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“Building a Culture for Sustainability”- A New Book

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by Alison Lueders

From sustainability to employee engagement to profitability

Research shows that sustainable business initiatives create more engaged (happier) employees, which lead to more profitable companies. Specifically:

  • Gallup research shows that companies with  more engaged employees are more profitable.
  • Research from Harvard Business School shows that “sustainability initiatives are highly appealing to employees.” At Caesar’s Entertainment, for example, “customer loyalty and satisfaction – their overall experience and willingness to return to one of its hotels or casinos– is directly linked to employees’ level of participation in sustainable activities at work.”

But how?

Building a Culture for Sustainability profiles 9 companies.

Building a Culture for Sustainability profiles 9 companies.

Companies often struggle with the “how.” How do you build a culture for sustainability in your particular company? Jeana Wirtenberg’s new book,  “Building a Culture for Sustainability,” helps answer that question.

She spent 2 years profiling 9 companies in depth about their sustainability programs and practices. These are not “the usual suspects” like Whole Foods or Patagonia. These companies are big guys who have been around, in some cases, for over 100 years. They want to become more sustainable, but have a lot of history and baggage to deal with.

Culture is key

The list below captures just 1 program or practice from each company. It doesn’t do justice to the full book, but it may persuade you to take a peek. If your business is in one of the industries covered, read that chapter. Better yet, pick a company in an industry different from yours. It’s an easy way to get a fresh perspective for your own sustainability journey.

  • Alcatel Lucent is a telecom company built on the proud history of Bell Labs. They embrace a “triple bottom line” approach to business. To reach their sustainability goals, they organized “Green Touch” – a consortium of telecom companies whose goal is to make the global network “1000 times more energy-efficient by 2015.” To do that, companies share data that used to be proprietary. Cross-company collaboration is essential to get us where we need to go, and it’s a big culture change for many.

 

  • Alcoa mines and manufactures aluminum – the “infinitely recyclable metal.” Alcoa has a “measurement culture.” Their A3 process – “assess, aspire, act” – is used to measure all kinds programs, not just sustainability ones. As Laurie Roy, HR director said, ” If you’re not measuring it, how do you know you are making progress?” Setting science-based goals, and measuring progress towards them is a key element of a sustainable culture.

 

  • BASF  is a company that believes “chemistry is what enables the transition to a sustainable society.” For example, they developed Green Sense concrete mixtures, which save water, energy and CO2 emissions compared to conventional concrete. This material is used, among other places, in the Freedom Tower in New York City. Sustainability is integral to their business – not bolted on to the side.

 

  • Bureau Veritas is a world leader in testing, inspection and certification in over 140 countries.  Their work with clients inspires them to reduce their own environmental footprint through energy, water and energy conservation programs. In addition, safety is ” not a priority, but an absolute.”  That means 100% of employees receive ongoing training and communication about safety issues. From working safely at heights to safe driving, the focus is on prevention.

 

  • Church & Dwight owns Arm & Hammer (the baking soda people) and a variety of other brands. They’ve been using 100% recycled board in their baking soda boxes for more than 100 years.  They also offer full ingredient disclosure on many of their consumer products – a kind of transparency that truly sustainable companies will embrace.

 

  • Ingersoll Rand has been in business for over 140 years.  It’s a family of brands including Schlage and Trane. They’ve had great success building a sustainable culture using  Green Teams.  The number of teams doubled from 25 in 2010 to 52 in 2011 and doubled again to 110 in 2012. Each team focuses on improving their own facility’s environmental performance and on educating colleagues on “triple bottom line” issues. Locations with Green Teams have higher employee engagement scores than locations without Green Teams. ‘Nuf said.

 

  • Pfizer is a global health care company. Their Global Health Fellows program places employees in 3 to 6 month stints abroad. This donation of people-expertise to countries with little to no health infrastructure builds trust in international communities. The Fellows get first-hand knowledge of areas where Pfizer can tweak its business model to better serve local people. And Pfizer builds employee engagement by offering this very popular program, where numbers of applicants far outstrip the number of slots.

