Moved by the linkage between an effective sustainable approach to business and financial value creation, corporates include sustainability-focused contents in their reporting and communication materials. Examples of these contents are their environmental, social and governance proposition and their impact on the Sustainable Development Goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, when I read this corporate sustainability narrative, I often have the impression that it is not connected to the company\u2019s strategic intent. Why? My view is that a seamless integration of strategy and sustainability is the culmination of a \u201csustainability discovery\u201d in which most businesses are immersed at this moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A sustainability discovery usually starts with the adoption of a Corporate Social Responsibility framework. CSR was formally coined in the 1950s and it has been instrumental to enhance the businesses\u2019 public value creation. CSR resources and ecosystems have raised awareness of the sustainability challenge, funded valuable civic and environmental initiatives and channeled the stakeholders\u2019 will to contribute to society. However, a traditional CSR approach seems insufficient to unlock the potential of sustainability as a value catalyst for the business.<\/p>\n
Many companies, inspired by societal demands and global institutional initiatives, are going beyond CSR, including \u201csustainability ingredients\u201d in their strategies. They are capitalizing on new environmentally friendly opportunities to accelerate their growth or improve their efficiency. Examples of this are the development of renewable energy businesses or the adoption of circular economy frameworks. This is a very positive step forward, but it is not the final stage of the journey.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ultimate challenge is to develop and put into practice \u201ctotal business models\u201d, in which the contribution to sustainability is so embedded into the operations that it is not possible to separate one from the other. More business activity, more good. Stakeholders of total business models have full traceability of their impact in society, no matter how far they are from execution. The sense of doing work that is connected to a broader set of meaning is unbeatable. I have had the privilege of experiencing it.<\/p>\n
As it is happening with many other business trends, the covid-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of total business models. Many companies, like urban service providers, became aware of the intrinsic social impact of their core business. Other companies, like manufacturers that temporarily reoriented their activity to provide sanitary equipment, now have a flavor of how a total approach to sustainability looks and feels.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are very few examples of well-established companies with total business models. Why? The replacement of traditional paradigms requires a transformational approach and unconventional levers:<\/p>\n
Sustainability is a unique opportunity to combine a game-changing competitive advantage and a material impact in intergenerational wellbeing. Stakeholders, investors and society are willing to embrace this transformational convergence. I cannot think of a more exciting and rewarding aspiration for a business.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Movidas por la relaci\u00f3n entre un enfoque genuinamente sostenible del negocio y la creaci\u00f3n de valor financiero, las empresas desarrollan contenidos relativos a la sostenibilidad en sus informes y materiales de comunicaci\u00f3n. Ejemplos de estos contenidos son sus pol\u00edticas medioambientales, sociales y de gobernanza y su impacto en los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible. Sin embargo, cuando leo esta narrativa de sostenibilidad corporativa, a menudo tengo la impresi\u00f3n de que est\u00e1 desconectada de la estrategia de la empresa. \u00bfPor qu\u00e9? Pienso que una integraci\u00f3n perfecta de estrategia y sostenibilidad es la culminaci\u00f3n de un proceso de \u00abdescubrimiento\u00bb, en el que la mayor\u00eda de las empresas est\u00e1n inmersas en este momento. El descubrimiento de la sostenibilidad suele comenzar con la adopci\u00f3n de una pol\u00edtica de Responsabilidad Social Corporativa. La RSC se acu\u00f1\u00f3 formalmente en la d\u00e9cada de 1950 y ha sido decisiva para potenciar la creaci\u00f3n de valor de las empresas. Los recursos y ecosistemas de la RSC han impulsado la sensibilidad sobre el reto de la sostenibilidad, han financiado valiosas iniciativas c\u00edvicas y medioambientales y han canalizado el inter\u00e9s de muchos agentes en contribuir a la sociedad. Sin embargo, un enfoque tradicional de RSC parece insuficiente para liberar el potencial de la sostenibilidad como catalizador de valor para las empresas. Muchas empresas, inspiradas por las demandas de la sociedad y las iniciativas institucionales globales, est\u00e1n yendo m\u00e1s all\u00e1 de la RSC, incluyendo \u00abingredientes de sostenibilidad\u00bb en sus estrategias. Est\u00e1n aprovechando nuevas oportunidades respetuosas con el medioambiente para acelerar su crecimiento o mejorar su eficiencia. Ejemplos de ello son el desarrollo de negocios de energ\u00edas renovables o la adopci\u00f3n de marcos de econom\u00eda circular. Es un avance muy positivo, pero no es la etapa final del camino. El reto final es desarrollar y poner en pr\u00e1ctica \u00abmodelos empresariales totales\u00bb, en los que la contribuci\u00f3n a la sostenibilidad est\u00e9 tan integrada en las operaciones que no sea posible separar una cosa de la otra. A mayor actividad empresarial, mayor impacto positivo. Los agentes involucrados en los modelos empresariales totales tienen plena trazabilidad de su impacto en la sociedad, por lejos que est\u00e9n de la ejecuci\u00f3n. La sensaci\u00f3n de llevar a cabo un trabajo directamente conectado a un prop\u00f3sito vital es imbatible. Yo he tenido el privilegio de experimentarla. Como ocurri\u00f3 con muchas otras tendencias empresariales, la pandemia del covid-19 aceler\u00f3 la adopci\u00f3n de modelos empresariales totales. Muchas empresas, como los proveedores de servicios urbanos, tomaron conciencia del impacto social intr\u00ednseco de su actividad principal. Otras empresas, como los fabricantes que reorientaron temporalmente su actividad para suministrar equipos sanitarios, tienen ahora una idea de c\u00f3mo se ve y se siente un enfoque total de la sostenibilidad. Hay muy pocos ejemplos de empresas consolidadas con modelos de negocio totales. \u00bfPor qu\u00e9? Sustituir los paradigmas tradicionales requiere un enfoque transformador y palancas poco convencionales: Liderazgo visionario, orientado a objetivos y resiliente. Los enfoques totales se enfrentan a una enorme oposici\u00f3n y a retos regulatorios. Nuevos modelos de negocio desarrollados en colaboraci\u00f3n con los agentes involucrados. La sociedad civil desempe\u00f1a aqu\u00ed un papel clave. Hojas de ruta de implantaci\u00f3n modulares (frente a caminos \u00fanicos) articuladas mediante la innovaci\u00f3n colaborativa. Estrategia y capacidades de sostenibilidad transversales que enriquecen las operaciones y la cultura. La sostenibilidad es una oportunidad \u00fanica para combinar ventaja competitiva y mejora del bienestar social. Los agentes empresariales, los inversores y la sociedad est\u00e1n dispuestos a apoyar esta convergencia transformadora. No puedo pensar en una mejor aspiraci\u00f3n para una empresa.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3593,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[48,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-estrategia","category-sostenibilidad"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/esggia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/esggia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/esggia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esggia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esggia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2914"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/esggia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2914\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4698,"href":"https:\/\/esggia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2914\/revisions\/4698"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esggia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/esggia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esggia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esggia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}