What are the Biggest Sustainability Blockers and Enablers for Companies?
Sustainability professionals play a critical role in driving sustainable practices within their organizations or companies. However, they may face several challenges, commonly referred to as sustainability blockers, that can hinder their efforts. Fortunately, they also have access to tools and strategies that can act as enablers and support and accelerate their sustainability goals.
To generate the best possible sustainability outcomes, sustainability professionals need to be aware of both blockers and enablers and find solutions that are human-centric, which enable sustainability professionals to effectively engage their organisation and co-workers.
Blockers can be internal or external factors that limit the ability of organizations to pursue sustainability goals. Some of the most common sustainability blockers are:
Lack of senior management support: Sustainability initiatives require top-down support to succeed. Without it, sustainability professionals may face challenges in implementing sustainable practices.
Lack of funding: Sustainability initiatives require investments, and without adequate funding, it can be difficult to execute plans.
Resistance to change: Resistance to change is a common challenge when implementing new sustainability practices. Employees may be resistant to changing their habits or processes.
Limited stakeholder engagement: Sustainability initiatives require the support of stakeholders. Without their buy-in, it can be challenging to create sustainable practices.
It should be noted that sustainability blockers are a very natural phenomena in business environments. Everybody faces blockers during their sustainability initiative and sometimes internal blockers can be harder to overcome than external stakeholders.
With that in mind, our advice is to now hesitate to confront blockers when you encounter them, and leverage sustainability enablers where possible.
Enablers are internal or external factors that facilitate sustainability initiatives. Some of the most common sustainability enablers are:
Clear and measurable sustainability goals: Setting clear and measurable sustainability goals can help align organizations towards sustainability.
Collaboration: Collaborating with other organizations or stakeholders can help drive sustainability goals, share knowledge and resources, and create a larger impact.
Investment in technology: Investing in technology can help organizations reduce their environmental footprint and promote sustainable practices.
Government regulations and policies: Government regulations and policies can create a level playing field for organizations to pursue sustainability goals.
To overcome sustainability blockers and optimise the potential of enablers, sustainability professionals need to adopt human-centric solutions. Any solution should take into account the impact on people, whether it's employees, customers, or communities. A human-centric approach means considering the social, environmental, and economic impacts of any solution.
These are some of the areas that we will cover during the Sustainability Leadership Lab’s module on sustainability blockers and enablers. Join us to find to further evolve your professional sustainability skills and become even better equipped to pursue sustainability goals.
