Understanding Sustainable Business Practices for Small Businesses
Explore the importance of sustainability for small businesses and why start-ups should go green. Learn about concepts like the Triple Bottom Line (TBL), which encompasses people, planet, and profit. Discover ways to integrate sustainable practices in your business, meet stakeholders' needs, and make a positive impact on society. Consider the challenges and measures required to ensure your company's actions benefit everyone involved.
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SUSTAINABILITY FOR SMALL BUSINESSES Why Your Start-up Should Go Green
Introductions NAME COMPANY WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO LEARN TODAY?
Explain concepts and ideas for sustainable business practices Explain Increase Increase Your Learning Objectives Introduce you to awards, recognitions and certifications available Introduce Commit Commit to one action
What is a Triple Bottom Line (TBL)? PEOPLE PLANET PROFIT
John Elkington described it as " It's a bottom line that continues to measure profits, but also measures the organization's impact on people and on the planet. The triple bottom line is a way of expressing a company's impact and sustainability on both a local and a global scale. Background Companies are responsible first and foremost to all their stakeholders, and these include everyone that is involved with the company whether directly or indirectly, as well as the planet we're all living on. This approach sees shareholders only as part of the stakeholder group, not all of it.
Question Can you simultaneously meet the needs of your investors and impress your grandchildren? What does that mean to you?
What is the impact your companys actions have on all the people involved in the system? Is everyone's well-being is taken into consideration? Do you offer health care, good working hours, a healthy, safe place to work, opportunities for advancement and/or education? Can you say you do not exploit your labor force (by using child labor or offering sweatshop wages)? In some cases, the "people" bottom line can also include the community where the company does business. People ** This will be covered in the June 2nd The Social Pillar Workshop!
Are you taking action to reduce or eliminate your ecological footprint? Do you strive for sustainability, recognizing the fact that "going green" may be more profitable in the long run? Does your company look at the entire life cycle of your actions and try to determine the true cost of what you re doing in regard to the environment? Do you reduce your energy usage, dispose of any toxic waste in a safe way, try to use renewable energy sources? Do you avoid producing products that are unsafe or unhealthy for people and the planet. Planet ** This will be covered in the April 8thand May 14thEnvironmental Pillar Workshops!
When looking at profit from a triple bottom line standpoint, the idea is that profits will help empower and sustain the community as a whole, and not just flow to the CEO and shareholders. Profit ** This will be covered in the July 16th Good Governance & Sustainable Investing Workshop!
Ideas Thinking of these examples, what ideas do you have for your company? Take a moment and share them with your partner.
Hiring and retaining talent. Why a TBL? Attract Investors. Employees are looking for meaning in their work. Consumers are looking for ethical and sustainable companies
Imagine going to work every day for a company that you are truly excited about, and proud to be a part of, and having a staff of employees who feel the same.
Sure, you pay them well, but that isnt the only reason they love working there. They believe in the mission of the company and want to be part of the success.
Everyone is proud to be a part of this company because you re honorable.
You stand out from the typical "cut-throat" business world by the way you treat suppliers, your commitment to environmental sustainability, your ethical investments, and your desire to empower and promote your team members instead of dragging them down. There is a constant air of excitement and possibility at the office, and you love coming to work each day.
Sounds pretty amazing, right? Well, a company like this isn't just a fantasy anymore. And one approach to building a company like this, and monitoring what it does, is to use "the triple bottom line."
Key Points The Triple Bottom Line is a way of measuring an organization's impact on people and the environment as well as its finances. Some companies find that using it to monitor more than just the financial line helps them improve the way that they treat people both within and outside the organization and reduce their adverse impact on the environment.
Examples of TBL Companies Method Method Home is a company that makes cleaning products using non-toxic ingredients. The company also uses recycled plastic to make its product containers and some portion of it comes from trash plastic collected from oceans. One of its dish and hand soap bottles is made entirely from ocean plastic, the company says. Three solar tracking trees are utilized in the parking lot and the company has its own 230-foot wind turbine. Method Home is a certified B corporation and makes cruelty-free products, meaning no animal testing is ever conducted.
Examples of TBL Companies Patagonia Patagonia does not use any chemicals in their production processes and often use recycled, organic, or environmentally sound materials. They are proving that outdoor equipment and clothing can be made for all types of environment without causing any harm to the environment. Patagonia is also a vocal (and financial) advocate for environmental initiatives (sustain farming, water conservation, etc.).
DHL By their very nature, shipping companies are large consumers of oil and gasoline.After all, those packages don t move themselves. DHL is taking shipping back-to- the-basics, enacting a revolutionary delivery program to illustrate that shipping can be more efficient. How?They now use couriers on bicycles in many European countries, including Germany and the Netherlands. DHL estimates that this change alone will reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by 152 metric tons per year. Examples of TBL Companies
Certification, Recognition, or Verification B-Corps Sustainable Business Program Sustainable Business Coalition Green Business Partnerships Green Business Network Energy Star ** This will be covered in the September 9thSeeking Validation Workshop!
One Idea Think about one idea you want to implement in your business and be prepared to share it after our speakers!
Panel Michelle McMullen, Owner/Founder Love & Pups Reduce your carbon pawprint https://www.facebook.com/loveandpups22/?ref=py_c Chelsea Mullen, Owner/founder, Sunshine State Goods https://sunshinestategoods.com/pages/about-us Gerry Rammelkamp, Mikel s Salon https://mikel.us/
April 8 PLANET -Understanding Your Carbon Footprint May 14 PLANET -Reducing Waste Reduce, Re-Use, Recycle Right! June 2 PEOPLE -Creating Your Culture and Building the Team July 16 PROFIT -ESG for Start-ups and Small Businesses Next Workshops August 12 Why How You Tell Your Story Matters September 9 A Look At Various Green Business Certifications September 30 The Green Economy and Social Entrepreneurship - How To Get Involved
1 2 3 4 Explain Increase Introduce Commit Explain concepts and ideas for sustainable business practices Increase Your Learning Introduce you to awards, recognitions and certifications available Commit to one action Objectives
Thank You Sherri Sutton Positive Impact Force sherri@positiveimpactforce.com www.positiveimpactforce.com
