For many companies, investing in sustainable development represents a financial burden. However, according to a study published by Barclays Bank, becoming an eco-responsible company would benefit its profitability and economic growth. According to this study, 73% of respondents believe they have made a profit since investing in sustainability and 40% say that this ecological transition has had a positive impact on their business.
How can sustainable development become a growth lever for companies?
Often wrongly considered as an economic brake, sustainable development and sustainable development and CSR policies in general are considered too costly or too restrictive to implement. Under the impetus of financial mechanisms and incentives and the desire of some companies to encourage the emergence of societal and environmental policies in their overall strategy, some large companies have been able to see the positive role played by sustainable development and its significant impact on profitability and revenue growth. This lever is in fact multiple and is based on three main values: improving profitability and economic growth, improving team performance and improving building operations.
Improving profitability and growth
Investing in sustainability directly contributes to significant and potentially sustainable energy savings depending on the solutions implemented. Energy performance and related policies are therefore a very objective way for companies to reduce their expenses and operating costs and thus be able to invest in other areas. What was initially a cost center can be transformed into a profit center thanks to the transversal savings that will be generated. Today, the investment required to implement solutions that promote profitability and growth is no longer a hindrance and the associated business models proposed by some innovative companies on the market show almost immediate profitability. A company committed to the environment is also a vector of brand image not only with their customers but also with their own internal resources, constituting in passing an additional element of growth.
Improving the performance of teams
Investing in sustainable development by implementing tools and technical solutions that promote thermal comfort can also be a driver for change and influence team performance. For the past 15 years, all studies have converged in the same direction: comfort and well-being in the workplace encourage the involvement of teams in their work and their productivity, and even their attachment to the company itself. Moreover, many employees appreciate the fact that they work in a company concerned with the environment and feel more comfortable in a structure that adopts eco-responsible gestures and is concerned about their well-being. Better temperature management allows employees to feel more comfortable in their workspace and reduces the risk of sick leave due to poorly adapted temperatures.
Improving technical operations.
Investing in sustainable development also means ensuring, through data collection, a better vision of the company’s operations (waste collection, building energy consumption, etc.) and being able to act more directly on technical operations and thus promote better management of operating costs by allowing, for example, the prevention of possible equipment breakdowns to better optimize maintenance operations.
Reducing one’s impact on the environment while making profits is therefore a reality. Taking into consideration the many benefits of sustainable development is the first step to a successful energy transition, so that it is finally perceived as what it really is: a lever for growth.
By Alric MARC, Founder of EFICIA
