Did you catch the latest research on sustainability and business from 02 and The Future Laboratory?  It’s called “Harnessing Change: Preparing for Business in the Next Decade” – you can take a look here.

 The Independent wrote about it over the weekend so I was keen to take a look for myself.  It certainly makes a number of interesting points but, I’m sorry to say, also contains the dreaded ‘fluff’.

According to the findings, almost half of UK businesses plan to invest up to 50 per cent more to make their organisations more sustainable over the next decade.  Fantastic, yes?  Well, it definitely sounds impressive.  But what exactly are they aiming to achieve with this extra investment?  How much more is ‘more sustainable’?  Are we talking a little bit more – or a whole lot more?  It is all too easy for an organisation to make a commitment to be more sustainable, but without quantifying the improvement to be made it is, in my view, an empty promise.  Kind of ironic given that the report author says this is precisely what will come under fire from legislators and consumers in the future!  I want to see facts and figures – a commitment to reducing carbon emissions by X per cent.  Something tangible.

I think the report falls down by not asking respondents more specifically about their sustainability targets over the next ten years.  However, what it does do (and rather well) is set out what it calls a ‘sustainable path to profit’.  This makes a lot of sense to me and resonates with what we as a business are already doing and seeing results from.

1).        Investment in innovation

I couldn’t agree more.  At InterfaceFLOR sustainable innovation has led to our two best-selling products.  These account for 11 per cent and 14 per cent of our European sales respectively.

2).        Driving internal advocacy to think long-term

Absolutely!  The progress we have made to date just wouldn’t have been possible without the right training programmes and the right culture of sustainability.  We have created a culture of contagious optimism, where everyone across all functions of the business contributes to sustainability and achieving our long-term Mission Zero goal.

3).        Investment in new technology

Yes!  New technology is the key to disrupting and entering new markets, creating new business opportunities.  In the case of InterfaceFLOR, technology innovations such as our Cool Green machine  – which enables us to recycle waste from the manufacturing process back in to our products – have helped us improve the sustainability of our products.

4).        Forging stronger ties with local communities

I concur that collaboration with third parties will generate new solutions to sustainability.  But not just with the general public as identified in the report – also with customers, suppliers, entrepreneurs, innovators, universities, etc.  Let’s face it, not all the smartest guys on the planet work for you so it’s important to spread your net.

5).        Lobbying for more rules and guidance from government

In my view, any business genuinely committed to sustainability will be lobbying in the future (hopefully more than the 30 per cent of survey respondents who say they intend to do so!).  Take a look at InterfaceFLOR’s own lobbying efforts here http://tiny.cc/zocx7

With increasing transparency, hiding behind NGOs (which 20 per cent of businesses say they will set up) just won’t be an option.

So, those are my thoughts.  What do you think?  Have you started down the sustainable path to profit – and what has your experience been?