Aligning organisational culture with sustainability: a win, win for the environment and business

In today’s corporate world, sustainability has emerged as the most critical factor for long-term success of all businesses no matter what size or sector. Consumers, investors and employees are increasingly holding organisations accountable and look for organisations that aim to balance the spheres of social, environmental and economic interests, sometimes called the triple bottom line, while avoiding taking business decisions in support of one of these at the expense of another.
From a sustainability viewpoint, organisational culture is paramount to the success of any organisation’s efforts to implement more sustainable and environmentally responsible practices.

Organisational culture can be described as the set of values, beliefs, attitudes, systems and rules that outline and influence employee behaviour within an organisation. As sustainability includes core health, safety, wellbeing and environment factors, then developing and maintaining a positive organisational culture towards these can only enhance the business. Moreover, the organisational culture directly influences how employees, customers, contractors and stakeholders ‘experience’ the organisation and its brand and how they implement and engage with sustainability at all levels and across the supply chain.

Aligning organisational culture with sustainability goals is a journey that requires leadership, collaboration, and a commitment to continuous improvement. Photograph: iStock

Corporate sustainability

Corporate sustainability is the adaptation of economic, environmental and social factors to the activities and mechanisms of corporate decision-making, together with the principles of corporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) risk understanding and risk management that an organisation needs to adopt and apply to effectively manage any ESG impacts arising from its activities and identify any ESG improvement opportunities from its operations. This includes all organisational strategic, tactical and operational implementation of health, safety, wellbeing and environmental programmes and any associated internationally recognised management systems, such as ISO 14001 Environmental Management, ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management and ISO 9001 Quality Management Standards.

Negative indicators

Of course, there are many negative indicators of poor organisational culture which can be related to the success, or more likely failure, of corporate sustainability initiatives across health, safety, wellbeing and environmental programmes.

They include:

• High employee turnover rate: a considerable number of employees leaving the organisation regularly is a major indicator of a problematic organisational culture and hence a knock-on effect to embedding sustainability and maintaining standard approaches.
• Low employee engagement: lack of enthusiasm about sustainability and environmental initiatives, poor motivation and lack of initiative among employees to enhance sustainability and environmental performance. Low employee engagement can be quite detrimental to the overall value chain of a business and can create a ripple effect of employee negativity.
• Poor leadership communication: lack of transparency, unclear expectations of employees and infrequent updates from leadership about how sustainability programmes are embedding or performing are critical organisational factors related to communication with employees. ISO 14063:2020 Environmental management - Environmental communication - Guidelines and examples is a good reference source to enhance environmental sustainability engagement and communication at all levels and can also be used for occupational safety and health (OSH) communication.
• Unhealthy competition: employees feeling pressured to undermine each other to succeed and to gain more recognition. This will strain employee relationships, hinder collaboration and take a toll on the wellbeing of staff. In turn, this will negatively affect any sustainability programme.
• Gossip and negativity: excessive negative talk and rumours circulating within the workplace and trying to make employees ‘own light shine’ by ‘dimming others’ lights’ will create a toxic atmosphere that can affect productivity, morale and even mental health; and ultimately the success of any sustainability programme.
• Lack of trust in leadership: a lack of trust in leadership can manifest in various ways and have significant consequences for the workplace and for sustainability. This will involve communication breakdown, decreased morale, high turnover rates, resistance to change when implementing sustainability programmes, reduced employee performance, increased conflict within and between teams; and all of this will lead to the overall erosion of the organisation’s sustainability programme.
• Fear-based culture: a fear-based culture can be incredibly damaging to an organisation’s sustainability programmes and its employees. It creates a work environment where employees feel anxious, stressed and hesitant to take ownership of sustainability issues or speak up.
• Inconsistent application of policies: sustainability-focused rules and policies not being applied fairly across the organisation will lead to confusion, frustration and a sense of unfairness among employees. Hence, they are likely to become less inclined to engage in sustainability initiatives.
• No recognition for sustainability and/or environmental achievements: it’s frustrating to employees when important contributions, especially those related to sustainability and environmental achievements, go unrecognised when this is a very simply problem to remedy through simple internal communication.

Photograph: United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, un.org/sustainable development

Measuring organisational culture

Understanding and measuring organisational culture is therefore vital to the success of any organisation’s health, safety, wellbeing and environment programmes under the umbrella of corporate sustainability. Improving organisational culture is not just a moral imperative but will also generate a strategic advantage for the business while ensuring sustainability becomes an intrinsic part of the organisation’s business operations and ethos.

