Challenge
The world in which we live will continue to evolve on a constant basis. It is therefore essential that its continued evolution meet our current needs while preserving the ability for future generations to meet their needs in turn. Sustainable development is about ensuring that the exploitation of resources, investment decisions, orientations with respect to technological development as well as institutional changes all contribute to the achievement of the full potential for nations’ human development while improving the natural environment that makes this development possible in the first place.
Thus, the transformation of our world poses risks, but it also opens up major opportunities for organizations that decide to engage in sustainability measures. Whether they are public, private or from the plural sector, organizations need to create value not only for their taxpayers, shareholders or members, but also to maintain and improve the condition of the communities and environments in which they operate. To ensure their own sustainability, organizations must therefore use tools to generate economic returns on their investments and contribute to solving the social and environmental challenges that our planet is facing.
That is how an organization can deploy its peripheral vision, to create and sustain value over the long term for itself as well as the social and environmental systems that enable it to operate. This imperative of social and environmental meaning is increasingly sought out by investors, consumers and workers. The rising generations, e.g., millennials, speak volumes in this regard. Furthermore, putting sustainability at the core of operations is a decision that is conducive to the creation and sustainment of value that contributes to organizations’ financial performance and long-term survival.
Objective
In the face of our world’s economic, social and environmental challenges, the United Nations has developed sustainable development goals that humankind must achieve by 2030. To contribute to the achievement of these goals, both nations and organizations must adopt sustainability orientations and objectives that are at once relevant, measurable and integrated.
Certain organizations are already positioning themselves as leaders by communicating their short-, medium- and long-term strategy and action plan in a transparent manner. By playing the role of influencers, these organizations seize new opportunities that contribute to the sustainable growth of their revenues and profits while generating salutary social and environmental benefits for their reputation in the eyes of investors and consumers. For certain organizations, their sustainability strategy has become their sole strategic roadmap on which they base their corporate decisions.
New emerging business models differentiate themselves by integrating, for example, the circular economy or full accounting and disclosure of the externalities of products and services. These new business models give rise to distinctive innovative skills in keeping with the values shared by an increasing number of consumers and, therefore, investors. As demonstrated in the 2018 annual letter to the CEOs of BlackRock (the largest asset management company on the planet), investors increasingly expect publicly owned companies to implement the necessary governance mechanisms and take the necessary actions to maintain their social licence to operate.
Brundtland Minds Solutions
Our experts will help you:
-
Determine your organization’s social and environmental sense of purpose to guide the integration of your sustainability approach;
-
Along with your decision makers, develop policies, strategies and action plans along with sustainability goals depending on the nature of your activities;
-
Implement sustainable development programs dealing namely with:
-
Your supply chain;
-
The marketing position of your products and services;
-
Your design and engineering activities;
-
-
Prepare training sessions for your staff members in line with the sustainability approach;
-
Organize and facilitate collaborative workshops with the external partners of your value chain and/or your field of activity, to spur innovation and collectively solve systemic issues;
-
In collaboration with you, establish an internal sustainability governance mechanism by defining the relevant roles and responsibilities associated with open positions; and
-
Produce quarterly or annual accountability reports to highlight the efforts made and the results obtained.
Benefits
-
Increased resilience of your organization to future impacts (regulatory, economic, reputational, environmental);
-
Potential reduction of your operating costs and risks;
-
Improved image and reputation of your organization with its target clientele sharing these values as well as other external stakeholders;
-
Improved attraction, retention, engagement and performance levels among your employees, partners and suppliers sharing the same values;
-
Improvement of your performance as perceived by potential investors, with respect namely to governance and risk management;
-
Engine for innovation to meet clients’ expectations; and
-
Possibility of influencing and shaping the future of your industry sector.