 

  • Sanofi is another health care giant. When you “put the patient first,” it’s a short step to seeing how sustainability supports that goal. Sanofi estimates that “13 million deaths can be prevented each year by safeguarding our environment.” Their CSR Ambassador Program enables employees from any department to volunteer for this role. Ambassadors learn about sustainability from in-house experts, and share that knowledge with colleagues. At Sanofi, this peer-to-peer approach is taking off.

 

  • Wyndham Worldwide –  This global hospitality company has a program called “Caught Green Handed.” It’s a recognition program that started in one business unit and spread to all the rest. Employees receive a certificate with their name and a description of their green contribution. This kind of program energizes employees and helps get the word out to others.

A treasure trove of examples

There are many ways to build a culture of sustainability.  If you want your business to perform well into the future, sustainability is your path to superior results.

Building a sustainable culture is not about annual events and lip service. It’s about tapping into the power of all your people to re-imagine the core of your business in sustainable ways. That’s an exciting mission for people at all levels.

So if your company is struggling with the “how,” grab a copy of Ms. Wirtenberg’s book.  It offers detailed examples of what companies are doing. It is also frank about the challenges they’ve faced. These companies don’t have some secret sauce that makes the transition to green easy. But you can learn from the road they’ve already traveled, and build a sustainable culture that suits your organization.

 

4 Content Marketing Lessons from the Authority Intensive

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I was in Denver, CO last week, attending the first-ever live event from the Copyblogger.com folks. Their “Authority Intensive 2014” was sold out. It may be the best conference I’ve attended on copywriting and content marketing.

The Authority Intensive 2014 conference offered the latest on content marketing.

The Authority Intensive 2014 conference offered the latest on content marketing.

The conference had 4 tracks:

  • Design
  • Content
  • Traffic
  • Conversion

My brain was exploding (in a good way) by the end of the first day.  As an online writer (primarily), it’s good to remember that content fits into a larger “content ecosystem.” Here are 4 key takeaways for how any business – especially those building green(er) practices into their operations – can use content effectively to reach business goals.

  •  Know your readers/customers – This goes without saying, but it’s easier said than done. Inspired by the conference,  I’d love to know more about your business – at whatever stage of “green” it is. What is your biggest content problem as either a green business or as a business working to become greener? Tell me at alueders@verizon.net. I’ll keep it confidential, and I’ll send you a $5 Starbucks gift card for your trouble.
  • Tell true stories well – This is particularly relevant to businesses that are “green” or becoming greener in their operations. Stories about how your business is going green moves those actions out of the realm of “scammy” or “scary” or “confusing,” into something understandable and doable. Become a trusted source of updates on what your are doing to become more sustainable, and people will both pay attention and emulate you.
  • Re-purpose your content – I’ve said this before, but it’s nice to hear the experts say it too. If you’re a big guy, your Corporate Sustainability Report is a treasure trove of potential content. If your business is medium or small, your green actions – however modest – can be the basis for an infographic, a blog post, or a separate web page about your company’s sustainability actions.
  • Focus on “useful” –  Green businesses and those going greener have an advantage. Contrary to popular belief, many “green actions” – from installing LED lights to conserving water – save energy, emissions, and money. I don’t know a  business that doesn’t care about saving money.  Share your useful knowledge of greener practices with other businesses or consumers. It enables them to act. And since a business’s journey to green usually takes time, you will always have new green actions to talk about.

I can’t resist sharing 2 other bits of wisdom from the conference:

  • “There are no shortcuts – you have to do the work.” (Seth Godin)
  • “Act more than think – action breeds confidence and courage.”  (Darren Rowse)

More than ever, original content is foundational to your green business success. By telling true stories about your green actions and how your customers benefit, you extend your reach and build trust in your brand. Over time, that trust becomes money.

Ready to let my green business help yours? Contact me at 813-968-1292 or email at alueders@verizon.net.

“The Big Pivot” – Part 4

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Here’s Part 4 of my summary of “The Big Pivot,” Andrew Winston’s latest book. The book is 352 pages, so I offer these posts as a shortcut to understanding the gist of it.

"The Big Pivot" is Andrew Winston's latest book.

“The Big Pivot” is Andrew Winston’s latest book.

