Encouraging A Workplace Culture That Takes Action On Climate Change

Changing the way that companies and individuals think about climate change can be a challenge. Although there has been a significant global shift of conversation toward environmental issues and increased implementation of sustainable practices in recent years; co’2 is still rising and adding effect to the worldwide weather and climate problems.

So, what more can be done and how can we deliver a holistic change necessary to achieve long-term social and environmental sustainability?

Businesses are paving the way to environmental change through their commitment to modify internal processes. It is particularly important for larger companies to create a global movement by embedding a culture that is built around a sustainable business model (SBM), and where accountability is stemmed from senior personnel who lead by example. The company’s directors who formulate corporate strategy owe a duty of care to the company. Here, care does not simply mean ensuring that shareholder profits are maximised. It means to care for the entire company – from where it obtains materials and provides fair benefits to its staff for taking care of the physical environment in which it operates.

Part of this solution is about continually working to raise awareness and educate the business community, but more needs to be done. Sustainable growth for a minority of companies remains an aspiration, rather than an inbuilt methodology. Implementing corporate innovation for sustainability should derive from more than just an ideology, but a practice in motion. Many corporate benefits can significantly improve company practices through this implementation, such as competitive advantages, and increased bottom-line through the use of energy-saving solutions and practices. When implementing aligned tactics, consideration needs to look at the impact on the wide range of stakeholder interests, including the environment and society.

Eco-innovations, eco-efficiency and corporate social responsibility practices define much of the current industrial sustainability agenda. As a company based in the environmental sector, Spray Grass Australia represents its part in environmental sustainability and has applied processes and internal systems that align with the global goal to help eliminate climate change. Addressing this issue does require many solutions and are all hinged tightly on humans changing the way they behave, to the smarter consumption of energy resources.

Thinking Big
There are clear facts that underpin the need for internal company structures and business models to move and align with the global conversation of eliminating climate change, therefore we have put forward our duty to provide additional help toward structural company implementations. These structures involve technological, and organisational orientated innovations that can be implemented into a business structure, to meet the necessities involved with creating this desired change.

Technological         

              •   Maximise material and energy efficiency
              o   Shrink carbon profile
o   Reduce energy
– assign energy-efficient lighting and devices throughout offices and vehicles
– Implement internal devices that record and submit reports measuring how much energy is being used among
the company. Goals can usually be set to continually improve on usage percentage
– enforce ‘pull the plug’ on devices that aren’t in use.
o   Increased functionality (to reduce the total number of products required)

              •    Create value from waste 
o   Reuse, recycle, re-manufacturer
o   Use excess capacity
o   Shared assets (shared ownership and collaborative consumption
o   Extended producer responsibilities
o   Implement solar panels for energy use where excess power can be sold back to the grid

              •    Suitable with renewable and natural processes  
o   Move from non-renewable to renewable energy sources
o   Solar and wind-based energy innovations
o   Zero emission initiative
o   Blue economy: an emerging concept depicting sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth,
improved livelihoods and jobs, and ocean ecosystem health
o   Biomimicry: an approach to innovation that seeks sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating
nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies

Organisational

             •    Repurpose for society /environment
o   Home-based, flexible working
o   Choose sustainable suppliers
o   Ethical trade – fair trade
o   Add plants to the workplace

              •    Sustainable processes and systems 
o   Collaborative approaches
o   Used recycled paper / go completely paperless

              •    Encourage sufficiency           
o   Internal education – communicating awareness
o   Choose sustainable suppliers
o   Product longevity
o   Responsible product distribution and promotion

In hindsight, not every suggestion will fit into your company structure however, those that are viable actions should be looked at more closely along with increased persuasion to encourage in-house behavioural change. In time the rewards from these efforts will be evident particularly in the reduction in economic and environmental cost through the reuse of materials and turning waste, into value. This will also filter down into a corporate social responsibility segment, whereby providing a positive contribution to the society and the environment through reducing your carbon footprint, reduced waste and reduced new material use.

The global environment is under immense threat – let’s work together towards creating an aspiring workplace mentality that underpins a sustainable environment.