Deciding to implement health and safety in your business is important for more than just green issues. It’s vital to consider the safety, health, and well being of workers as a part of a business’s sustainable practices, and not just achieving net zero. This is a key area that is constantly evolving, therefore it’s important for businesses to incorporate this into their strategy. The broad term sustainability includes a balance between the 3 P’s which are people, profit, and the planet.
The 3 P’s of Sustainability
The concept of the triple bottom line comes from John Elkington in 1994, relating to the California Management Review. The concept builds on the idea of economic aspects, it brings to light the important social and environmental dimensions. Looking at a businesses social, environment, and economic impact is a key measurement for how well a business is contributing to a positive sustainable mindset. The social environment element includes the standard of living, which can be a broad term for linking health and safety measures in the workplace.
Keep on reading to find out how sustainability will benefit the workplace.
Increased Awareness
One of the most important elements of incorporating sustainability in the workplace is increased awareness across employees. If a business is deciding to work more sustainability, for example, by choosing sustainable PPE and construction materials, then the habits of employees will become more sustainability-minded leading to improved habits. The business will therefore reduce the environmental impact as well as employee health. A good sustainability marketing agency will help you market your new sustainable practices to both external and internal stakeholders.
Not only this, but employees may take their sustainability mindset out of work, for example when cooking at home, or deciding to purchase an electric car over a petrol one.
Increased awareness will also have a positive impact on the company culture because employees will feel they are on the same level, putting each other’s interests first. This positive mindset will have a positive impact on other work projects.
Reducing Carbon Footprint
Another reason it’s important to incorporate sustainability in the workplace is because of the reduced impact on the planet. A reduced carbon footprint helps your company to be seen as an environmentally conscious brand. Not only this, but consumers have become increasingly aware of the environmental impact businesses have on the enviornment. This could be the difference between a consumer purchasing your product or not.
The same goes in the workplace too. There is evidence to suggest a correlation between individual well being and the good feeling of reducing carbon footprint. A business can to become more sustainable by incorporating sustainability at the beginning of the process, over thinking how we can become more green as an afterthought.
The importance of people
Linking back to the 3 P’s, people is one of the most important elements. People are a business’s most important resource because without healthy people a business can’t function. An organisation should also be mindful of the impact they are having on people outside the business.
