Watts Sustainability featured in The London Standard
We’re proud to have been featured in The London Standard’s digital edition, where Peter Watts explores whether sustainability and ESG should remain a strategic priority for UK businesses.
The piece highlights why sustainability is not only a moral and social responsibility but an essential factor in long-term business resilience, innovation, and success.
Read the full article below.
Half of UK businesses are already impacted by climate change, reporting requirements are increasing and financial institutions increasingly embed climate risk into lending.
Protecting the environment isn’t just socially responsible, it’s economically essential. Businesses that think only short-term and degrade the environment are ultimately eroding their own long-term resilience, since almost everything we use ultimately comes from nature.
Sustainability is also a balance sheet issue. A proactive approach generates opportunities for revenue through opening new markets through building reputation and visibility. It also builds resilience and future-proofs organisations against real-world risks.
Protecting the environment is a moral imperative. People in business are parents, grandparents and citizens, too. The choices made today will shape the world inherited by future generations, and business has a vital role in ensuring that world is liveable, fair and prosperous.
Even in contexts where there have been some attempts to roll back sustainability initiatives (such as diversity, equity and inclusion), sustainability continues to assert itself as a strategic imperative in business decision-making.
The public expects action, with 80% (Statista) of the UK population saying they’re concerned about climate change and employees increasingly choosing purpose-driven employers.
Issues such as the climate crisis and biodiversity loss can cause feelings of powerlessness and disconnection. Making your organisation part of the solution rather than a bystander sends a powerful message.
Investors are clear too, despite the noise about the decreasing importance of sustainability in some markets, credible strategies that manage ESG-related risks are needed. Sustainability risks are real risks and have a tangible impact on balance sheets and the viability of investments.
Sustainability pays:
- It differentiates firms when they submit competitive tenders.
- Proactive strategies both shield firms from regulatory shocks and reassure investors.
- Energy efficiency cuts costs as well as emissions.
- Sustainable products and services unlock new markets.
The evidence is consistent. Companies with robust environmental and social performance consistently deliver higher levels of innovation, better access to new business and markets, lower operating costs and increased resilience. Businesses that build sustainability into their organisational models and invest in their skills and culture will be those that thrive in the coming decades.
If you’d like to take your sustainability and ESG strategy to the next level, Watts Sustainability is here to support you.
