It feels like sustainability is one of those buzzwords thatโs used everywhere, but is never actually defined. At its heart, sustainability for businesses means considering the impacts of operations on people, the planet and profit. This approach can not only help with finding efficiencies and identifying opportunities for growth, assessing potential risks and preparing risk mitigation strategiesโit can also be really good for business.
How sustainability is good for business
Sustainability strategies can help businesses head off potential disruptions to operations or supplies before they happen. More and more, investors are requiring companies to demonstrate their sustainability performance in order to access capital. With many countries moving towards mandatory sustainability reporting, it could also impact the ability to export to those markets.
Consumers, who have more information immediately available to them than ever before, are increasingly supporting brands that align with their personal values. Businesses must not just communicate, but also demonstrate, their commitment to sustainability. The great news is that many consumers and travellers are willing to spend extra on green brands and experiences. Your sustainability approach can even help to attract and retain talented employees.
Starting small
So how do we start? It's a big subject: we have to be willing to start small and do it imperfectly. Try to identify what aspects of sustainability your customers and community care most about, what values are most important to you and what you can realistically have an impact on. It can also be valuable to consider the challenges in your local area that could have the strongest implications for your organization (from extreme weather events to regional water shortages), and what you can put in place to help you continue to do business when these events arise. The Sustainable Development Goals from the United Nations can be a helpful tool to narrow down your scope.
Today, sustainability is a broad umbrella for wide-reaching actions. In addition to environmental considerations, some examples of sustainable business practices can also include things like being an inclusive space, or becoming a living wage employer.
Hands-on sustainability
You know your business best! We can all easily produce a list of things that weโre doing well, and things that we can improve on. Look at your operations with fresh eyes:
Take a walk through your facility and try to spot the obvious โlow-hanging fruitโ (in distilleries, that could mean reducing cooling water, energy use and waste streams). The Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable has some helpful publications that focus on process improvements.
Start to measure so you can quantify your progress. A couple of inexpensive homebrew flow meters placed in strategic places can be really helpful to get an idea of your water needs, for example (but make sure that they meet the requirements for how you are using the water down the line). Weโve added water and natural gas use to our month-end reporting, in order to set a baseline and see our progress.
Invite your staff to get involved with pitching ideas and helping with goals. If they are carrying out daily operations, they're definitely going to have valuable insights, and the goals will become easier if you share the workload. They're also going to be really excited to share your sustainability accomplishments with customers if they are actively part of the journey.
Share your progress! Communicating the work that you are putting into sustainability can help increase overall confidence in your brand and create an even bigger community of super fans!
One of my favourite outcomes when we began considering our waste streams was finding a local baker who uses many of our spent ingredients in her delicious treats, and lets us regularly take part in a little โquality controlโ tasting!
Once youโve had a chance to start adding sustainable practices into your facility and processes (which is already an amazing accomplishment!), you might be feeling inspired to look at some of these bigger steps:
Have a conversation with your main suppliers about what actions theyโre taking. (What are the labor laws where your suppliers are based? Are your fermentables and other ingredients grown/produced with sustainable farming practices? Is it possible to shorten your supply chain?)
Can the way your products are packaged and shipped become more sustainable while also improving the unboxing experience?
Would it be possible to make your next event zero-waste? What about your cocktail menu?
Is there a non-profit that aligns with your values that you can support?
Are there resources that can help you team up with experts, access grants, or is there a certification that would be a good fit?
Our peers have also come up with some really incredible innovations: if you see something cool that someone else is doing, ask them how they made it happen. Chances are, they will be thrilled to geek out about it with you!
If you want to connect about sustainability strategies, we would really like to hear and learn from you:
What initiatives have you started that you're really proud of?
Do you have any resources that you recommend?
What is your biggest goal for this year?
Contact us at info@waywarddistilling.com or @waywarddistillery on Instagram.