SELLAFIELD
“ Those who will seriously and strategically integrate sustainability in their businesses , in their projects , they will experience positive financial performance and long-lasting savings ”
EIRINI ETOIMOU HEAD OF CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY & SUPPLY CHAIN DEVELOPMENT AT SELLAFIELD LTD
when I realised that I had to personalise my message to every individual or team I spoke to about the subject . So , it was and still is my responsibility to find ways to approach and to bring people along .
“ I am not saying it is easy . It requires a lot of time and effort to engage with every single person , but there are ways ,” says Etoimou . “ Obviously sustainability is not down to one person , therefore some specific actions can achieve some quick wins . Impact requires more advocates , and you can attract people with a different voice or way of communicating to work with others that you may not be able to .
“ This could be somebody ’ s friend or close colleague with a completely different way of approaching that one person or group of people . However , we need to accept that some , no matter what , simply don ’ t want to engage . So , let ’ s focus and work with the ones that are more receptive .”
You could say that Etoimou refers to a pyramid effect here , whereby working with the right mindset towards sustainability creates a pool of individuals that can carry the message to others – creating a ripple effect throughout the organisation . In doing so , not only does this reduce time to impact others but also the extent of which Etoimou must address individual cases of nonadvocacy or even ‘ over-advocacy ’.
“ I am a big believer of the impact the environment has on you as an individual , and we are affected by other people ’ s behaviours – so we can be influenced ,” Etoimou says . “ Even if one person is not , I doubt that person would remain 100 % against sustainability . This is where we discuss equal rights , we talk about our children , our parents , and the environment , there is nothing that this person won ’ t relate to . It is not black and white , and we start with those that understand it and can support what we are doing .”
There is one major factor among the first steps to bringing teams on board . Making sustainability ’ s impact more measurable and having an equal share in the business plan or corporate KPIs .
“ Thinking of a CFO as an example , we need to acknowledge that they are right in some respects . The language is different : they discuss Return on Investment ( ROI ), Earnings Before Interest , Taxes , Depreciation , Amortisation ( EBITDA ), and we discuss waste management , carbon reduction , and social value . The ambiguity on metrics and the numerous and inconsistent approaches to measuring sustainability impact does not help either .
“ There is also a ‘ short-termism ’ effect , which means trying to prove
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