Achieving real value from sustainable initiatives

Successful sustainability initiatives have a multitude of advantages for businesses, but identifying and implementing them is no easy feat. Put simply, sustainability initiatives done the right way should create meaningful and lasting impact both inside and outside an organisation, and should be communicated in a way that reflects that organisation’s progress faithfully.If achieved properly, this progress can resonate throughout the business’s entire audience. Whether that is by adding to the employee value proposition, by retaining and rewarding staff in a better way, or by making the company a more attractive prospect to investors, the real value of sustainable initiatives can be hugely maximised with the right communications.So where to begin? All organisations should start this process by considering its people’s priorities. Failure to deliver projects that don’t resonate within the company might mean the programme will fall at its first hurdle, so identifying initiatives that match up with employee sentiment is crucial. Not only is true company-wide buy-in the best way to achieve lasting value, but getting this right has many other benefits: if a company implements initiatives that are well-loved throughout the workforce, they will be able to use those same initiatives to attract more like-minded and culture-aligned candidates. Give employees options“We speak to dozens of companies who are on the journey of identifying an initiative their staff will resonate with, and the routes to make that decision are numerous” says Anna Weston, head of development UK&I at Treedom, an innovative platform where companies can plant forests around the world, and allow their staff to follow the impact directly online. Many companies have boards or committees that represent the wider employee base, which are useful as a general ideas hub or feedback centre but if a company wants to have a truly representative picture of people’s feelings on sustainability, it’s best if they ask what those are.“Give all employees a platform to give anonymous input – because that is when people are at their most honest – and make it clear that you’re doing so because the business is serious about representing their interests.”Any initial engagement and enthusiasm from being a part of these decisions will quickly fade if your programme becomes siloed, and the only touchpoint between the initiative and most staff is in an annual report.Real value can be achieved only by engendering a genuine connection between staff and your initiative in the long term. With Treedom’s platform, every tree planted can be gifted digitally to employees, meaning that they can directly take part in the initiative with just a click. But their engagement doesn’t have to stop there.For some, an ongoing connection can be fostered simply, while others might like the chance to get more deeply involved. Weston says that an effective initiative should be something that can be understood and embraced by all stakeholders in the business, however much or little time they have to engage with it.“A valuable sustainability initiative has to be accessible across a business,” she says. “With Treedom, we know that some employees will want to put time aside to learn about agroforestry systems, get to know the different species of trees, and watch our videos explaining how they benefit their surroundings. People love to understand how something they’re a part of is having a demonstrable benefit to communities and the wider world.“There will be others in your organisation who won’t have as much time to get involved, but that doesn’t mean they’re not interested. You’ve got to ensure that there is the material available so that those who have five minutes can understand and appreciate your initiative from a top-line perspective. That might be seeing how many trees have been planted, a picture of their own tree, how much carbon it will absorb and what species it is. It should be simple for those time-limited employees, but offer complexity and detail for those who want to get more involved.”The right partnerSustainability consciousness has never been higher and will likely continue to rise in the coming years. As a result, there are thousands of sustainability initiatives for businesses to choose from, covering a broad spectrum of causes. It can be an overwhelming decision to make, so many companies team up with experts such as Treedom to help ensure the cause they choose is suitable for their business.“There are countless sustainability initiatives to choose from, so it’s about aligning your initiative as best as you can with your workforce’s values,” says Weston. ““We also know that companies often want to address more than one cause, which is why our initiatives don’t just address carbon, but also ensure farmers are provided with additional income streams, that women have access to better employment opportunities, that families have better access to food and that communities are lifted out of poverty. “Treedom initiatives address 10 of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, so not only do we deliver well-rounded impact externally for our partners, but by providing them the means to involve their people, we can also deliver that impact internally, too”Think long-termSustainability, by its very definition, is a long-term pursuit. As a result, companies considering how to introduce initiatives that will deliver genuine value must think in terms of years rather than months. Failure to do so is immediately noticed by staff and clients alike, and means your initiative is unlikely to deliver anything tangible to your business.“The world is in this situation because of 100 years of sustained behaviours, and might also take 100 years of positive action to reverse many of the issues that have been caused. There is also no single solution to a multi-faceted problem, which is why Treedom is much more than planting a tree and forgetting about it. Long-term solutions are the only path forward, which is true of sustainability initiatives, too,” Weston says.“We’ve seen people get even more involved with these initiatives in years two and three of a company’s partnership; they talk about it more and become advocates for what their company is achieving. Long-term initiatives build familiarity and trust, which for Treedom’s partners means employees are more likely to redeem their trees and even to purchase and plant trees for their families and friends in the company forest. That is building true impact internally – for businesses who want to better engage, reward and recognise employees – and externally, for the environment and the communities that Treedom’s projects support, to help lift them out of poverty.”The risks of short-term thinking and poor communication on sustainability initiatives, can endanger the push to attract the right candidates and keep them. A recent Treedom survey found that two-thirds (67%) of employees said that a company’s environmental policy is important when choosing an organisation to work for.“A company’s real strength is its people. Potential candidates strongly factor in sustainability policies and initiatives when making decisions, so having robust ones is vital to attracting and retaining talented staff,” says Weston.

Achieving real value from sustainable initiatives

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