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How a Sustainability Professional can add value to your business

Written by Edward Foord

Business value does not rely solely on physical assets. It weighs heavily upon anything that determines the health of the business for the long term. This includes intangible assets such as health, safety, environment, performance and certification that ensures adherence to these areas.  These intangible assets can lower impact, costs and create a workplace of more engaged employees who are returning home to their families each day.   Considering this, it makes sense to dedicate time and resources to maintaining Environment and OHS certification in Australia.

This is easier said than done. Implementing HSEQ systems takes dedication, know-how, structure and can also be stressful. Certifying your business will generate more sales and increase its value. Why not consider a sustainability professional?

Sustainability incorporates quality, safety and environmental management systems with the focus of a business having a limited impact on social, economic, and ecological aspects of the community and the world. Here are some of the benefits your business can experience by engaging a sustainability professional.

Improved safety culture

When you hire a sustainability professional, also known as a safety consultant if you’re purely focusing on safety, you are on the road to improving the safety culture in your business. A sustainability consultant will dedicate themselves to helping your business reduce the impact poor safety practices have on the business including training, auditing, review of procedures and recommendations.

Where one employee may have been given the responsibility for safety on top of their current role, a sustainability professional will be 100% dedicated to the job.

Gain accreditation

A HSEQ accreditation can help you win more contracts but getting the certification is hard. How do you split your time? That’s where a sustainability professional can help you gain your accreditation quickly and with less impact on your role.

Save money

A sustainability expert will help you significantly reduce costs like water and non-renewable energy by cutting down on your usage. They can also help you increase the amount of renewable energy that’s delivered into your business, a smart option for large manufacturing companies. In addition, consultants can help ensure that your business has minimal impact on the environment and they can ensure safety management systems are in place to reduce the incidence of lost time injuries. They can help increase morale and productivity and increase turnover.

Hiring a sustainability expert lets you save on a full-time salary, benefits, leave and so on. You pay for what you need.

Become a trusted brand

Being a socially responsible business can do wonders for your reputation.  It’s essential to demonstrate that your business not only understands the importance of HSEQ but that it responds to regulatory requirements, consumer demands around the environment and sustainability.

Hiring a sustainability consultant shows leadership and emphasises your commitment to making a positive contribution to society and the environment. When you build trust with stakeholders, you’ll discover that more people are more willing to work with your business, particularly those organisations who have already achieved certifications.

Increase staff morale

Negative moods, poor work performance, poor work quality, broken lines of communication – they’re all signs of low staff morale. With the assistance of a sustainability consultant, it is possible to improve morale. From identifying a lack of clarity surrounding expectations and increased workload due to lost time injuries to lack of training and support a sustainability consultant can assist management in identifying and implementing strategies for improvement.

Eliminate business waste

With the introduction of multi-disciplinary sustainability consultants, your business can significantly eliminate business waste using the lean thinking approach. A consultant will delve into the actions or processes that take place within your business to determine those that do not add any value to your customer.  It’s all about starting with the end customer in mind. Whether you’re a commercial solar company seeking to improve solar installer efficiency or a manufacturing facility looking to address regular periods of idleness, a sustainability consultant can assist.

If you want to grow your business quickly, safely, and with environmental impact in mind, a reputable sustainability professional is an excellent investment. They’ll set up your business for future success by putting the right frameworks in place that can be repeated and reviewed as necessary.

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About the author

Edward Foord

Edward Foord is a Sustainability Strategist at Brisbane’s You3. He has 14 years of national and international experience with large and small businesses.