The state of sustainability in 2021 is fraught with countless business challenges—navigating travel and supply chain issues and the shift to a hybrid workforce during the coronavirus pandemic, to name just a couple. There’s also mounting pressure on CEOs and company leaders to have a sustainability plan on top of complex corporate social responsibility (CSR), corporate governance, and ESG (environmental, social, and governance) considerations. Stakeholders—including customers, employees, and shareholders—also expect reports around corporate sustainability efforts.
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Thanks to Sustain.Life’s beta customers, in this infographic we shed additional light on the state of sustainability today—what’s top of mind for companies concerned with environmental sustainability, and the ways they strive to build more sustainable businesses.
Key drivers of sustainability
Our beta customers shared that company leaders push for full-scale sustainability programs, with customers and employees also throwing their weight behind the need to drive positive environmental impact.
Who needs sustainability software the most
Because sustainability is a priority with business leaders, it’s no surprise that they’re the largest cohort looking for an end-to-end platform—like Sustain.Life—to drive their sustainability strategies and solve wide-ranging sustainability issues.
Most popular sustainability topics
We’ve entered an era where sustainability is business-critical. Sustain.Life Actions tied to business strategy—which include step-by-step guidance for things like training staff in sustainability topics, publishing sustainability reports, creating a green team, and measuring a project’s environmental impact—are among the most popular on the platform.
Typical things businesses tackle before formalizing their sustainability program
- Sustainability mission statement
- Virtual meeting policies
- Paper printing policies
- Recycling programs
- Purchasing renewable energy
- Eliminating cans and bottles
- Waste bins
- Properly disposing of hazardous waste
- Recyclable or compostable serviceware
- Single-use coffee pods
When it comes to sustainability, companies tend to first focus on low-hanging fruit, or what’s most visible company-wide. Usually, that means stuff tied to recycling and waste in the office. And while just about any sustainable practices you put in place to move the needle on your environmental impact are great, it’s also essential to consider where you can exert the most influence. Sustain.Life helps you determine that sweet spot—where you can make the biggest impact both on your business practices and climate change.
Where businesses begin their sustainability journey
Here are the top Actions—which are what we call our step-by-step guides—that our beta customers have added to their sustainability roadmaps. We recommend a healthy balance of quick wins and long-term strategic initiatives.
QUICK WINS
- Create work from home policy
- Create a recycling program
- Create a sustainability mission statement or vision
- Create a virtual meeting policy
- Reduce printing
AMBITIOUS OBJECTIVES
- Purchase off-site renewable energy
- Measure electricity use
- Reduce air travel
- Calculate scope 1 emissions
- Evaluate product footprint
Do employees still travel for work?
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, business travel is still fairly popular. Did you know that for most individuals, work-related travel is their most significant source of carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions? Sustain.Life helps you calculate your commuting and business travel emissions, then highlights those metrics and suggests ways to help mitigate emissions-creating behaviors.
Workforce breakdown
The coronavirus pandemic has created stark shifts, notably in work-from-home (WFH) behavior. Almost a quarter—24% to be exact—of Sustain.Life beta customers also told us that their organizations don’t have a physical location, a trend that’s likely to continue. (Sustain.Life launched in 2021 and is an entirely remote company.)
