and financial support from leadership to put sustainability protocols into place. Most often, smaller organizations lack manpower, and shift the entire burden of CSR and sustainability compliance and efforts onto one small team or even one person.

This is not just a shameless plug, as we here at Sustainability in Review specialize in helping smaller players implement sustainability strategies and understand how to meet policy and consumer expectations in a quickly evolving environment. We do and want to help because it makes the world a better place, and never have we come across an organization that didn't have people that cared deeply in its midst but arming these people with the proper skills, power, and support is the struggle we take joy in overcoming.

I am not suggesting we redesign a new set of standards or tools for small and medium sized companies; there are already too many overlaps and repeats on the market. But how about focusing on creating a subset of standards that helps small/medium companies catch up? Maybe looking to release cheaper versions of simplified software for companies that have less than thousands of people or hundreds of locations to track? How can we use economiese of scale and scope as well as collaboration to benefit everyone?

Sustainability is not some place we need to create competitive advantage. Sustainability is something we need to do if we not only want to be doing business, but even living as we live now 100, 50, even 25 years in the future. On the back of giants of industry and through the power of numbers in smaller organizations: we have to make this happen. Got ideas? Share them with us at admin@sustainabilityinreview.com


Thank you

Happy Super Bowl Sunday! Green Fans Unite

As we all settle our tushes into our couches this glorious Super Bowl Sunday, my mind drifts to thinking about how this sporting event galvanizes so many people. The three most watched television broadcasts in U.S. history were Super Bowls (XLVI, XLV, and XLVII, in case you were wondering). 111.5 million people watched last year's big game, and most of those were certainly not die-hard fans of either team playing. Even a 30-second commercial during this event now costs $4 million (or roughly $133,333 per second!) All to see who will win the game. Yes, game.

And yet when trying to get people to pay attention to sustainability, we just, we dance, we shout, we put together great presentations...maybe we should take a lesson from the Super Bowl - put on some colorful uniforms, get a great announcer on the loudspeaker, and maybe even cheerleaders. 

In all seriousness, maybe we have something to learn about the passion of sports fans. 70% of people on earth are at least casual sports fans. If we could find the key to what drives these fans to pay attention, we could harness that fun-loving spirit to join our cause. 

It's not like we don't have a good cause. Sustainability is important to life as we know it. Don't get me wrong; I am a huge sports fan. I'll be watching the game today. And I am an athlete. I play volleyball, do yoga, bike, and run several times a week. Been playing sports since I was a kid.

I love the idea of bringing these worlds, these passions together. For me, the intersection is simple. I make sustainable decisions in my life to protect the earth, both the health of the outdoors and environment as well as the health of the people surrounding me in my global community. Caring about sports and sustainability satisfy both of these desires. Without the outdoors, sports is greatly diminished. If we don't take care of the world around us, we can't run outside, rock climb, play soccer or football outside of a dome...

I think bringing this to every one's attention, especially teaching kids the benefits of sustainable choices, is infinitely important. When we can educate kids early about how sustainable choices can improve their health and keep the environment safe, we will ensure a better future. Let's set out to make a new generation of fans - fans that whether they are rooting for the NFL or AVP, attending the Super Bowl or the World Cup, skating on an ice rink or climbing a mountain - are fans of sustainability.

Until we get there, let's keep racing ahead! Now have a great Super Bowl Sunday. Enjoy!

To learn more about this where sports and sustainability intersect, check out http://greensportsblog.com/ by Lew Blaustein. 

Also, learn more about colleges and universities that prioritize lasting solutions to positive change in the global supply chain and selling responsibly sourced products by holding membership in the Fair Labor Association. Check out http://www.fairlabor.org/ and http://www.fairlabor.org/affiliates/colleges-universities to see if the school you are a fan of is involved!

Who knew we wanted more than just a job?

The idea for this article came out of continuous conversations with many colleagues and friends. What is the conversation you ask? Well none other than this — the idea of having more meaning in our lives. Countless conversation start out with, “I don’t believe my company really cares about anything but profits, I don’t want to be a part of that. I want to have a job where my values are more aligned, or we are doing good for the world.” A lot of companies are investing in social and environmental responsibility and a lot more are having conversations about the subject. But the sense is that they are not moving fast enough for their employees.

The people I have engaged with work in industries from finance, to automotive, events, healthcare, and consumer products. So it is not just one company, nor one industry. Everyone wants more meaning in their work. And if their companies are not moving in the direction to provide that deeper meaning, that sense of giving back to the greater good, then these good people are not going to hang around.

