SAAC | Sustainability As A Concept: Recent Episodes
SAAC
Sustainable living is a lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual's or society's use of the earth's natural resources and personal resources. Practitioners of sustainable living often attempt to reduce their carbon footprint by altering methods of transportation, energy consumption, and diet. In this episode we speak to Simone Andersson, the CCO at WEE Center. The WEEE Centre is a limited liability company that safely manages electronic waste (e-waste) for a safe environment. We are ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001;2015 Certified adhering to the highest international standards in quality and environment.
Profit is a great motivator for getting into business You can earn more money and boost your bottom line by making your business more sustainable but running a business that is 100% profit-driven is just not sustainable. A sustainable business gets to enjoy reduced business costs, more innovative strategies, an improved reputation, and more new customers who value sustainability all work to increase the amount of money sustainable businesses earn.
In this episode, we talk to Grace Wachori of B-Lab. B-Lab's mission is to redefine business success to include a positive impact on people and the planet; and not just for profit. Our network creates standards and tools for business, advocates for policy change, and certifies companies – known as B Corps– who are leading the way.
Let's face it, business can be rough. But the good news is that you don't have to make it rough on others. Promoting responsible business is a way to operate in an ethical manner that aids your company and its customers. So before you make another decision at work, ask yourself this: what would a responsible business owner do?
If you're concerned with developing a responsible business, consider the questions and suggestions provided in this article. From building your business on ethical principles to discovering what sort of social impact you can have, there's plenty you can do. However, it all starts with recognizing the very definition of a "responsible" business.
What this means is that businesses must not just think about themselves anymore. They need to start thinking about the environmental, social and ethical impact they have, and how they can use their products or services to improve the world in general.
when companies benefit from a problem that is evident, do they then have the right motivation to offer sustainable solutions? One such example is the Carbon market where carbon offsets are a hot commodity. One that doesn't lack its own negative aspects. The most obvious negative aspect of a carbon offset credit is that it does not represent an actual reduction of carbon emissions by the individual or business. Organizations and individuals are still producing carbon emissions, but those emissions are merely offset by investment elsewhere.
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Recently, businesses worldwide have started placing a greater emphasis on sustainability. Companies have all kinds of motivations for these investments. Thirty-three percent of companies are prioritizing sustainability to reduce costs and improve operational efficiency. Others invest in corporate citizenship best practices for a short-lived media boost. As businesses continue taking steps to be more sustainable, the term "corporate sustainability" is thrown around a lot. Some even confuse corporate sustainability with other terms like "corporate social responsibility" (CSR). Read on to learn how to recognize corporate sustainability from CSR. You'll also find some practical advice on how you can implement both initiatives in your company.
Sustainability reporting helps make organizations’ decision-making processes more efficient and, in turn, enables them to reduce risk across their supply chain. This process reduces waste, yielding significant cost savings. Sustainability reporting ensures organizations consider their impacts on sustainability issues and enables them to be transparent about the risks and opportunities they face.
The SDGs have the potential to make a major global impact across all sectors within society, from energy and the environment, to poverty alleviation, healthcare, education and access to quality resources. None of this will be achieved without the cooperation of businesses, governments, civil society organizations and individuals. It is imperative that businesses do their part to develop promising partnerships with these stakeholders as we work toward meeting the ambitious targets set by the UN for 2030. Together we must stand firm in our efforts to achieve sustainable development for people and planet.
The SDGs were developed with the aim of building on the eight MDGs, which were not fully satisfactory in relation to socio-economic development. In sum, they seek to advance well-being for all and build a sustainable future.
It is easier than ever for you to make a difference. Finding partners for the SDGs is only the first step in your journey. Make sure to keep your partnership alive and growing strong! Remember all the steps of partnering: 1) Assess your goals, 2) Find allies, 3) Work towards solutions, and 4) Measure and track results together. Also be sure to connect with other organizations that are working in your space using our "Join Forces" option. We can't wait to see you succeed!
Sustainability conversations have to go beyond boardrooms and conference centers. It is paramount that we simplify 'the speak' that was evidently designed for high-level individuals into biteable, practical concepts that can easily be understood and with practical approaches that can be applied in our day to day conversations and undertakings.
In the entrepreneurial ecosystem, ACADEMIA, though largely theoretical, is the one pillar that can help chew down the information and dissipate it to the everyday person in a way that is both practical and realistic. With this in mind, this 2nd episode is a conversation with an educator that knows this all too well. Enjoy this episode with Dr. Mumbi Wachira.
For the longest time, sustainability as a concept was viewed as a series of 'nice to dos' as a business & a lot of corporates/ SMEs alike thought of it as donations they can make as a way to control the way the public perceived them. In this episode, we demystify why sustainability goes beyond donations given out by companies. To get started, we need to ask ourselves, what is sustainability? Sustainability means meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In addition to natural resources, we also need social and economic resources. Sustainability is not just environmental- ism. Sustainability has three main pillars: economic, environmental, and social. These three pillars are informally referred to as people, planet, and profits. We feature Judy Njino, executive director UN Global Compact Network - Kenya in this episode. Enjoy and remember to subscribe.