Corporate Sustainability: A Quick Checklist

With “corporate sustainability” quickly approaching buzzword status, we thought we’d open the week by taking a quick look at what comprises these policies. It’s more than a “think before you print” request in the signature line of your company’s emails. Great corporate sustainability practices are build from taking a look at your company’s practices as a whole and how they’ll affect the environment both now and in the future.

Technology: It’s not just the cost of technology that matters to companies these days – it’s the manufacturing practices and ideology behind the technology itself. For best-in-class examples, look at what outdoor retailer companies like Columbia and Patagonia are doing in corporate sustainability. They’re not only creating great products through great manufacturing and materials technology. They’re creating programs that recycle their own products and promoting fair labor practices in countries abroad.

Don’t forget the human resources: As mentioned above, companies with strong corporate sustainability practices aren’t just focusing on what they manufacture. They’re focused on who’s doing the manufacturing. When shaping your own corporate sustainability policy, be sure to look at things like certified Fair Trade goods and suppliers, programs that ensure humane working conditions, and how your local human resources – the people who help run your business day to day – can use their resources to give back and have those efforts supported by the company.

Spinning a green web: Did you ever think that your website could enhance your corporate sustainability practices? It’s true. There are several hosting providers that are everything from wind powered to offsetting their own energy costs through green energy certificates. This list of green hosting companies can help you make a better choice for something you might not ordinarily think of.

Other ways to save: One of the best ways to shape your corporate sustainability practices is to ask for feedback from your employees. As managers and owners, we’re not the only ones with good ideas! By establishing a feedback mechanism for your staff, you’re opening yourself up to hearing about processes you might otherwise ignore – ones creating waste where it isn’t necessary and overuse of resources where savings could occur. Sometimes our best ideas come from those who are using the processes every day – give them a voice. They’ll show you how to save today and improve processes and practices for a brighter, more conscious future.

Posted by: John Cushman on January 23rd, 2012 // View Comments
Posted in: Corporate Sustainability, News
Tags: Business Productivity, Business Tips, Corporate Sustainability
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