Sharon Colgan, Programme Manager Origin Green, Bord Bia - Irish Food board
Sustainability will touch every industry, every function and every employee over the coming years. Be prepared. Companies with a clear vision, plus the capability to effectively implement sustainability programmes, will navigate their way through this business megatrend and come out on top. Those that don’t will be left by the wayside according to David A. Lubin and Daniel C. Esty in a Harvard Business Article called The Sustainability Imperative.
We can learn a lot from how companies in the past have responded to other business megatrends like Quality or IT. Today, both are seen as ‘must haves’ for doing business; and continue to be as relevant now for business transformation in 2016. The focus on quality was initially adopted as a means of reducing defects and thus limiting a company’s reputational damage. It gave big advantages to companies like Toyota who took a holistic view and embedded quality as a philosophy into every stage of value creation. The IT megatrend however, resulted from a need to increase productivity and drive cost savings. Companies like American Airlines who incorporated IT into their businesses early (with their Sabre reservations system in partnership with IBM), gained huge competitive advantage.
Trade customers are increasingly demanding their suppliers to show proof of their sustainability commitments. According to a report on Sustainability Trends in European Retail the top priorities for retailers are carbon reduction (with sustainable supply chains being a key channel to deliver this), packaging, waste, and the wellbeing agenda. Customers are becoming more reliant on suppliers to help them deliver on these priorities.
Bord Bia’s Consumer Lifestyle Trend Responsible Living highlights how consumers now have an expectation of businesses and their brands to go beyond “doing less bad” and simply meeting government standards. They want their purchasing decisions to be made easier in the knowledge that a brand or company is “doing more good” for the consumer themselves, for others, and for the environment. Embracing sustainability in your company will help protect and grow your company’s reputation through good corporate citizenship.
What does this amount to? Irish Food and Drink Businesses no matter how big or small, can no longer afford to ignore sustainability as a key factor in their companies’ long-term competitiveness. Megatrends require businesses to adapt and innovate or be swept aside.
4 Tips to Take Sustainability to the Heart of Your Business:
(1) Use the Origin Green charter as your company’s roadmap to create a clear vision for your company’s sustainability strategy and get employees from all functions involved
(2) Join the 212 companies with Origin Green Verified Member status who are now benefiting from the efficiencies and the competitive edge that it gives them
(3) Share your sustainability strategy with your employees so they can help implement and communicate the plan.
- Use the templates and tips in the Origin Green Activation Guide*to engage your employees
(4) Communicate your company’s sustainability story using Origin Green as a platform.
- Discover ‘how to’ communication tips in the Origin Green Activation Guide
- Tell your trade customers and use your sustainability story as a commercial lever
- Tell all your stakeholders to enhance your company’s reputation
*The Origin Green Activation Guide is available to all verified member companies.
For more information please contact Sharon.Colgan@bordbia.ie