“I want you to act as if the house is on fire because it is.”

And in case Greta is wondering why a management consultancy is getting involved in sustainability, it’s because we know that the management systems, processes and tools that we use every day are an essential part of not only putting out the fires, but preventing them from starting in the first place.

Some might argue it’s too late for prevention but we don’t agree. It’s amazing how the human race has accelerated science and technology to solve other problems, disasters and world ending events (Covid, anyone?). We work in the sweet spot where Science, Technology, Sustainability and Quality meet - we’ve seen businesses, products and initiatives which are mind boggling in their ambition and we’re convinced the solution to the Climate Crisis will be technological rather than bureaucratic.

But if you’re not part of the technological solution, you can be part of the behavioural solution. The UN defines sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” - you may know this by more corporate buzz words like CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) or ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) or even People, Planet, Profit. All these frameworks have one thing in common: behavioural change.

Anyone with half a brain cell will agree we cannot continue as we are, but how can SMEs and start-ups bring about enough of this change when we’re only little fish in a big pond? Scale up. (D’ya see what we did there?). It’s no good if Greg from sales recycles his cardboard sandwich box at lunch if the company then throws out half a tree every day from the printer. Equally, it’s no good the company banging the recycling drum if there are no recycling points available. In fact it’s no good just thinking about recycling! What about all the energy costs and CO2 generated in handling the waste? What about not generating the waste in the first place?

And we’ve not even started talking about commuting, keeping the lights on, the machines running and the data flowing, heating and/or cooling your space, appliances, logistics, packaging….. *deep breath*

There are so many things that we could do, but which ones should we do? How do you make sure you focus on the right things to have the greatest impact on your carbon footprint? Not only do you have to choose which of these areas to focus on, but you also have to choose from the many perfectly sensible schemes/standards to help you make those choices. Confused yet?

It’s almost as if…. You need a strategy….

The problem for all businesses is knowing where to start when faced with an avalanche of new acronyms, standards, practices, initiatives and funding opportunities. Heck, even the jargon has changed in the last few years! You’ll probably find that your stakeholders have formed their own opinions on which approach is best to follow, but implementing them all to satisfy everyone is not practical. You’ll need to find which one is best aligned to your business and be prepared to demonstrate that your chosen path is effective in combating your eco-footprint.

Whether you ‘believe’ in climate change or not, people are going to be asking questions about how you are ensuring sustainability in your supply chain and operations. Those people might not just be sat round your board room, it could be your customers wanting to place their business in the hands of people who understand and mitigate their planetary impact. It could even be suppliers or other stakeholders. Someone, somewhere is going to want to check your green credentials.

The best way to avoid being railroaded into something by the first customer who makes a fuss about it, is to already have a strategy in place. Offence is the best defence, after all. So if a customer tells you they can’t give you their business because they only like companies doing Strategy A, but you have already selected Strategy B, you will at least have some tools and arguments to hold your ground and prove you’re already checking all their boxes, thank you very much.

Putting together a sustainability strategy requires an in-depth understanding of all the options, how these suit different types of businesses, the uptake in your particular sector, and the funding available. And all this with an eye on impending legislation coming your way.

Even if you feel like you’re standing in front of a green wall of knowledge and have no idea how to scale it, our consultants are able to decode carbon foot-printing, carbon offsetting, carbon neutral, net zero, EcoVadis, PAS 2060, B-Corp, relevant ISOs (including ISO 14001 and ISO 50001), etc. Your QFactorial consultant will discuss what you’re hoping to achieve from your strategy, the main drivers, questions that stakeholders are already asking, some jargon-busting FAQs and the sustainable solutions trending in your industry. We can translate all this and package it as an Awareness Workshop to narrow down the applicable schemes for your industry and business, along with any funding entitlements.

From there we can take a more in-depth look at your preferred options and provide a cost/benefit analysis with an eye on your future growth. We will identify what can be integrated with existing process and systems, which may include your ISO management system(s). Even if this is not your first rodeo, you may find a lot of the work you’ve already done is a useful starting point for your next sustainable feather in the cap (naturally shed, obviously). Armed with all the facts, we can help you select the best strategy for your business.

Then it’s just the simple task of implementing your strategy.

Don’t worry, we’ll be there to help you with that too.

Schemes & Strategies