Sustainability
The earth's natural resources are limited – but what sounds like a common truism carries far more weight from an economic perspective. After all, sustainable action has become increasingly important in recent years. While legislators are constantly imposing new requirements on companies, the interest of customers and business partners in the sustainability and environmental compatibility of a company is also growing. This makes sustainability a substantial challenge that companies must deal with at both the operational and strategic levels. But what are the goals of sustainability in the corporate context? What constitutes an effective sustainability strategy? And what role do employees and managers play in this?
Acting sustainably means recognizing the limits of economic activity
The goal of corporate sustainability is the responsible use of natural resources to enable future generations to live in dignity. In a broader sense, however, this not only includes implications for the environment, but also social and economic aspects. Thus, it is generally assumed that sustainability can only be achieved through the simultaneous consideration of economy, environment and society. Central to this is recognizing the limits of economic activity and developing appropriate strategies to take this fully into account when doing business. This includes the entire supply chain and requires concrete management and control mechanisms. But how can sustainability be mapped strategically? And which approaches have proven successful?
Creating transparency with a sustainability strategy
The pressure on companies to address sustainability issues is growing. The increasing importance of economic sustainability is reflected, among other things, in the growing public interest in the ecological and social impact of corporate activities. Many companies already regularly publish so-called sustainability reports in which they inform their stakeholders about the sustainable nature of their business activities. But the strategic component is even more important, because it lays an important and overarching baseline. However, the sustainability strategy must not be viewed as a stand-alone entity, but must be closely linked to the overall corporate strategy. The focus should be on those challenges that are important for the long-term success of the company. In addition to a meaningful action plan and clear objectives, internal and external communication are crucial to success. Professional awareness measures and target group-specific training help to create transparency and gain trust in the company's own sustainability strategy. Only if employees and managers are adequately trained and sensitized can they contribute to the sustainability of the company. We at Security-Island support you with customized solutions.
Sources:
https://wirtschaftslexikon.gabler.de/definition/nachhaltigkeit-41203
https://www.bmwi.de/Redaktion/DE/Dossier/nachhaltigkeit.html
https://www.dgq.de/fachbeitraege/was-bedeutet-nachhaltigkeit/
