intelligent

ONCE YOU ’ VE DEFINED YOUR

MEANING OF

ESG , YOUR NEXT STEP IS TO CREATE A ROADMAP THAT DEFINES WHAT

SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE TO YOU . improvements to their carbon footprints – and even turn sustainability into a competitive business advantage .

Navigating SME sustainability challenges

From grassroots initiatives to technology to employee engagement , there are many alternatives to driving ESG . But the first step on an SME ’ s environmental journey is to define what ESG is and what it means to their organisation . Research has found that 48 % of UK SMEs interested in tackling climate change lack information on how to act . Without first understanding ESG , you won ’ t know what resources are needed or the best course to take .

Meanwhile , a study from Singapore found that one of the top challenges reported by SMEs when implementing sustainability projects is balancing ESG with growth targets . Herein lies the fundamental issue ; many businesses currently still see sustainability and performance as two separate agendas . It is in their best interests to instead align the two , as at its core , ESG is about minimising the harmful impact of your business on the environment .

To ensure the needs of key stakeholders align with sustainability , ESG must be framed as a supporting mechanism that can help address problems like cost cutting , resource efficiencies , utility bills and more .

I strongly believe viewing ESG as a key strategic priority for long-term resilience and short-term performance enabler is the key to help inspire buy-in , action and change from businesses , regardless of their size .

Now this has been said , how can you go about achieving this ?

Four steps to turn sustainability into a competitive advantage

Create a roadmap

Once you ’ ve defined your meaning of ESG , your next step is to create a roadmap that defines what success looks like to you . It should encompass a plan that aligns business targets with business performance so that you move from focusing on performance alone to performance with impact .

Science Based Targets ( SBT ) help organisations to decarbonise based on climate science and data . Incorporating the unique challenges SMEs may face , the SBT initiative sets out a specific route for SMEs to start establishing targets . To align internal cultures and attitudes , it ’ s essential to engage your employees in every aspect of this journey .

Embrace digital tools to track and reduce emissions

Tracking emissions is critical to managing and reducing negative environmental impact , but these emissions are often nearly impossible to visualise in analogue . Fortunately , digital tools can help to make the ‘ invisible ’ visible , linking it to your expenses and carbon footprint . Zeigo Activate is one of our solutions which supports SMEs with decarbonisation by digitising the entire process from planning , acting to taking action and tracking progress . SMEs can gain greater insight into their operational functions , the impact of potential improvements on the environment and their bottom line and the areas of the business they can realistically change to reduce emissions . Tools like this can be especially useful for tackling scope 3 emissions , which are the hardest to track and account for around three-quarters of a company ’ s average emissions .

Get the right training

Launching a successful sustainability strategy is risky without the right guidance and a truly data-driven approach . This is the case for two reasons :