What does corporate sustainability actually mean for your business?
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Learn about environmental, social, and governance (ESG) management and how to integrate corporate sustainability practices into your business strategy.
As consumers become more environmentally-conscious, sustainability in business is no longer optional – it is a crucial component of success. From reducing your environmental footprint to building rapport with your customers, the benefits of corporate sustainability are clear. But implementing sustainable business practices is easier said than done. What does environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) management actually mean and where do I start?
Learn more about what common corporate sustainability terms mean and how your business can adopt a sustainable business strategy to move toward greater environmental, social, and corporate responsibility.
Understanding environmental sustainability in business & implementing a sustainable business strategy
The commitment to become a more sustainable organisation carries a lot of weight—and is typically accompanied by a long list of promises and buzzwords. It can be hard to keep them all straight! To effectively incorporate environmentally sustainable practices in your business strategy, it is essential to first understand the fundamental concepts of corporate sustainability.
Sustainability
Sustainability in business means meeting the needs of today without compromising the needs of future generations. Sustainability is more than just environmentalism—it encompasses all aspects of social, ethical, and governance practices. Leading with a social conscience is a crucial component to how organisations are viewed by customers, employees, and investors, and yet it’s often overlooked.
Talk to your vendors to see how they are tackling this. Remember, who you engage with is a reflection on your organisation. Create socially responsible partnerships and commit to your own efforts by obtaining certifications for more ethical operations and building diverse leadership teams to ensure many voices are being heard and supported.
Renewable energy
Renewable energy, also called clean energy, refers to power generated from natural resources that are constantly replenished, like solar, wind and hydroelectric power. These sustainable sources of energy are often used as an alternative to fossil fuels and are comparatively less damaging to the environment.
To future-proof your business, you should always seek opportunities to improve global operations and meet environmental goals by tapping into these naturally replenished energy sources. See if there are renewable energy alternatives to reduce or eliminate your organisation's reliance on fossil fuels. The best places to begin are the most energy-intensive areas, like your data centres and production facilities. If there are environmentally friendly options powered by renewable energy, like colocation offerings, go for it.
Climate neutral
Being climate neutral means your business has managed to hit net-zero carbon dioxide emissions. This is achieved by implementing sustainable business practices that reduce your own emissions, and investing in activities that remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere to offset any emissions that you’re unable to eliminate. Climate neutrality means not only reducing energy consumption within your own operations but also the emissions from your supply chain.
To begin on this path, organisations need to gather data, establish a baseline, set short- and long-term goals, and then publicly report on their efforts and ambitions to stay accountable. Connect with vendors throughout your supply chain to minimise activities that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, waste, and pollution so you can work together to reduce your overall environmental footprint.
Together, we challenge ourselves and inspire others to create innovative business solutions that protect our planet and have a positive social impact.
Learn more about how we are incorporating corporate sustainability into our organisation.
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Rethink sustainability
Protect and use your valuable information in an innovative and socially responsible way. Iron Mountain is happy to be your most trusted partner. Together with you, we challenge ourselves and inspire others to come up with innovative solutions that have a positive impact on the environment and society.
Corporate responsibility at Iron Mountain
At Iron Mountain we understand the impact of our actions in our society and our planet. That's why our CSR commitment is present on everything we do.
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