Many studies have shown that a passionate, values aligned employee is going to be more productive, more engaged and a real ally to one’s business. So if your company does not have socially or environmentally based values, you probably don’t have engaged employees.

It makes sense to most – engaged employees are good for business. And yet it is still a topic that doesn’t get much attention, nor gets connected to a company’s social and environmental or sustainability strategy, objectives and goals. When we only look at quarterly returns, there isn’t much motivation to invest into shifting the business to be more values based. And that is where unfortunately too many businesses sit today. There is a point when we work so much, dedicate so much of ourselves to our work that after 10 – 20 years we say, “And for what?” After being able to meet one’s basic needs, more and more people are asking the question, “what do I really need to earn and how much happier would I be to work AND help improve communities or the planet in that pursuit.”

Values have evolved and we all have a better idea of how the companies we work for impact others all over the world. That desire is a valuable Social Capital of our employees.
We work within a pretty complex global system, so if a company were smart and wanted to not only hold onto, but leverage their social capital by aligning business values with those of their employees would show positive results to the business.

Step one in keeping your great employees around: Take a litmus test of where your current strategy and values are and where the values of your employees are. Conduct a gap analysis. It isn’t hard. Organized companies will have a business strategy probably already developed. This is the plan of where you want your business to go in the next 1 – 10 years and how you are going to get there. Look at this strategy, are social and environmental values called out?

Step two, gather anonymous feedback: Ask questions like – what are important values in your life? How would you integrate those values into your job if you had the flexibility to do so? How would you change the way you work if those values were integrated? Would you, or how might you feel differently about working for this company if we aligned with those values?

Step three, share this with your employees: A company maybe surprised to know the results and hear directly from people how wide the gap is and their ideas for closing it. As more and more people are asking themselves the question, “Is this worth it? Can I risk everything to have more meaning?” companies should remember money is important, but it isn’t everything. There are a lot of social enterprises popping up for a reason. People know that they can contribute more to their lives and want to use work as a tool to do that. Make sure that you’re creating a business that keeps their best talent in house.

This post was written in partnership with Kim Carpenter
The Change Agent’s Coach  
Kim Carpenter is a professional marketing expert and business mentor for change makers who mean business. Over the past 20 years she’s helped businesses large and small, including the United Nations, non-profits and Fortune 500’s — to focus their efforts for maximum profitability and maximum positive impact in the world.

Embedding Sustainability into the Design Process

We are constantly trying to improve the sustainability of business. Yet often, these improvements come as an afterthought. Leadership expects the company to keep running "business as usual" and then for their sustainability team to swoop in at the end to critique, correct, and right any wrongs in sustainable choices - after almost all the choices have been made. 

A good example of this is in product design. Product designers, especially in the apparel industry, did not (usually) choose to design fashion to make the most mindful choices; more often, apparel designers followed that path because they are artists. They want to play with the all available palettes of colors and range of design materials to make unique new products that will wow the marketplace. As sustainability directors, our challenge is to not have these goals be at odds with one another. The choice isn't binary: sustainable or fashionable. We need to set realistic expectations that sustainability can be incorporated into every stage of the design process, not just become a burdensome checkpoint along the way to getting your final product made. 

 

 To make this relationship between sustainability folks and design teams successful, there needs to be a mutual understanding. One way we have found to solve this is engaging in a collaborative, iterative process.







We experience success by having an open dialogue: first, we as sustainability directors explain the risks the company is exposed to by not incorporating sustainability into business practices. Then, designers share their frustrations and how they perceive sustainability will interrupt or inhibit their ability to do their jobs. Next, we create and present what a "perfect" sustainability program would look like in the design team, simply to have the best outcome for sustainability possible without consideration of art, design, freedom of expression, etc. Finally, we sit down with the design team to work through making this process realistic and acceptable, instead of just a sustainability director's dream. Now that grievances have been aired and explanations have been made, people on both sides recognize their are reasons for the others' disagreement. We accept that changes need to be made and make them mindfully together.

Find the balance.

When sustainability professionals are allowed to do their jobs and design a thoughful, intentional process while appreciating the realities of business and product design,
When designers are allowed to share what their most important needs are while understanding that sustainabile choices are important as well,
When sustainability is embedded, from the beginning, in how your business does business,
Then, you will truly experience success.