Post by shakhar23 on Feb 27, 2024 14:26:08 GMT 8
I've devoted a significant portion of my columns to discussing the confusing terminology in our field. The fact that the same term is used to refer to such diverse sustainability goals is evidence of the relative youth of our field. Even simple terms like "tool" can mean completely different things. So you can imagine how a more complex term like “product portfolio analysis” can cause dizziness and confusion. It is a melting pot of sustainability options. And now I have another clear example of how the huge range of things grouped under the term “sustainability” itself creates confusion, perceptions and, more importantly, budget shortfalls for sustainable development.
Addressing the Role of the Sustainability Manager
But first, a little role play... Let's say you're a happy health and safety manager with an engineering background and 20 years of experience in a large manufacturing company. Your role is to deal with things that you generally understand and are Saudi Arabia Mobile Number List confident about. What happens when your boss adds the term “sustainability” to your already complex role? Congratulations on being appointed as our new Health, Safety and Sustainability Manager! You'll probably start with things that you understand and that produce quick results, such as light bulbs and recycling programs. Then you'll start to learn more complex things, such as the implications of greater energy management and waste reduction. But here's the rub: There are so many aspects of "sustainability" that perhaps managing energy and reducing waste is NOT the most effective way for your company to achieve ROI. But again, you don't have the time or ability to worry about that right now. All you can really think about is what is traditionally under your control and you have KPIs and budgets that need to be met.
Now try this: you are a young marketing professional who has been with the company for 4 years. You are ambitious and energetic, and have big plans for how you want to impact your company. When you got your MBA, you took a course on sustainable business, which was interesting and exciting. You want to repay the debt. You want to be part of the global community. You want to find a way to impact your company's contribution to the world.
The marketing department is tasked with working on the company's first sustainability report (CSR), and you volunteer for the project. And over the next year, you'll help prepare the company's first report, full of metrics, short-term and long-term goals, and lots of beautiful photos of happy, smiling children and green cornfields blown by an unpolluted breeze. You have truly contributed to the company's sustainability, and the company's stakeholders (especially its shareholders) are happy to know that "sustainability" is on the company's agenda.
Addressing the Role of the Sustainability Manager
But first, a little role play... Let's say you're a happy health and safety manager with an engineering background and 20 years of experience in a large manufacturing company. Your role is to deal with things that you generally understand and are Saudi Arabia Mobile Number List confident about. What happens when your boss adds the term “sustainability” to your already complex role? Congratulations on being appointed as our new Health, Safety and Sustainability Manager! You'll probably start with things that you understand and that produce quick results, such as light bulbs and recycling programs. Then you'll start to learn more complex things, such as the implications of greater energy management and waste reduction. But here's the rub: There are so many aspects of "sustainability" that perhaps managing energy and reducing waste is NOT the most effective way for your company to achieve ROI. But again, you don't have the time or ability to worry about that right now. All you can really think about is what is traditionally under your control and you have KPIs and budgets that need to be met.
Now try this: you are a young marketing professional who has been with the company for 4 years. You are ambitious and energetic, and have big plans for how you want to impact your company. When you got your MBA, you took a course on sustainable business, which was interesting and exciting. You want to repay the debt. You want to be part of the global community. You want to find a way to impact your company's contribution to the world.
The marketing department is tasked with working on the company's first sustainability report (CSR), and you volunteer for the project. And over the next year, you'll help prepare the company's first report, full of metrics, short-term and long-term goals, and lots of beautiful photos of happy, smiling children and green cornfields blown by an unpolluted breeze. You have truly contributed to the company's sustainability, and the company's stakeholders (especially its shareholders) are happy to know that "sustainability" is on the company's agenda.