What is Sustainability?
Sustainability is the avoidance of the depletion of natural resources to maintain an ecological balance.
The World Commission on Environment and Development defines it as “Development that meets the
needs of the present without compromising the ability of future organizations to meet their own
needs.” This encompasses a broad strategy to ensure that the actions of the present do not negatively
impact the capabilities of future generations.
Sustainability Drivers
Sustainability drivers include:
Rising Costs of Energy and Raw Materials: This motivates organizations to adopt more
sustainable practices to reduce costs.
Developing Legislation: Laws and regulations, like the EU's RoHS, WEEE, and REACH, push
companies towards sustainability.
Increased Global Competition and Consumer Demands: Consumers demand green products
(which happened due to environmental awareness among the consumers), and companies must
adapt to stay competitive.
Corporate Image and Citizenship: Companies want to be seen as responsible citizens of the
world:
Role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is related to this driver.
Just Good Business: Ultimately, sustainability can drive business success by ensuring long-term
viability and profitability. This is an internal sustainablity driever for the businesses.
“Triple Bottom Line” Drivers
The Triple Bottom Line concept expands the traditional reporting framework to include environmental
and social performance in addition to financial performance. It is divided into:
Social (People): Companies should operate in a fair and socially responsible way.
Environmental (Planet): Organizations should minimize their environmental footprint by
managing resource use and emissions.
Financial (Profit): The traditional measure of corporate profitability.
Primary Drivers for Sustainability Excellence
The primary drivers include direct cost savings, increased customer loyalty, and improved safety and
employee engagement. Sustainability initiatives that drive economic results are more likely to receive
commitment and resources from businesses.
Economic Bottom Line
Companies that manage risks and opportunities associated with sustainability tend to deliver higher
returns on equity (ROE) than those that do not, as per the Zurich-based SAM (Sustainable Asset
Management) Group.
Achieving Sustainability
Achieving sustainability involves strategies like water conservation, reducing carbon footprint,
minimizing waste, and using recycled materials. It requires a concerted effort to do more with less and
to minimize the use of natural resources.
Self-Assessment of Operations & Implementation Checklist
Self-Assessment: Involves conceptual scoping, data analysis, field observations, gap analysis,
business case development, project definition, and implementation. It aims at identifying
operational and energy-efficiency opportunities.
Implementation Checklist: Ensures that all aspects of sustainable project implementation are
considered, covering efficiency improvements and capacity gains.
Recommendations for Improvements
Recommendations focus on improving efficiencies, achieving immediate and long-term capacity
gains, and minimizing energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Tools and
audits are suggested for identifying current inefficiencies and potential renewable energy
sources.
Partnering for Sustainability
Emphasizes the need for a Lean Sustainability approach, combining excellence in operational
and sustainability performance. This includes a wide range of capabilities from consulting to
operational implementation aimed at reducing time and risk.
Factory of the Future
Discusses the concept of a symbiotic life cycle approach, focusing on eliminating waste and
adding value for customers through a lean and sustainable factory model.