A culture of sustainability or do we aim to solve one problem at a time?

Wisdom is avoiding situations where we will need it

With this article, it is argued that what we need in our world today, and to progress towards a green recovery, is to create a culture of sustainability. Where the majority of businesses globally are aware of their most important impacts on the environment, economy and society and take action to minimise their negative and increase their positive impacts. A culture of sustainability will help create the wisdom we need to avoid situations where we will need it.

We are now collectively taking action to reduce the most negative impacts of climate change. Burning fires and CO2s was not an issue for thousands of years because there were so few of us on Earth. These impacts were absorbed by the Earth’s systems.

In today’s world, with a population of over 7 billion, there are more people on Earth than what there has been collectively over at least many hundreds of years. There are so many of us that we no longer can afford to conduct business as usual. We need to create a culture of sustainability and conduct business in clever, sustainable ways: where the majority of companies have an all-round view of their impacts and take action to reduce negative and increase positive outcomes.

With a culture of sustainability businesses will:

✓ understand the benefits of clearing their supply chains of all bad environmental and social practices
✓ know how they contribute to the societies and economies they rely on for growth and profit and share important information with stakeholders that are key for their success.

How do I increase positive change?

The beauty of the GRI Standards is that businesses or organisations of any size can use any individual GRI Standard to measure, manage and change.

Because it is not necessary to produce a full sustainability report they can focus on what matters with a simplified GRI referenced report that is not a burden on valuable time and resources.

However, beyond positive change achieved by each company individually, progressing to a culture of sustainability is of paramount importance.

It is, therefore, the duty of every person and every business or organisation to identify ways they can use any leverage they have to increase positive change.

Pursuing the multiplying effect to establish a culture of sustainability must be the number one most important (material) issue in our complicated, busy world and achieve a green recovery. Everyone can play a part in helping create the wisdom we need to avoid situations where we will need it.

FBRH Sustainability Assurance Standards (for GRI reports)

The FBRH Sustainability Assurance Standards (for GRI reports) have been created as a simplified and meaningful tool to increase the quality of reports and promote a culture of sustainability:

✓ It is the only Sustainability Assurance Standard designed specifically for GRI Standards reports.
✓ Only expert FBRH Assurers who have passed the GRI exam provide assurance services.
✓ Different types of assurance focus on specific GRI Standards that can promote positive change. Whilst these Standards are not a panacea, they provide organisations and stakeholders with a good overall picture and identify areas for improvement.

• • GRI supplier environmental and social assessment standards (GRI 308 & GRI 414) will help companies begin the process of clearing their supply chains of bad practices.
  • Use of GRI 201-1 Direct economic value generated and distributed (EVG&D). Information on the creation and distribution of economic value provides a basic indication of how an organisation has created wealth for stakeholders.

Small and medium-size enterprises represent 90% of global economic activity

The FBRH Sustainability Assurance Standards (for GRI reports) have been designed to increase the pace of change and the number of companies affecting positive change on the environment, economy and society.

With the world’s population projected to reach 10 billion by 2050, a culture of sustainability is needed so we can continually address the many current and future challenges. 

Key facts about FBRH UK

• Founded in 2001.
• Experts in GRI Standards Reporting and Certified Training:
• United Kingdom Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Certified Training Partner.
• Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP) Training Partner.
• Trained and/or provided services to some of the biggest companies in the world.
• Provider of the only GRI Standards Certified Course recognised by ISEP.
  more…

Key facts about the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)

• No 1 Pioneer of sustainability reporting (since 1997).
• Three hundred- and sixty-degrees sustainability action. With the GRI Standards companies and organisations can address all their important impacts, no matter what they are. The GRI Standards are a flexible, all-round, methodical approach used by some of the world’s most successful companies to take action on Environmental, Economic and Social impacts.
• Globally, only the GRI Standards provide a complete set of standards that uniquely addresses all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
  Sustainability reporters worldwide do not need to use any other sustainability framework for their report.
• 80% of the world’s largest 250 companies use the GRI Standards for sustainability reporting.
• GRI: Recommended by the UN Global Compact. Under the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2010, the UN Global Compact adopts the GRI Standards as the recommended sustainability reporting framework for companies to communicate on progress made.

78% of the world’s 250 largest companies report in accordance with the GRI Standards

SustainCase was primarily created to demonstrate, through case studies, the importance of dealing with a company’s most important impacts in a structured way, with use of the GRI Standards. To show how today’s best-run companies are achieving economic, social and environmental success – and how you can too.

Research by well-recognised institutions is clearly proving that responsible companies can look to the future with optimism.

7 GRI sustainability disclosures get you started

Any size business can start taking sustainability action

GRI, ISEP, CPD Certified Sustainability courses (2-5 days): Live Online or Classroom  (venue: London School of Economics)

• Exclusive FBRH template to begin reporting from day one
• Identify your most important impacts on the Environment, Economy and People
• Formulate in group exercises your plan for action. Begin taking solid, focused, all-round sustainability action ASAP. 
• Benchmarking methodology to set you on a path of continuous improvement

See upcoming training dates.