Many companies are not sure what to measure related to sustainability, let alone, what sustainability goals to set. Setting sustainability goals (and actually achieving them) is the easiest way to demonstrate your commitment to sustainability, which is why I am providing you with 23 sustainability goals for your business!
The first step that I always recommend to companies who are just starting their sustainability journey is to complete Emerger Strategies’ Basic Sustainability Assessment Tool (BSAT) to get a better understanding of what your company is already doing, what it can do to immediately improve, and obtain a sustainability score. The next step usually consists of gathering different types of data, such as energy, waste, and water, measuring your carbon footprint. Then, you will want to create a Strategic Sustainability Plan, and part of the planning process is setting sustainability goals, and many companies struggle with what goals to set, which is why I am providing you with 23 break-even sustainability that were created by the Future-Fit Business Benchmark
23 Sustainability Goals for your Business
Why Pursue Sustainability?
Your company is likely feeling the impacts of climate change, or you are feeling pressure from regulators, employees and your customers to demonstrate your commitment to sustainability, but what does sustainability look like, and why pursue sustainability? According to The Natural Step, there are four sustainability principles, which make a sustainable society:
- In a sustainable society, nature is not subject to systematically increasing concentrations of substances from the earth’s crust (such as fossil CO2, heavy metals and minerals)
- In a sustainable society, nature is not subject to systematically increasing concentrations of substances produced by society (such as antibiotics and endocrine disruptors)
- In a sustainable society, nature is not subject to systematically increasing degradation by physical means (such as deforestation and draining of groundwater tables).
- And in that society there are no structural obstacles to people’s health, influence, competence, impartiality and meaning.
You see, the problem is not mining for metals, or producing synthetic materials, or even logging forests for building materials and paper. The problem is that we live on a planet with finite resources and a growing population, so we cannot indefinitely burn fossil fuels, produce single-use plastics, and convert forests for cattle grazing, and still have a habitable planet. Furthermore, the reason that these environmental conditions are tied to society is that as long as people’s basic needs go unmet, we will continue to mine, overdevelop and overfish. For these reasons, your company should pursue these sustainability goals for your business.
If every company were to achieve these 23 sustainability goals, our society would cause no harm to people and the planet, which is why they are called “break-even” goals. Going beyond these goals to actually create a positive impact on people and the planet is also possible. “For instance, a company might provide financial and technical support to install a rainwater harvesting system for an agricultural supplier operating in a water-stressed region, with the intention of reducing the supplier’s burden on the local watershed while increasing supply security. A positive outcome would be a reduction in depletion rates of local aquifers, translating into greater water security for both the supplier and local communities.”
All of these break-even goals also contribute towards the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a collection of 17 interconnected global goals designed to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice.
How Emerger Strategies Can Help Guide Your Business
At Emerger Strategies, our mission is to measure and improve your sustainability performance, all while boosting profits.
We provide trustworthy sustainability and ESG guidance and support across a variety of industries, including: fishing, outdoor, consumer products, and more. We work with leading industry associations, member organizations and individual companies who are choosing to measure their environmental and social performance, but need experienced sustainability support to make the business case for sustainability.
We specialize in Corporate Sustainability/ESG Services, Carbon Management Services, Waste Management Services, and Retailer Sustainability Compliance.
Learn more about our Sustainability Consulting Services, or Contact Us today!