British Safety Council has long been a flag bearer for measuring and improving organisational culture change and an enhanced culture change programme headed by wellbeing, health and safety auditor and consultant Dr Audrey Fleming is being launched imminently. British Safety Council has worked with many of our member organisations both to understand and measure organisational culture in relation to sustainability, and organisational culture is also a core element in our Five Star Occupational Health and Safety, Environmental Sustainability and Wellbeing audits.

Methods for measuring and understanding organisational culture towards sustainability include:

1. Employee surveys and interviews: conducting surveys and interviews to understand employees’ perceptions and engagement with sustainability initiatives. This can provide insights into how well sustainability is integrated into the organisational culture.

2. Focus groups: hosting focus group discussions with employees from different departments and levels. This can provide deeper insights into their experiences and perceptions of sustainability in a safe and open environment where participants feel comfortable sharing their thoughts.

3. Exit interviews: analysing feedback from employees who are leaving the organisation can reveal underlying cultural issues that may not be apparent to current staff.

4. Storytelling: though this is often overlooked, encouraging employees to share stories that reflect the organisation’s sustainability values and culture is important as these stories can highlight both positive and negative aspects of the organisational culture.

5. Workplace observations: just by observing employee interactions and behaviours within the workplace and paying attention to how employees collaborate, communicate and address conflicts can shed light on how effectively any sustainability initiatives are being implemented.

6. Review existing policies and practices: analysing current policies and day-to-day practices to identify how sustainability is embedded throughout all levels of the organisation. This includes examining how sustainability is prioritised in senior meetings and decision-making processes and operational activities.

7. Internal and external communications: evaluating how sustainability is discussed and prioritised in internal and external communications to all internal and external stakeholders. This can help assess the organisation’s commitment to sustainability and how it is perceived by these stakeholders.

Education and empowerment are essential for fostering a culture of sustainability. Photograph: iStock

8. Leadership assessment: this involves examining the role of leadership in modelling and supporting sustainable behaviours throughout the organisation. Leaders play a crucial role in shaping organisational culture and driving sustainability initiatives, but it is important to note that leaders in health, safety, wellbeing and environment can come from any level of part of the business and not just named senior roles.

9. Key performance indicators (KPIs): developing and tracking KPIs related to sustainability. These can include metrics such as energy and water consumption, waste reduction and employee participation in sustainability programmes as examples. ISO 14031:2021 Environmental management - Environmental performance evaluation - Guidelines and ISO 45004:2024 Occupational health and safety management - Guidelines on performance evaluation can provide good examples for operational KPIs for OSH and environmental management while the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and the associated Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) reporting guidelines can provide more strategic sustainability reporting KPIs.

10. Culture audits: conducting culture audits to assess the alignment between organisational values and sustainability goals. This can help identify areas where culture change is needed to support sustainability programmes and why some programmes may be failing or would be difficult to implement.

Easy ways to embed sustainability into organisational culture

Embedding sustainability into organisational culture will always be a longer-term goal for many businesses but some easy steps can be applied to start the process or maintain the sustainability journey the organisation may have already planned or started. The following foundational simple business practices are applicable to all businesses regardless of size and sector.

1. Aligning the business with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs)

Aligning the business with the UN SDGs and underlying targets will help the organisation identify which goals are most relevant to the business. A quick look at most published corporate sustainability reports will show how organisations have mapped their health, safety, wellbeing and environmental initiatives against those UN SDGs they consider most relevant to their own mission statement and goals.

2. Establishing clear sustainability goals and targets

The first step in aligning organisational culture with sustainability goals is to establish clear, specific and measurable objectives and targets. These goals should be aligned with the broader mission and vision of the organisation, such as the UN SDGs that will provide a clear roadmap for your sustainability efforts.

For instance, an organisation might aim to reduce its carbon footprint by a certain percentage, increase its use of renewable energy or achieve specific reduction in waste by a specific year. By setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goals, organisations can provide a clear roadmap for employees to follow, making it easier for everyone to understand and contribute to sustainability initiatives in health, safety, wellbeing and environment.

Dr Keith Whitehead: "Organisations that prioritise sustainability will be better positioned to lead and thrive in the future."

