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Building a Sustainable Future: Sustainability and DEI

admin
June 28, 2023

In today’s rapidly changing world, businesses recognize the importance of sustainability and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. These two pillars are not isolated but interconnected, creating a powerful opportunity for companies to impact society and the environment positively. 

By aligning sustainability and DEI efforts, businesses can foster a more inclusive and equitable world while driving innovation, strengthening their brand reputation, and attracting conscious consumers. Today we will explore the correlation between sustainability and DEI and share practical steps for companies to become more sustainable.

Foster an inclusive company culture:

One of the fundamental steps toward building a sustainable company is fostering an inclusive company culture that values diversity and equality—making sure that DEI is embedded in your organization’s core values and reflected in hiring practices, employee policies, and leadership opportunities. 

 According to an article by Masterclass, fostering an inclusive culture in your company will give your employees greater satisfaction, improve retention, and increase awareness for future employees.

By creating a diverse and inclusive workforce, you can leverage your employees’ collective experiences, perspectives, and ideas, leading to innovation, better decision-making, and increased employee satisfaction.

Conduct a sustainability audit:

According to an article by Thompson Reuters, an audit allows companies to identify where improvement is needed in their strategies and compare them to others in the industry. 

A comprehensive sustainability audit is crucial to identify areas where your company can reduce environmental impact. Assess your energy consumption, waste generation, and supply chain practices. Identify opportunities to reduce carbon emissions, implement energy-efficient technologies, and adopt sustainable procurement practices. 

Consider partnering with third-party organizations specializing in sustainability audits to gain expert insights and recommendations tailored to your industry.

Set measurable sustainability goals:

Establishing clear and measurable sustainability and inclusive goals is essential for tracking progress and holding your company accountable. These sustainability goals include reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing energy efficiency, minimizing waste, and promoting sustainable sourcing and manufacturing practices. 

Your sustainability goals need to be SMART: Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based. According to an article by Exponent, making your goals SMART can help companies focus on their targets and work towards meeting them. Make sure your goals are ambitious yet achievable, and communicate them transparently to stakeholders, employees, and customers.

Empower employees:

Employees play a vital role in driving sustainability and DEI initiatives within a company. Encourage and empower your workforce to embrace practices of sustainability and inclusion at work and in their personal lives. 

Offer training and education programs to raise awareness and provide resources to help employees make more conscious choices. Establish internal sustainability committees or employee resource groups to foster collaboration and generate new ideas for sustainable initiatives.

Collaborate with suppliers and partners:

Extend your sustainability efforts beyond your organization by collaborating with suppliers and partners to maximize your impact. Engage with your supply chain to promote sustainable sourcing practices, encourage the use of renewable energy, and reduce waste generation. Consider partnerships with organizations that align with your sustainability goals, leveraging their expertise and resources to drive collective change.

Communicate and engage with stakeholders:

Effective communication is key to showcasing your company’s sustainability and DEI efforts. Share your progress, achievements, and challenges transparently with customers, investors, employees, and the broader community. 

Leverage various communication channels such as social media, blogs, and sustainability reports to engage with your audience, raise awareness about your initiatives, and inspire others to take action.

Becoming a more sustainable company requires a holistic approach encompassing sustainability and DEI efforts. By integrating these two pillars, businesses can positively impact the environment and society while fostering innovation and building a resilient and inclusive culture. 

Embracing sustainability and DEI makes good business sense and aligns with the growing expectations of conscious consumers. Start your journey towards a more sustainable future today, and be a catalyst for change in your industry.

Blog

Beating Stereotypes: Diversity and Inclusion for the NOW Gen

admin
June 8, 2022

There is a lot of talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion going on globally. This isn’t about fitting the global trend to our companies but joining the NOW generation in this matter. 

In previous blog posts, we have addressed this global issue, and it continues to be an essential topic for the NOW generation. NOW Gen brands are in the middle of this conversation and are focusing on making a real change.

“NOW Gen brands have a unique opportunity to change history with respect to diversity, equity, inclusion, systemic discrimination and racism, just like they are changing history by moving us into the digital age, but without DEI transformation, digital transformation won’t be any transformation at all.” 

In a recent SXSW panel titled “Beyond Black Stereotypes: Redefining Black Fatherhood,” Kendricks Thacker shared some insights about what needs to be done to incorporate better DEI practices. He said that brands couldn’t just start talking when convenient, especially when they wade into topics they never previously championed. 

“Don’t say nothing, if you haven’t said anything before,” Thacker said. “In those cases, the best a brand can do is listen, and donate their platforms to voices that understand the issues.” 

As Thacker mentioned in this panel, to overcome the stereotypes of adapting DEI practices incorrectly, we must first learn to listen to those in the middle of the issue and understand their movements. We must not act before we think because DEI is not a vane issue and its impact on our society goes beyond participating as a brand or not.

With change comes trial and error; it will be utopic to believe that just making one change will forever change the global conversation. However, making this kind of amendment will often make us face errors. For example, DE&I has been one of the main focuses for many global companies for a while now. And although inclusion is vital to this global change, the mistake we are making is stereotyping that inclusivity. So from being stereotypical in the ways we present our DEI to making inclusion a stereotype. 

In the case of DEI, stereotypes are fogging our judgment and blinding our inclusion. We are so used to boxing people according to their race, gender, religion, and even their jobs that we see individuals as groups of people. Stereotypes have been known to humans for a long time now, and much work has been done to eradicate them in society, but the truth is that stereotyping is more natural to our minds than we can imagine. We could blame heuristics for this, but the truth is we can all do better. 

Heuristics, where stereotyping begins, are useful mental shortcuts that help us navigate life. These rule-of-thumb strategies help us shorten decision-making time and allow us to function without constantly wondering what needs to happen next. Overall, heuristics is a fantastic tool called “common sense,” but the downside is that it can lead to inaccurate judgments or biases, like stereotypes.

Theoretically, we should replace stereotypes with actual knowledge. Realistically, stereotypes are seldom challenged unless something creates a reason to change them. But this current DEI issue is a practical reason to make an effort to break from assumptions and demolish stereotypes. As Now gen brands encounter these roadblocks, they must stick to their DEI efforts and strive to make changes happen. 

“The past year has shed light on what many people already knew: Much of the onus (obligations) of diversity, equity and inclusion was on the appointed DE&I leader, who historically often worked in isolation to carry out these objectives.”

In short, as companies, we must find ways to set objectives to beat stereotypes and be more inclusive. Still, we must learn to hear those affected by the situation and work together to impact how they are perceived in society positively. In the eyes of The NOW Generation, being inclusive speaks volumes, and as the saying goes: actions say more than words.