SME Steps to Sustainability
Sustainable Action
It’s time for action
So far, you’ve rated your business, picked the topics that matter to you and your business and drafted your sustainability strategy. This is all sustainable action - and also good business practice.
AIB Steps to Sustainability – Your action plan
AIB Steps to Sustainability – Your action plan
In this section, we’ll explore:
How to make your business more sustainable
Businesses like your own who have sustainable practices in place
Putting more specific action into your sustainability strategy for the next 12 months
Don’t worry if all this looks like too much to do.
We’ve got the Done, Do Now, Do Next and Do Later model to help you.
What are the benefits of sustainable action
Before we look at the actions we can take – let’s have a look at the benefits to businesses who act sustainably.
Cost Savings: Sustainable action often leads to more efficient use of materials, energy and water – reducing costs and improving profit margins.
New Business Opportunities: Applying sustainability thinking can open whole new revenue opportunities, addressing unmet customer needs and sometimes giving an option to apply a ‘green premium'.
Regulatory Compliance: Proactive steps help businesses stay ahead of regulations, avoiding fines and ensuring long-term viability.
Brand Reputation: Sustainability initiatives resonate with customers, employees and stakeholders, enhancing the business’s image and competitiveness.
Risk Management: Addressing sustainability reduces risks related to supply chain disruptions, changing customer preferences amongst many other things.
Employee Engagement: Strong sustainability practices improve employee morale, retention, and productivity by fostering a positive, values-driven work environment.
The actions in this module are designed to be practical for time poor businesses. Each activity targets areas where small changes can lead to significant sustainability improvements.
What can your business do
Let's explore what you can do whatever business you are in. We’ve grouped suggested actions into three areas of focus.
Open our Sustainable Action PDF to explore each area and choose actions to add to your sustainability strategy.
In our Sustainability Sector Guide section, we highlight further actions that your business can take to reduce its environmental and social impact – in addition to highlighting the benefits of sustainability through a number of AIB customer case studies.
Management
Strategy, getting organised, data privacy and cybersecurity
Operations
Everything from fuel and energy, waste, water and packaging to logistics, carbon emissions and more
People & Community
Health and safety, working environment and community engagement
In the previous section, you will have completed your sustainability strategy template outlining the topics to which your business is committing to make change.
Below we have added to a sample template (ABC company) to outline what they will do to get started under each of their chosen topics – Now, Next and Later.
Three top tips to finish out your action plan…
Consider which areas and actions are most relevant in your industry and important to your customer base.
Prioritise the actions which will have a positive impact on the financial performance of your business – through cost savings or new revenue opportunities.
Target quick wins to gain traction and achieve early success on your sustainability journey.
Next step: Business sustainability supports
In this next section you can find out about what supports are available to help put your action plan into motion.
More steps to sustainability
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