We’ve covered the mega-challenges, the Vision Pivot and the Valuation Pivot. The third and final pivot is the “Partner Pivot.” It’s all about collaborating – with government, with competitors and with customers.

A Super-Condensed Summary: The Partner Pivot

Because it will take all of us working together to transition to a cleaner, greener economy, businesses need to find new ways to influence stakeholders. Winston suggests:

Become a Lobbyist

According to Winston, “Political action and lobbying are absolutely critical to making the Big Pivot successfully.”

He identifies 5 key policies that companies should lobby for:

  • Put a Price on Carbon – Winston recommends a carbon tax as a “great revenue and deficit-reduction opportunity.”
  • End Fossil-Fuel Subsidies – and subsidize cleaner energy for a while. We have a short time to eliminate carbon. Subsidies that speed the shift from fossil fuels to clean energy – and then decline – make sense.
  • Pursue Public-Private Investment in the Clean Economy – “The private sector alone cannot build the infrastructure we need for a modern, clean economy.” Government’s track record of success with long-term public-private investment programs includes the birth of the computer age, the federal highway system, the fight against AIDS, and the space program.
  • Implement Higher “Clean” Product and Production Standards – if your product uses less energy than your competitors, why not lobby for a higher standard for all? It will level the playing field, and put your competitors in a tough spot.
  • Support Greater Corporate Transparency – Big business spent millions in California and Washington State to defeat proposed laws requiring labels for GMO foods.  Says Winston, “companies that were against the law…were on the wrong side of history.”

According to Winston, “Business needs to treat government – which is the representation of our collective wills – as a partner, not an enemy.”

Collaborate Radically

“The mega-challenges are exactly that – mega – we cannot solve them alone – we have to collaborate.”

One such collaborative effort going on right now is The Sustainability Consortium. Established with funding from Walmart, the group is composed of 80 of the world’s largest retailers, including Coke, Clorox, Colgate-Palmolive, P&G, Pepsi and Unilever.

TSC’s purpose is to reduce the impacts of global consumption by gathering much better data on the life cycle impacts of consumer products. Using TSC’s footprint data, retailers can better decide what goes on the shelves.

It’s a big change for businesses used to thinking only of “cutthroat competition.” But Winston encourages companies to map the “ecosystem” of their industry, identify “hot spots” where joint action can have the biggest impact, and lay out a migration path to lower-carbon solutions.

Inspire Customers to Care and to Use Less

This is a tough one. We live in a “consumer” society, and that mentality is hard to break.

But according to Winston, “The mega-challenges we face can’t be handled by government or business alone…We need citizens as consumers to make different choices.”

Why? Because their impacts may be far greater than those of business. When Unilever measured the impacts (energy, water, waste) of its major products,  it found that its own manufacturing footprint was a small fraction of the total. Consumers were responsible for the lion’s share. “The water we use to shampoo our hair, and the energy we use to heat the water, dwarfs the resources needed to make the product.”

In an ideal world, “a circular economy filled with smartly designed products can help solve some of our resource challenges, but that’s a long way off.”

In the meantime, businesses are trying different approaches. Patagonia had its “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign. The message is not just “use less” but “get more value and live better.”

Marks and Spencer, the British retailer, has its “Shwop Your Old Clothes” campaign. It encourages customers to bring their old clothes back to the store. M&S makes a “Shwop” coat from recycled items that is half the cost of a virgin wool coat.

According to Winston, “when companies say they can’t sell greener products because customers don’t want them, it’s a cop out.” Companies create “needs” all the time. If Marketing focuses on educating consumers about how to make better choices, those messages will motivate action over time.

How is your business partnering around the mega-challenges?

“The Big Pivot” – Part 3

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Here’s installment #3 of my short summary of “The Big Pivot,” Andrew Winston’s latest book. For the “too busy” green business owner or corporate sustainability person, these posts are a shortcut to help you get the gist of it.

"The Big Pivot" is Andrew Winston's latest book.

“The Big Pivot” is Andrew Winston’s latest book.

Yesterday we covered the “Vision Pivot”. Today, we look at the second major “pivot”– or change in direction – that companies must make.  He calls it the Valuation Pivot.