3. Leadership commitment and role modelling

Leadership plays a pivotal, if not the most important role in shaping organisation culture in all aspects including with sustainability. When leaders actively demonstrate a visible commitment to sustainability, they set an example for employees and other stakeholders. This can be achieved through public endorsements of sustainability initiatives, participation in green practices and transparent communication about progress and challenges in implementing health, safety, wellbeing and environment sustainability.

By prioritising sustainability at the highest levels of the organisation, leaders can inspire and motivate employees to embrace and champion these values. Factors such as visible leadership tours, leading a sustainability programme and having personal sustainability objectives and targets are good examples.

4. Embedding sustainability into core business values

To truly align organisational culture with sustainability goals, sustainability must be embedded into the company’s core business values. This will involve integrating sustainable practices into day-to-day operations and decision-making processes. Organisations can achieve this by incorporating sustainability criteria into procurement policies, product development and even marketing strategies. When sustainability becomes a fundamental aspect of the organisation’s identity, it will permeate the culture, influencing behaviour and attitudes at all levels.

5. Educating and empowering employees

Education and empowerment are essential for fostering a culture of sustainability. Organisations should provide employees with the knowledge and tools they need to contribute to sustainability initiatives effectively. This can be done through workshops, training sessions and access to resources that highlight the importance of sustainability and practical ways to implement green practices. Encouraging people to participate in sustainability projects and giving them the autonomy to innovate and suggest improvements can also drive engagement and commitment.

6. Encouraging sustainable practices in the workplace

Promoting sustainable practices within the workplace is a tangible way to align culture with sustainability goals. Simple initiatives like recycling programmes, energy-saving measures and reducing single-use plastics can have a significant impact. Organisations can also encourage sustainable commuting options, such as carpooling, cycling or using public transportation. By making sustainability a part of everyday routines, organisations can create a sense of shared responsibility and collective action among employees.

7. Recognising and rewarding contributions

Recognition and rewards are powerful motivators for employees. Acknowledging and celebrating employees’ contributions to sustainability can reinforce positive behaviour and encourage continued efforts. This recognition can take various forms, such as awards, bonuses or appreciation and recognition on internal communication platforms or during organisational events. By highlighting the achievements of individuals and/or teams, organisations can create a culture that values and celebrates sustainability.

8. Collaborating with stakeholders

Sustainability is and will always be a collective effort that extends beyond the organisations own internal operations and functional and operational boundaries. Engaging with external stakeholders, including suppliers, contractors, customers, and the wider community, is a critical factor for driving sustainable practices throughout the value chain. The value chain includes primary activities like inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and sales and service, as well as support activities like procurement, technology development, human resource management and other support infrastructure. Organisations can collaborate with suppliers and contractors to source sustainable materials, work with customers to promote eco-responsible products and support community Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives that align with sustainability goals. By fostering strong relationships with stakeholders, organisations can amplify their impact and create a broader culture of sustainability.

9. Monitoring and reporting on sustainability progress

Transparency is key to building trust and accountability in health, safety, wellbeing and environment. Regularly monitoring and reporting on sustainability initiatives and their progress ensures that the organisation remains on track and can make necessary adjustments if needed. Organisations should publish sustainability reports that provide detailed information on their goals, actions and outcomes. This transparency not only demonstrates commitment but also allows for external scrutiny and feedback, which can drive continuous improvement. As stated, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) reporting guidelines provide more strategic sustainability reporting KPIs for public sustainability reporting.

10. Fostering a collaborative environment

Creating a collaborative environment where employees feel empowered to share ideas and contribute to sustainability initiatives is essential and can lead to innovative solutions and greater engagement. Organisations can establish sustainability committees or working groups that bring together employees from different departments to brainstorm ideas and implement initiatives. By fostering a sense of ownership and involvement, organisations can build a culture that thrives on collective effort and innovation.

Conclusion

Aligning organisational culture with sustainability goals is a journey that requires leadership, collaboration, and a commitment to continuous improvement, but it can be done by organisations of any size, in any sector. By establishing clear goals, demonstrating leadership commitment, embedding sustainability into core values, educating and empowering employees, encouraging sustainable practices, recognising contributions, collaborating with stakeholders, monitoring progress and fostering a collaborative environment, organisations can create a culture that not only supports but also thrives on sustainability.

As the world continues to grapple with pressing environmental and social challenges, organisations that prioritise sustainability will be better positioned to lead and thrive in the future.

Dr Keith Whitehead is senior environmental, health and consultant consultant at British Safety Council. For more information about British Safety Council’s environmental and sustainability products and services for businesses, see:
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