Do you want your business to help the world reach the 1.5 degree target? But are you unsure about what your company actually needs to change? The solution may be a sustainability analysis, where both your risks and your potential are ascertained.
Something most people agree on is that we need to change the way we live, produce and consume in order to achieve the 1.5 degree target. But it is not always easy to know what to do and how it should be done. In such cases, it is good to start with a sustainability analysis.
“A sustainability analysis takes a slightly different form depending on who conducts it, but in general it can be used for products and services as well as for organisations,” says Inger-Lise Svensson, Head of the Energy and Environmental Systems Analysis unit at RISE. “By performing a sustainability analysis, we can find out what contributes to sustainability and where problems exist that need to be remedied.”
Can provide competitive advantages
An important piece of the puzzle for the world to achieve the goal of having a climate-neutral society is that all companies identify their opportunities and tackle their challenges.
“Of course, what happens at policy level is very important , but it does not preclude the need for personal responsibility on the part of companies as well. Furthermore, the results of a sustainability analysis can offer competitive advantages and minimise risks, so you really have everything to gain from conducting one.”
.. if you use RISE, for example, you get access to extremely broad expertise in both technology and sustainability
Analysis at different levels
A sustainability analysis can be carried out for everything from a single product to large complex processes, and can include environmental, economic and social aspects.
“There are several different methods that can be employed depending on what you want to investigate. The type of operations a company has determines what aspects the analysis will focus on.”
For example, if your business is energy intensive, most of the focus will be on that. If it is instead involved in imports, the focus will be on subcontractors and transport.
“There is no universal solution, but there are solutions for all companies.”
Respond to demands from society and customers
There are also obvious competitive advantages to carrying out a sustainability analysis.
“Demands are constantly increasing from both society and customers that companies show proof of their environmental impact and what they do to reduce it. If you have performed a sustainability analysis, you have answers to these questions, and at the same time can reduce the risks caused by a lack of knowledge. You are prepared and won’t be caught off guard.”
RISE has expertise in technology and sustainability
However, Svensson does not recommend conducting a sustainability analysis by yourself:
“You can, of course, produce data yourself, but if you use RISE, for example, you get access to extremely broad expertise in both technology and sustainability, which means you will be able to identify both risks and opportunities that you never would have found yourself.”
