Is the real purpose of a Head of Sustainability to work towards their own redundancy?
This is a question that I think about a lot. The past decade has seen an explosion in businesses hiring Heads of Sustainability to lead environmental and social initiatives as ESG takes it’s place firmly on Board agendas. But, could sustainability be so integral to a business’ growth trajectory that it no longer requires a specific department or leader?
Sustainability touches every part of a business, from product design and manufacturing to supply chains and marketing. It is about understanding the social and environmental impacts of every decision made. Can therefore sustainability be treated as just another department or does, as we see in so many businesses, this limit it’s impact?
When sustainability is siloed, it risks being treated as a secondary concern, while other departments focus on profitability and growth. But should sustainability be everyone’s responsibility, like financial responsibility and Health and Safety? Perhaps then the Role of a Head of Sustainability is to ensure that sustainability is integrated into all parts of the organisation rather than managed in isolation.
Too often I have seen sustainability defined as someone else’s responsibility, in larger businesses that is likely to be a Head of Sustainability, either with a small team or as a team of one, or for smaller businesses, as an addition to someone’s main role that they pick up as and when required. This doesn’t give it the focus that it needs. Today, stakeholders (investors, employees and consumers) are expecting more, they want to see business success in relation to value, not just in profits, but for society and the environment.
Most companies have acknowledged that embracing sustainability is the key to long term profitability but few support this by a company wide approach making sustainability core to every business decision that is made.
Does leadership hold the key? All cultural change starts with leadership, The Head of Sustainability’s role is to guide and support leaders in understanding that sustainability is not just a trend or a side project, it is essential for the company’s survival and future success. But I have often heard from fellow professionals that if sustainability becomes embedded at wider leadership level that the need for their role diminishes. To me this is entirely the point – job done! Isn’t the true goal of the Head of Sustainability to empower the entire organisation to take ownership of sustainability?
Getting there however will require education and training, helping every manager and staff member understand how sustainability relates to their day to day tasks and only then becomes embedded in the company’s DNA. The true success of a Head of Sustainability should be measured by how seamlessly sustainability is incorporated into the company’s culture and decision making processes.
The original question challenges how we think about sustainability in business and what it will take make lasting, impactful change.
Article by Scott Armstrong, Cogent Action