If you are beginning the sustainabilityjourney, especially as a manufacturer, getting the right strategy can feeloverwhelming. Indeed, evenwhenyou have coveredsomuchground, many are the times when one takessome moment to pause, review the progress, change things, and then continue. ESG sustainabilityreporting iseventougherbecauseitrequiresadherence to coreprinciples, such as accuracy, materiality, timeliness, and responsiveness.
Despite the challenges, sustainabilityreporting comeswithsomanyadvantages, whichmightbe all thatyouneed to take the organization to the nextlevel. To help you out, as a new manufacturer, here are someusefultips to consider:
Take a Closer Look at YourOrganization:Whereis the Greatest Impact?
The first step in sustainabilityreporting is mapping yourmanufacturingorganization’sactivities and analyzing the social, governance, and environmental impacts. Then, targetminimizing the impacts. Becausemanufacturingfacilities have huge impacts, think of whatyou can do to reducethem.
Take the example of a manufacturer dealingwithfoodprocessing. In such a case, the impacts can berelated to the rawmaterialssupplychain, energy use, waster production, and labor issues. Therefore, youmightwant to target the waste production areas and energy use in the facility. Then, make sure to capture the goals, activities, and budgetary allocations.
Where direct actions mightbechallenging, be innovative. For example, if you process imported coffee, itmightbe a good idea to workwithregulatoryauthorities in places of origin to support sustainablefarming practices.
Look for Inspiration fromOther Actors
When adoptingsustainabilityreporting in yourorganization, one of the objectives is to help yourorganizationgrow to the nextlevel. Therefore, itwillbe a greatidea to take a closer look at whatother parties are doing and the reception. For example, a manufacturer based in Michigan mightwant to establishwhatothers are doing and focus on a different line. For example, if most of the manufacturers have been working on supportingeducation initiatives, itmightbe a good idea to consider conservation.
You mightalsowant to rope in more stakeholders for suggestions on whattheyconsider more important to them. If theybelievethat reducingemissions by 20% or supportinghealthcare initiatives will come with more effects, go for it. However, make sure that the actions can belinkedwith the results in the final sustainability report.
Revise Partnerships and Supplier Agreements
Think of itthisway– the effectthatyou can make on sustainabilitywhenworkingaloneissmall. It istruethatthatis an impressive stride, but hold on for a moment, “What if you can make 20 firms, perhaps more, to adoptsustainabilityreporting?” Indeed, making more firmsalsojoin the race for sustainabilitymightbeeasierthanyouthink.
Think of the partnerships thatyou have enteredwithdifferentfirms. If you have an agreement witha supplier thatten tons of rawmaterials have to bedeliveredeveryfortnight, insist on including sustainabilityreporting on the contract. For example, you can requirepartners to adoptspecific sustainabilityreportingframeworks, such as Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) or International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC). With more firmsworking on sustainability, addressing the global challenges willbe a lot easier.
The tipswe have highlighted in this post can help you to getstartedwith sustainabilityreporting. It willbe a greatideaalso to have the right sustainabilityreporting software becauseitmakesiteasy to integrateselectedactivities and data gatheringwith the available management system. You can even automate the process and increase the accuracyof the report.
