Rethinking Sustainability:From conserving trees to saving dollars

The sustainable movement is picking up steam as more companies in Asia work to adopt sustainability initiatives. That, in and of itself, is nothing new. What is new; however, are the reasons why companies are embracing sustainability so wholeheartedly.

Kermit the Frog may have been right – it’s not easy being green. The challenge of reducing a company’s impact on the earth is something business leaders have considered for years. Fortunately, running a more environmentally sustainable organisation is possible regardless of your industry. And as more companies are discovering, there are potentially significant business benefits to be gained by those who embrace sustainability as a core part of their business.

The reasons for pursuing sustainability initiatives are varied across Asia. Some companies make decisions based on their owners’ values; others take action due to increasingly strict local and regional environmental regulations governing areas such as emissions and hazardous waste. Still others may make decisions to attract new employees, including socially conscious “millennial generation”workers who may expect a certain level of corporate responsibility.

But today there are more companies whose sustainability decisions are driven not just by the factors mentioned earlier, but by a focus on growing their bottom line. Companies understand top line revenue will grow if they meet customer demand; and operating costs will improve if waste is reduced. Such organisations realize that rising prices on everything from energy to packaging mean even small decreases in usage can translate into big savings for themselves, for their customers, and for the climate.

Manufacturers, too, can use sustainability as a positive differentiator in a competitive market. For example, a company that genuinely focuses in this area may win business from customers whose own sustainability initiatives steer them to environmentally friendly providers.

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