Driving Action in ESG
Collaboration is a crucial part of sustainability, but if this doesn’t drive tangible action it’s not going far enough, fast enough.
This new ESG ‘collaboraction’ hub has been created by four individuals who feel strongly about the need for less talk and more action when it comes to sustainability. In our own ways, we each advocate the importance of not overcomplicating this already complex area. We want to help people feel empowered to act.
INDEPENDENT HOTEL SHOW
Sustainability in Action wall
Having been friends and ‘collaboractors’ for a few years, we joined forces at the 2024 Independent Hotel Show to run an activity we called the Sustainability in Action wall.
Over two days, we asked everyone visiting the ESG Hub to share with us their pain points around sustainability or ESG (environmental, social, governance).
Facilitated by:
Breaking down Barriers to Action
Our greatest insight from the Sustainability in Action Wall activity was the large number of ‘barriers’ that were cited. Many of the people we spoke to responded to our question “What are your biggest pain points?” with answers along the lines of “We’d love to do more, but ……..” So, here’s our guide to overcoming common barriers.
We’d love to do more in terms of sustainability, but …
We don’t have enough time
There’s an old joke about “how do you eat an elephant?”. The answer is: one mouthful at a time. Not hilarious, perhaps, but it makes an interesting point about progress being made step by step. So if you feel like you don’t have enough time, approach it in a bitesize way. It’s better to do something than nothing. Establish what actions can have the maximum impact, with minimum effort. This will help you move to action.
We don’t have any budget
A big part of sustainability revolves around energy efficiency, which is about reducing carbon emissions and negative environmental impacts, but also about long-term resilience and cost saving. It is true that some initiatives will require capital investment, just like many other areas of business development. But there are now many case studies and examples of healthy ROIs on sustainability projects. Rather than asking can we afford to do X, Y + Z, ask yourself, can we afford not to? What are the commercial risks of doing nothing? Losing customers and employees to more sustainable offerings? Missing out of investment opportunities? Supply chain disruption bringing our business to a halt? Start with maximum impact, minimum investment initiatives if budgets are tight, and then factor in longer-term strategic initiatives in future budgeting
We don't know what accreditation to align with
Many businesses are looking to obtain third party sustainability accreditation to validate their actions. This can be extremely valuable, but also confusing in terms of which one to choose. The advice here is to take your time finding one that is right for you, but do not view it simply as a one-off tick box exercise. It should provide you with an actionable improvement framework that works for you, not just a badge. And you may wish to consider more than one option, for example an industry specific certification plus a wider generic business framework like BCorp. Here are some options (link to options).
We don't have the resources
If sustainability is not viewed as part of business as usual, it can seem like a big new commitment and therefore a drain on resources. And if resources are already stretched, business as usual will inevitably take priority. If you believe, as we do, that sustainability is an essential element of futureproofing your business, resourcing it properly is the only way to bring it to the forefront. But you can build this up step by step. This is one element of business that is not, nor should be, competitive. Collaboration (or collaboraction) with others in your industry, for the overall benefit and long-term preservation of your industry sector for everyone, is a great way of sharing resources. Working with others lightens the load.
We don't know who to trust
This is a tricky one. There are indeed many companies and brands ‘jumping on the sustainability bandwagon’, using vague eco terms and often meaningless labels. It pays to dig a little deeper in search of true integrity. Look for credible product and company certifications or standards such as BCorp, EcoVardis, ISO, Planet Mark, etc. Look for tangible evidence of action on websites, not just lofty long-term goals. We don’t know everyone, but we do seek out companies and partners that we feel share our values
We don’t know where to start
Sustainability can feel overwhelming, to the point of feeling paralysed to act for fear of doing the wrong thing. If you are not sure where to start, just start somewhere that feels realistic for you and gets you moving in the right direction. Here are some ideas to get you started.
We are finding it all too overwhelming
- You cannot manage what you don’t measure. And you cannot solve issues if you don’t understand them or know they exist. Here is a free ESG snapshot self-audit (link to PLANET Snapshot) to help break it down for you and get an overview of where your business sits today in terms of Environmental, Social + Governance. It also contains 30 educational flash cards to help build your knowledge and confidence.
We're worried about greenwashing
There is no doubt that there is a lot of greenwashing going on out there, but the flip side to the dubious companies deliberately misleading and obfuscating is all the good businesses being fearful of naively doing and saying the wrong thing and therefore being accused of greenwashing. So, they put off both doing and saying. If in doubt, use this framework to sense check what you are communicating to ensure legal and moral integrity.
COMING SOON… ESG in Action toolkit
We do not know all the answers (nobody does), but we can help demystify this complex area and help equip you with extra confidence and the right questions to move you to action.
In this toolkit, we will provide cheatsheets for fast learning and links to further reading and resources.
This is very much a Work in Progress endeavour. The ultimate idea is to provide a space for people to learn, connect and collaboract.
