The top 5 reasons clients tell us are their key drivers  to develop a Sustainability Strategy:

Part of a supply chain with pressure from customers to provide carbon calculations and report on Scope 3 or lose their business.

To position their company as an ethical and responsible business in response to demand.

To ensure their company is compliant with increasing legislation and on track to achieve Net Zero. 

Values – to do the right thing and make a positive contribution to creating a better world.

To be more competitive and reduce costs through energy efficiency. 

Onboarding

Welcome to the Programme

In this session we welcome you onboard this value-packed Sustainability Strategy training programme. You will meet your course leaders who are qualified experts in sustainability and highly experienced in the real world of business. We will walk you through the content of the six modules and familiarise you with the models, tools and resources that you will be using during the programme so you feel fully prepared.

The Bigger Picture

Week 1

What is your understanding of “sustainability”? We know from our work with clients that perceptions vary hugely. And more importantly, what does it mean for your business? Developing a robust Sustainability Strategy will require you to take a longer term, wider view of your business impact. We will explore the emerging issues already impacting business globally and locally and use real-world examples to help you build a robust business case and understand the costs, risks and opportunities involved.

Sustainable Leadership

Week 2

Good governance is fundamental to running a successful company and it is a key part of the ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) conversation. We will take you beyond this to explore the crucial role that values and culture play in sustainability. We will look at the role of the senior leadership team and the importance of their active buy–in to your Sustainability Strategy, on both a personal and professional level. We will explore the traits of bold leaders and how leveraging the power of values can transform culture. 

Evaluating your Current Position

Week 3

Developing a robust strategy starts with assessing your current position. We use a range of business models, practical tools and how-to guides to help you conduct your strategic review within your business using a sustainability lens. This will help you to validate where you are really on your sustainability roadmap, your impact as a business (both negative and positive), and what external factors you need to consider that have an impact on your business now and in the future. 

Business & Stakeholder Alignment

Week 4

Businesses don’t operate in a void – we all have an impact (positive and/or negative). Your business may be part of supply chain or rely on supplies from business and people across other sectors, groups and communities in order to function and drive success. We will explore in depth who your key stakeholders are and you will use this information to conduct a Materiality Assessment which looks at what is important (material) to your business and to each of your stakeholders.  

The UN SDGs & Value Chain Mapping

Week 5

Using the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) as a framework, we will explore how you can increase your positive impact whilst reducing your negative impact. You will gain a detailed understanding of the UN SDGs and conduct a Value Chain Mapping exercise. Understanding the process of how and when value is added to your Value Chain will form a key part of your Sustainability Strategy. 

Producing your Sustainability Strategy

Week 6

In this session, we will evaluate all the information you have gathered so far, bringing together everything you have learned to conduct a gap analysis using real-world examples. This will clearly identify the actions you need to take to implement your Sustainability Strategy effectively. You will then develop your own Sustainability Strategy Blueprint using a tried and tested template we have created for you to use and adapt for your own business. 

Offboarding

Progress Check & Next Steps

Our offboarding session is to give you an opportunity to regroup with us to share your progress and any challenges that may be getting in the way of implementing your Sustainability Strategy Blueprint and Action Plan. We will explore what steps you need to take next and discuss further your short, medium and long term actions. 

This will depend on the nature and structure of your business but as a guide, we deliver this content on a consultancy basis to senior business leaders and sustainability managers.

This six week practical tutor-led programme has been specifically formulated for businesses that are embarking on their sustainability journey. Throughout this programme, you will: