Rainforests burn, oceans choke on plastic, and the climate crisis intensifies.
Yet many businesses continue to prioritise short-term results over long-term environmental health. This unsustainable model may bring immediate gains but ultimately threatens the environment that sustains us all.
Sustainability in business is often tricky, as it is understood differently. A sustainable business has financial security, strong governance, and social and environmental responsibility. Typically, the former is prioritised over the latter.
While there are arguments to suggest social and environmental concerns should come first, businesses should, at a minimum, be expected to grow their commitment to the planet as they grow financially.
Protecting our environment requires governments, businesses and individuals to be social and environmental guardians. Ambitious policy and frameworks, responsible business practice and conscious consumerism, are the only routes to an equitable, healthy and stable environment.
Businesses need to be wholly sustainable. This requires more than creating environmentally friendly products. The entire supply and delivery chain must be taken into consideration. It isn’t always easy to see which businesses are willing to undertake this work. Still, it always begins with actively researching the business’s impact on the environment, directly through its operations and indirectly through its interactions with suppliers and partners.
Businesses feel pressure to embrace their responsibilities as the world becomes more sustainably aware. For some, this is challenging – either due to the industry in which they operate, their culture or the transparency and governance standards in their territories of operation. Although environmental responsibility and action from businesses are required immediately, at the same time, they will need support systems and processes to do this effectively.
Beyond ONE is committed to achieving carbon neutrality, making the whole value chain as environmentally low-impact as possible, and ensuring all our offices and facilities are built and operated sustainably. In addition, we actively support causes that protect our most vulnerable ecosystem.
There are a myriad of initiatives enabling businesses to make a meaningful difference. Balancing economic growth with environmental initiatives will help us all ensure that we remain sustainable in every sense of the word. A world where whatever is taken out is put back is equitable and healthy.