This pivot, in my view, gets to the crux of the biscuit. The Valuation Pivot is about money and measurement and the very poor job our current businesses do of accurately measuring business value.

A Super-Condensed Summary: The Valuation Pivot

On Sustainability, Companies Need to Put their Money Where their Mouth Is

Winston asks the simple question, “What are people in your company paid to do?” If they are paid to hit the earnings number every 90 days, and not paid for addressing the mega–challenges of a hotter, scarcer world, then the results are predictable.

So pay people to address the mega-challenges. Awards are nice, recognition is good. But money motivates action. Make sustainability part of everyone’s performance review, and change the incentives for senior executives.

When companies pursue sustainability seriously, they reap another benefit: engaged employees. Recent research by Gallup shows that firms with the most engaged employees are:

  • 16% more profitable
  • 8% more productive
  • have 25% – 49% lower turnover

than firms with the least engaged employees.

Many employees find sustainability an engaging issue. It’s not surprising. “It’s inspiring to work on something that’s both profitable and for the larger good,”  Winston says.

 Companies Need to Redefine Return on Investment (ROI)

Winston is brave to say this.

Why redefine this time-honored method of making investment decisions? Because “ROI is broken,” says Winston.  “Most companies use ROI as a blunt tool, without measuring the full spectrum of value.”

“The problem is, there are many contributors to business value that we fail to put a number on.” These include business resilience, risk reduction, increased sales potential, and easier hiring.

Companies pursuing sustainable business practices may adjust their ROI models. Approaches range from dedicating funds for green investments to lowering the hurdle rate to pricing carbon internally. IKEA, for example, lets green projects pay off in 10 to 15 years, instead of the standard 2 years.

Ultimately, it’s a leadership decision as to how to evaluate the return on green investments.

Put a Number on the Value of Natural Capital

Natural capital is “everything the planet provides for our economy and our lives, including forests, fisheries, soil, metals, coastal wetlands,” and so on.   The list is very long.

Historically, there has been no price for these “eco-system services.” But in order for markets to work, they need prices. So some companies have begun the task of estimating the value of these things. According to Winston, “the most quoted estimate of the total value that nature provides is $33 trillion annually (actually $48 trillion in today’s dollars.)

It’s early days yet, and no one standard has emerged. But as Winston points out, “We live on a single planet with a finite amount of resources. Either we manage these resources well, or we don’t survive.”

Valuing natural capital accurately, instead of treating resources as “free”, will help businesses make far better decisions.

Tomorrow: The Partner Pivot

Great Green Editing is now Great Green Content

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What Happened?

On the second anniversary of Great Green Editing in 2013, I paused to assess. And I realized a few things:

• I do more writing for clients than editing.
• Clients and prospects were confused by the name, thinking I only do editing.
• Folks who’ve been in the business longer than I have were unanimous in advising that the name “Great Green Content” better reflects my services.

Enough said! I changed the name of my site. I see it as a natural evolution.

What Does this Mean?

• I still edit. If you are, or want to be, an editing client, I’m happy to serve. I have an attention to detail that scares some people, but when you are about to hit “send” or “publish” then you want someone like that.
• I also write for businesses and organizations. I have for profit and nonprofit clients. See my Services page for all the details.
• I especially target businesses and organizations that are transitioning to “greener” or more sustainable practices. As a certified green business myself, I bring my own subject matter expertise to my clients, where I can.
• You’ll find a renamed Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/greatgreencontent . Please “Like” the page if you haven’t already.

What’s Staying the Same?

• If you are on Great Green Editing’s newsletter mailing list, you are automatically subscribed to the Great Green Content newsletter. Its name is changing too. No action required on your part.
• It’s still me – at your service.

What’s New for 2014?

The new name is just the start. You get:

• A broader set of services to choose from – in addition to writing and editing, I can consult on your content marketing plans.
• An online writer affiliated with Copyblogger. Creating content in today’s ever-changing landscape is a challenge. The experts at Copyblogger keep me tuned in to those changes.

So welcome to Great Green Content! What can I do for you? Contact me at 813-968-1292 or at my business email address: Alison@greatgreencontent.com.

And leave your comments below. What do you think of the changes?