how to implement meaningful sustainability
TRANSCRIPT
Realistic & Meaningful:On-Farm Sustainability
CAFA Workshop | Guelph, Ontario | May 2016
“Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs.”Gro Harlem Brundtland
Prime Minister, Norway (1981, 86-89, 90-96)World Commission on Environment & Development (1983-87)
Director-General, World Health Organization (1998-2003)
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“We live today in an age of sustainababble, a cacophonous
profusion of uses of the word sustainable to mean anything from
environmentally better to cool.”
Robert EngelmanWorld Resources Institute
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Sustainability may be defined as a values-laden umbrella concept
about the way in which the interface between environment & society
(including its institutions & individual members) is managed to ensure that human needs are
met without destroying the life supporting ecosystems on which we depend.
Wayne VisserThe Age of Responsibility
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Animal Welfare
Anti-corruptionCommunity Involvement & Philanthropy
Consumer Health, Safety, Privacy, or Support
Education or CultureEmployee Ethics
Employment Creation
Fair competition
Stakeho lder Dia logue Capacity-Building
Pollution Prevention
Clean Technology
Climate Change
Fair Taxation
Gender
Diversity & Non-discrimination
Sustainable Resource Use
Human Rights & Security
Intellectual Property & Access to Technology
Sustainabili ty Reporting
EnvironmentGovernance & Risk
Public Health
Fair Supplier Relations
Social En te rp r ise
Fair Marketing
Labour Practices
Political InvolvementSocial Di al og u e
Respons ible Inve stment
Social Development
Human DevelopmentWork Health & Safety
(Economic Inequality)
“Sustainability”
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Sustainability=
Systems Thinking
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Used with Permission
“Systems-level”
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The 7 Drivers for (Voluntary) Sustainability
1. Reduce Costs2. Conserve Resources3. Attract, Retain & Motivate Talent4. Satisfy Customer Needs5. Develop New Business Opportunities6. Attract Capital & Social Investment7. Legal Compliance & Legal Action/Activism
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Sustainability Plan 101
Set a Vision
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Building Sustainable Strategy
Used with Permission: www.the naturalstep.org
Evolve ProfitabilityExecute Process
Engage Stakeholders
1. Evaluate Vision
2. Materiality Analysis /
Benchmarking
3. Develop Targets / Actions
4. Implement Changes
5. Measure Performance
6. Evaluate Outcomes
1. Vision
1. Evaluate Vision2. Materiality Analysis &
Benchmarking
3. Develop Targets
4. Implement Changes
5. Measure Performance
6. Evaluate Outcome
Used with Permission: www.the naturalstep.org
2. Materiality Analysis & Benchmarking• Materiality: What is relevant to your vision?• Benchmark: What can I realistically measure?• Have I considered all perspectives of my business (social, economic,
environmental)?• “On my farm, what wouldn’t I talk to a consumer about?”
1. Evaluate Vision2. Materiality Analysis &
Benchmarking
3. Develop Targets
4. Implement Changes
5. Measure Performance
6. Evaluate Outcome
3. Develop Targets & Actions
• Define goal with no unclear language• Who is involved? What is being accomplished? Where is ti being done? Why am I doing this?
Which resources do I need?
Specific
• Can I track progress and measure outcome?• How will I know I reach my goal?
Measurable
• Is it reasonably likely to be accomplished?
Attainable/Achievable
• Does it contribute to my Vision?
Relevant
• Does it have a time limit?
Timely
1. Evaluate Vision2. Materiality Analysis &
Benchmarking
3. Develop Targets
4. Implement Changes
5. Measure Performance
6. Evaluate Outcome
4. Implement Changes
“… Cultural change is what you get after you’ve put new
processes or structures in place
to tackle tough business
challenges like reworking an
outdated strategy or business
model.
The culture evolves as you do that important work.” Lorsch & McTague,Culture is Not the Culprit, HBR April 2016
1. Evaluate Vision2. Materiality Analysis &
Benchmarking
3. Develop Targets
4. Determine Actions Needed
5. Determine 3Rs
6. Implement Changes
7. Measure Performance
8. Evaluate Outcome 9. Report
Don’t expect it to be natural or easy!
4. Implement Changes (cont’d)• Ask these questions of your day-to-day operations:
1. Is this action moving you toward or away from your sustainability vision?
2. Is this action allow you to be flexible in advancing your sustainability vision?
3. Will this action offer an adequate Return on Investment (economic, social, or environmental)?
1. Evaluate Vision2. Materiality Analysis &
Benchmarking
3. Develop Targets
4. Implement Changes
5. Measure Performance
6. Evaluate Outcome
5. Measure Performance
1. Evaluate Vision2. Materiality Analysis &
Benchmarking
3. Develop Targets
4. Implement Changes
5. Measure Performance
6. Evaluate Outcome
6. Evaluate Outcomes• How did the change affect your management system?• How did your ROI (Return on Investment) change and why?
– Process improvement– Lower input costs– More productive labour
• How did your SROI (Social Return on Investment) change and why?– Higher quality resources– Decreased risk due to severe storms– Stronger community relations improves client relations and sales
(SROI is an outcomes approach that puts monetary value on social and environmental benefits (“intangibles”) relative to a given amount of investment. For example, one might have a ration of $4 of value created for every $1 spent)
1. Evaluate Vision2. Materiality Analysis &
Benchmarking
3. Develop Targets
4. Implement Changes
5. Measure Performance
6. Evaluate Outcome
1. Re-evaluate Vision
1. Evaluate Vision2. Materiality Analysis &
Benchmarking
3. Develop Targets
4. Implement Changes
5. Measure Performance
6. Evaluate Outcome
1. Materiality: What is relevant to your vision?
2. Benchmark: What can I realistically measure?
3. Have I considered all perspectives of my business (social, economic, environmental)?
4. “On my farm, what wouldn’t I talk to a consumer about?”
