Fast and furious First 5000 critical in saving the planet
The urgency for all businesses to be economically, environmentally and socially sustainable has never been greater.
From a customer perspective; the world will be putting a price on carbon emissions and customers will prefer to do business with sustainable companies (including Government procurement) = sustainability is good for business.
From a scientific perspective; the window of opportunity to turn the tides of climate change is narrowing by the minute. Scientific evidence is clear. The timeframe to curb carbon emissions, to avoid the most catastrophic environmental consequences and manage existing resources better, is much shorter than previously thought.
Understanding sustainability is a vital part of ongoing business development. Failing to embrace sustainability now will threaten business survival tomorrow. But there’s much to gain from taking the lead now, including:
- Saved money through efficient management, reduced waste and energy consumption. In other words, increased productivity.
- Increased market share with large businesses thriving to drive responsible business practices through their supply chain.
- Increased market share with governments as they adopt sustainability principles for their procurement practices.
- Market opportunity – doing the environmentally and socially ‘right thing’ is profitable and scalable.
First 5000 members (Australian businesses with 20-199 employees and $10 million + in annual turnover) represent a significant sector in anybody’s terms economically, socially and environmentally. Given the sustainability challenges before us it is crucial for this sector to not only be involved but to drive some of the change required for a variety of reasons.
One significant factor is that it is much harder to turn around a large ship than a small one and therein lays the opportunity:
- Medium-sized enterprises (MEs’) are fast, flexible and responsive, able to adapt the new environment swiftly.
- MEs’ are economic powerhouses with considerable influence to help shape policies, including sustainability policies.
- MEs’ represent a group of genuine innovators with the ability to create solutions to problems.
In order to turn the sustainability challenges into business opportunities First 5000 members need to integrate sustainability issues into their business philosophy. Sustainability can’t be an add-on but has to form part of business culture: ‘the way things are being done’. Just like good financial planning and other core business activities are.
The first step is recognising that being environmentally, socially and economically sustainable improves business performance and is instrumental for the long-term survival of the business.
What better time than now, the start of the year, to reflect what sustainability means for your business and make a New Year’s that is not only good for you and your business but potentially good for the planet.
If you haven’t done so already and think sustainability has nothing to do with your business, think again, and inform yourself – knowing this will lead to improved performance in 2011. Below is a list of websites with helpful resources as a starting point.
Report: Small business, big opportunity
