Policies
Step three - Expert
Once your policies are in place, integrating them into your daily operations is essential.
Sustainable practices, achieving net zero and working within the circular economy can quickly become a core part of your business culture, supported by the proper roll-out of your policies.
Embedding Policies into your business culture
- Make sustainability part of every job role; e.g. your finance role could also keep track of your energy usage to make measuring your carbon footprint easier.
- Identify quick-wins which you can implement easily; e.g. reducing office paper and unnecessary printing.
- Develop training or workshops to share information and educate your wider team; e.g. your Green Team highlight the importance of reducing areas of waste within your business.
- Discussing sustainability related topics as part of business meetings to raise general awareness; e.g. the impact of reducing business travel or encouraging more active travel for commuting.
Larger SMEs
For larger SMEs with multiple departments, consider how you approach each different part of the business.
Download our guide to see tailored tips and ideas for how to best approach different roles and departments.
Smaller SMEs
For smaller organisations, rolling out your new policy will be simpler. Here are some things to consider:
- Involve everyone – consider your team’s ideas for how to write a policy document. Doing this will help everyone to feel responsibility and ownership of your shared commitment.
- Keep it simple – make sure you include clear guidance, and that the wording is easy to understand and action.
- Lead by example – discuss your how you’re working in more sustainable ways and celebrate any wins with your team.
Continuous Improvement
Don’t forget to review and update your policies. It’s a good idea to review them on an annual basis, or sooner if you become aware of any industry or legislation change, or new ways of working, that might affect them.
Assessing whether your policy is fit for purpose is also important. You can take feedback from your team on how easy the policy is to follow, and update accordingly.