Business-to-Business Sustainability Values

28-08-2012

Every now and again a piece of commentary comes along that describes well how the lighting industry needs to embrace a sustainable way of going about its business.

How to identify a company with sustainable values that match your own.
Having a detailed look at an organisation's mission statement and commitment beyond the value chain can reveal whether it puts sustainable values at its core, says Clare Whitmell

This article appears on the Guardian's Sustainable Business Blog and looks at the process of seeking out 'like-minded' organisations.

Put simply:
1. Look for the organisation's Mission Statement - does it's values match with your own?
2. Is the Mission Statement supported in the organisation's actual practice?
3. Does the organisation have 3rd-party accreditation to support its sustainability claims?

As you can imagine, we support all of that - and, in particular, we enthusiastically applaud No.3!

We are seeing much greater emphasis being placed on 'sustainable procurement'. HereÃ¯Â¿Â½s a document from Haringey Council (SPG 9: Sustainability Statement ) that describes in some detail what that body's planning process is looking for in respect of sustainable outcomes. I've spoken to the Planning Dept there, asking what assumptions they make on the sub-contractors and the materials supply chain that sit behind the actual planning application. Their answer is that they expect the requirements of their Sustainability Guidance to be enacted at every stage and at very level of the construction process. So that includes the lighting equipment.

As ever, the question will eventually be asked: 'how do we know that what you say in your Mission Statement is true?'
And the answer to that will have to come in the form of 3rd-party accreditation.

I hope this is useful. Any comments, gratefully received.