Could a transformation of workplace culture deliver a sustainability breakthrough?

April 22 marks Earth Day, the annual global event to celebrate our remarkable planet and inspire us towards environmental action. With so many organisations stalling in their net zero plans, it’s time for a radical transformation of workplace culture. Justin Temblett-Wood explores how breakthrough thinking can shift the gears for your company’s sustainability drive.

Every organisation wants to go green. Take a look at any company website, and you’ll see a plethora of net zero commitments and sustainability strategies.

Yet in all too many cases, that’s as far as it goes.

Only 7% of companies are on track to reach their net zero targets for Scope 1 and Scope 2 (direct and indirect energy) greenhouse gas emissions. And Earth Overshoot Day – when humanity’s annual demand for resources exceeds the planet’s capacity to produce them – gets earlier every year.

We’ve become trapped in the status quo – and it’s harming our planet.

The business risks of climate denial

Sceptics will say this lack of progress suggests that corporate sustainability goals are mere greenwashing. Yet from our work with clients, we know that the majority are genuine in their desire to reduce their carbon footprint. They care about our world.

They’re also across the scientific data: they know what business practices and products cause greenhouse gas emissions, and what the environmentally friendly alternatives are.

And they’ve taken on board the warning from BlackRock’s Larry Fink, who says that climate laggards will lose the confidence of their stakeholders and be quickly left behind.

So what’s holding companies back? And how can you, as organisational development experts, empower business leaders to give the green light to corporate sustainability?

To boldly go to net zero

Larry Fink says: “There is no company whose business model won’t be profoundly affected by the transition to a net zero economy”.

Reaching net zero by 2050 entails nothing less than a green revolution. And that can only be brought about by a workplace culture revolution. It means a serious mindset shift. Rewarding those who challenge the status quo. And fundamentally transforming an organisation’s frame of reference.

Scary, yes. But when it comes to climate change, these are scary times. We need to recognise that #opportunityisnowhere – it’s now here.

Breakthrough thinking to achieve sustainability

At Achieve Breakthrough, we know it’s possible for leaders to overcome that gap between sustainability aspirations and actuality. But to go green, you need to go deep.

Client feedback tells us that the elephant in the room is organisational timidity and risk aversion. So what’s required is breakthrough thinking.

Breakthrough thinking means creating a future that’s free from the past. It means getting your whole team on board to identify and sweep aside the assumptions, biases and negative opinions that are keeping you stuck, and replace them with commitments, visions, objectives, positive thinking, language and action.

It’s not a quick fix – but it is exciting and enduring. So make Earth Day 2024 the time for your company’s breakthrough on sustainability, and contact us at Achieve Breakthrough to discuss working together.

AstraZeneca: engagement across the supply chain

Pharma giant AstraZeneca has set a full suite of rigorous science-based sustainability targets, including a 50% reduction in Scope 3 (supply chain) emissions by 2030.

To achieve this, the company has established a supplier engagement programme and communicated clear expectations. It has also collaborated with other pharma companies to accelerate decarbonisation across their shared supply chain by standardising messaging and simplifying the target-setting process.

It’s an approach that combines scientific data with a paradigm shift in working culture to bring about deep, lasting change for the good of our planet.