Can Sustainability be Sustainable?

When we talk about sustainability, we generally mean making better operational choices to reduce the negative environmental impact on the world around us. There are, however, many options available to become more sustainable. Businesses and individuals must decide which methods are most accessible and impactful for them. The road to sustainability will be vertical and Industry specific.

One of the biggest considerations for businesses as they develop a more sustainable pathway is how to balance sustainable solutions with the cost of achieving them. Many people argue that sustainability cannot be assessed based on ROI but with inflation already putting extreme pressure on businesses it feels difficult to not consider the bottom line.

If The cost of Sustainability is profit, how much should this impact the choices we make? For years, slower adoption of renewable technologies has been fuelled by the Green Premium associated with cleaner tech, however, the recent Energy crisis has taught us that the cost of doing nothing can often be much greater than the original premium. If we had more access to renewable Energy supply, this year’s increase in the cost of Energy, which is largely fossil fuel-based, would not have been as impactful for consumers and businesses across the UK and Europe. Hindsight is 20/20!

We know that the future environmental cost of doing nothing will be devastating on so many levels. So as senior execs and boards make difficult decisions about how to fund essential progress in more sustainable procurement and operations it feels like we need to find innovative solutions to achieve a balance between profit and purpose. Value proposition could be the way to achieve a blend of our green and growth goals. If we can create additional value in our products with sustainability at the core then sustainability will end up driving profits rather than endangering them. In order to achieve this we need more consumers and businesses to think about what drives their procurement decisions.

Cost cannot be the lead indicator. Historically this results in activities that harm our environment because of an overreliance on materials that harm the planet, employees receiving less than the real living wage and a need to purchase new items regularly rather than having access to longer-lasting products. A good place to start is by introducing a Net Zero plan addressing short, medium and long-term opportunities and also, putting in place a supplier charter. These steps will help raise the overall expected quality and standards across businesses and society as a whole.

Unify Energy is more than just your supplier but your Energy Partner.

When launching our proposition it was important for us to think about the gaps in the Energy market and seek ways to diversify what was available to business customers. With sustainability in mind, Unify Energy is bringing unique solutions to customers as the very first regulated supplier to offer the commercial property market an end-to-end solution that goes beyond and behind the main meter.

This year has highlighted that differentiation in the Energy market cannot be based on the cheapest unit rate. Unify Energy is more than just a supplier but your Energy partner, working with customers to achieve a breadth of Energy management and sustainability goals in a way that drives long-term value.

Are you doing everything that you can to manage Energy effectively? Why not contact us and see whether we can make Energy supply and optimization a more simple and more effective process at [email protected]