There is no denying that corporate sustainability has undergone a significant shift in recent decades. Today, virtually all of the world’s largest companies issue a sustainability report and at least one-fifth of these organisations, including Procter & Gamble, Saudi Aramco, Amazon, Toyota, HP and BNP Paribas, have proclaimed their intention to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
It’s a commitment that employees and customers have come to expect in the face of an ever-growing urgency around climate change. It’s also one that can add significant financial value by helping companies tap into new markets, reduce operating costs, ease regulatory pressures and improve employee satisfaction and productivity, according to a report by McKinsey & Co.
This potential for gain and growth has more and more organisations investing in ESG initiatives that will ensure sustainability remains a core part of how they do business.
In turn, this is influencing the role of sustainability in projects – taking it from a piecemeal effort in many organisations to an essential part of the process that must be thought about along the same lines as budget, scope and schedule.
As a result, this represents the potential for a significant shift in the way projects are run – and the responsibilities of project leadership. If this shift is not managed correctly, it can impact the success of your sustainability efforts.
These tips will help keep your project on track:
Ensure executive expectations and employee realities are aligned
A recent survey by Accenture suggests that while many leaders are confident that their company is on track to operate more sustainably, that sentiment is not necessarily echoed by employees.
The survey found that 68 percent of executives felt they have developed a robust sustainability plan, but 21 percent of employees felt the plan went beyond the superficial. At the same time, 69 percent of executives say they track and monitor progress against measurable sustainability goals, and only 34 percent of employees felt these goals were realistic.
The survey points to a significant gap between the strategy and execution of sustainable processes that must be overcome in many organisations to ensure sustainability becomes a core part of the organisational DNA. To get a better sense of those gaps, many organisations are conducting employee surveys to identify internal strengths and weaknesses.
Be transparent with project teams about what’s going well, and what’s not
Communication has always played a key role in the successful outcome of a project, but as organisations work to make sustainability a core part of their process, it becomes even more essential.
Your ESG communications strategy should include regularly communicating to internal audiences about your projects and their impact.
Organisations must be willing to be transparent about what is working, and what is not. That is how they will build trust. At the same time, there needs to be an opportunity for all team members to provide feedback and raise concerns when it comes to the status of these projects and their impact.
Give project teams the tools and resources they need to succeed
When businesses and organisations implement ESG initiatives, it can represent a significant mindset shift for project professionals. As a result, organisations need to improve the support and tools around ESG.
From there, the organisation should educate project leaders and project teams about standards and policies that will help to drive ESG. We also recommend project managers spend time learning about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), reading their organisation’s sustainability report and learning more about the key environmental issues that impact their industry.