Creating a Forward-Looking Sustainability Policy
You care about the environment and want your business to do its part. But you may not be sure where to begin. A good first step is to create a sustainability policy, a statement that outlines your business' commitment to sustainability, your goals, and a plan to achieve them. But if you haven’t done this before, you may wonder: How do you write a sustainability policy?
In this blog, we’ll explore what should be included in your environmental policy template and what factors to consider when implementing the plan for your business.
Why Should You Have a Sustainability Policy?
Here are a few reasons why your business should have a plan and how a sustainability policy template can help:
- Customer preferences are evolving. Your customers are actively seeking out environmentally and socially responsible products and services. By adopting a sustainability policy, you cater to this market segment, build brand loyalty, and improve your reputation. This, in turn, can lead to increased sales and profitability.
- Start saving on energy usage. When you implement energy-efficient practices, reduce energy waste, and optimize how you use your resources, you can reduce your operating costs and build your competitive advantage.
- Attract top talent. Team players who care about their environmental impact are looking for opportunities to reduce the harm done to the Earth—even in their working lives. Demonstrating your proactive approach to sustainability helps you attract like-minded team members.
What’s Included In a Sustainability Policy?
Use the prompts below as a sustainability policy template to help you create an actionable plan in just minutes.
- Clarify your mission: Clearly define your operation, mission, and how you do business at a high level. With this information established, you’ll be able to build your policy on a sound foundation.
- Define your sustainability targets: Explain how your company’s activities have an impact on the environment, and what you can do to reduce that impact. A popular target is energy usage reduction through better energy efficiency, which lowers your business’s overall carbon footprint and even improves your bottom line.
You can also work on reducing your use of toxic materials and exceeding regulation requirements.
- List the first steps of an actionable plan: Based on the goals you set, write out actionable steps that your business can take to start its sustainability program.
For example, if the goal is improved energy efficiency, you could focus on implementing energy monitoring technology that can track where you’re wasting energy or upgrading your equipment to more efficient models.
- Put it into action: Once you have your formal plan together, it’s time to put your commitment to sustainable practices into action across your business. If necessary, follow up with senior management and get their insights and their buy-in.
Throughout the policy development process, it’s a good idea to ask other departments for their input. This makes sure everyone has a stake in these changes and will be invested in their success.
You should also plan periodic assessments and reviewing goals, and identifying opportunities for continual improvement.
Sustainability Statement Examples: What to Look For
If you need some additional ideas when putting together your sustainability plan, here are some sustainability policy examples from government and corporate leadership, to give you some inspiration.
Environmental Policy Statement from Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts does an excellent job providing a high-level view of the company's purpose and scope, as well as helpful context in the introduction to its sustainable Green Program.
Source: Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
Sample Environmental Policy From the New Hampshire Department of Natural Resources
New Hampshire’s Department of Natural Resources provides fantastic, actionable detail that is a great example of an environmental mission statement.
The NH Department of Natural Resources recommends what they call an Environmental Preferable Purchasing (EPP) policy, in which companies are dedicated to buying goods and equipment made from sustainable materials, for example.
Source: New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
You Know How to Write a Sustainability Policy—Let’s Put it Into Action
You’re doing your part to reduce your carbon emissions and help future generations. Now’s the time to work with an energy efficiency partner that cares deeply about sustainability.
At Budderfly, we make energy efficiency and emissions reduction accessible for businesses. We’re the go-to sustainability partner for thousands of businesses across the U.S., providing equipment upgrades, solar panels, patented efficiency technology, and more—all at no upfront cost.
Plus, our customer portal makes measuring sustainability policy success easy, with valuable data on how you’re reducing your carbon footprint.
Let’s get started. Chat with one of our experts to learn more.