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As influential agents in society and the environment, organisations must adopt a philosophy that involves sustainability in all areas and strategies
Made up of people, companies and organisations affect the society they are part of and the environment directly. The products or services we offer have an impact on what surrounds society and there is an increasing demand for strong values that support sustainability.
What is sustainability?
Sustainability, in terms of development, is the quality that ensures the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations. This refers to the balance between responsible development of society and the economy and care for the environment in the process. Generally speaking, there are four types of sustainability:
- Environmental sustainability: promotes economic and social development while caring for the health of planet earth, biodiversity and climate.
- Economic sustainability: seeks equity in the generation of resources and a sustainable form of progress, in order to achieve responsible and long-term profitability.
- Social sustainability: refers to the formation and equitable development of the community to keep it healthy in the future.
- Political sustainability: refers to the legislation and political measures that regulate the balance of society, the economy and the environment.
Why companies should engage with sustainability
Companies, from the smallest to the largest multinationals, are entities linked to sustainability, which are part of society and are in relation to the economy, they are affected by politics, and they affect the environment. The impact that companies have in each of these areas will depend on the size and importance of the organisation, but it is particularly large corporations that have the greatest environmental, economic, social and political impact. They should aim to respect sustainability as much as possible and make responsible use of resources, impacting positively on the environment.
What is ESG philosophy, and why is it so necessary?
ESG is not arbitrary criteria to follow, but a philosophy that should be part of the culture and DNA of companies.
The philosophy of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria is a way of understanding the progress of organisations based on respect for all the elements that surround them. This philosophy offers guidelines and aspects to be evaluated by companies when guiding their corporate decisions so that they take them based on respect for society and the environment.
Reducing the use of raw materials such as paper is an increasingly widespread policy among organisations. Technology facilitates this adoption process, with small steps that contribute to the development of more sustainable companies. This is the case of Bigle Legal which, as well as offering software that specifically helps to reduce paper use, has a paperless philosophy with offices free of printers and stacked filing cabinets.
These are not arbitrary criteria to be followed, but a philosophy that should be part of the culture and DNA of companies, that should permeate the day-to-day work of their employees and be one of the pillars of strategic decisions.
5 examples of corporate sustainability management
There are many examples of organisations with a successfully implemented sustainability policy.
- Apple. The technology giant has reduced its product energy use by 70% in the last ten years, and the multinational's operations run on 100% renewable energy.
- Endesa. By producing renewable energy and adopting innovative technology, the company has four ESG pillars on which it bases its entire activity.
- Fairphone. The technology is based on creating mobiles that are more sustainable for the planet and society, seek greener raw materials, and strive for the well-being of its workers, promoting fair employment.
- Acciona. It is a company that promotes sustainable development through energy production. While they have been carbon neutral for four years, they contribute to social development with multiple projects.
- Siemens. The company has for years been based on the principles of sustainability and is working towards a more efficient supply chain and operations.
At Bigle Legal, as a digitally native company, we incorporate sustainability as a fundamental value and proof of this is that our solution contributes to the fact that there is less and less printed paper in offices, thanks to our digital signature. Internally, we are a paperless company with a notable reduction in the use of printed material.
We can conclude that sustainability has many faces when it comes to organisations and they must include it not only in their product development ideas but also in their social policies, from the treatment of their employees to the vision of everything around them.
Follow us to learn more about sustainability and how technology is helping to bring it into companies.
