Improving Employee Involvement in Company Sustainability

[mguilbert]

I attended a webinar yesterday on improving employee invovlement in sustainability by Brown & Flynn. One of the items I saw was "My Sustainability Plan" developed for Wal-Mart. This is more for your employees or anyone else to use on a personal level but can lead to employees bringing it back into the work place. You can issue personal challenges to fellow employees. Wal-Mart is allowing companies to set it up groups for your org. royalty free.

See link below for more info and how to get started.

https://mysustainabilityplan.com/

 

[Stijloor]

I attended a webinar yesterday on improving employee invovlement in sustainability by Brown & Associates. One of the items I saw was "My Sustainability Plan" developed for Wal-Mart. This is more for your employees or anyone else to use on a personal level but can lead to employees bringing it back into the work place. You can issue personal challenges to fellow employees. Wal-Mart is allowing companies to set it up groups for your org. royalty free.

See link below for more info and how to get started.

https://mysustainabilityplan.com/

Hmmm... Coming from Wal-Mart?

Interesting...

Stijloor.

 

[mguilbert]

Hmmm... Coming from Wal-Mart?

Interesting...

Stijloor.

I am sure they are collecting info. But they already do unless you use cash.

BTW. I am no supporter of Wal-Mart but they are one of the main drivers pushing sustainability back up the supply chain. Much like KFC and McDonalds on Animal Welfare. Wal-marts goal from what I have heard is to have carbon footprint or environmetal impact scores right next to price so shoppers if they choose can make purchases based on both price & "Greeness" of product.

 

[mguilbert]

Below is a link to the recorded webinar that has been posted on the Unitedd States Business Council for Sustainability Website. There may be other things here that may help. I was called away from desk during the webinar and was unable to view it entirely and the recording is currently blocked by our IT dept "streaming video".


http://usbcsd.org/category/webinar/

 

[Jen Kirley]

Hmmm... Coming from Wal-Mart?

Interesting...

Stijloor.

Actually, Wal-Mart has been doing quite a lot of work to reduce resource consumption, including efficient logistics, energy saving measures in stores and asking suppliers to reduce packaging.

It is easy to suppose Wal-Mart is interested it its own profits vs "green" but it should be noted that the dynamics are not mutually exclusive. Corporate Social Responsibility is, after all largely interested in things that often turn out to be profitable as well. Specifically, reducing packaging reduces logistics costs in shipping whilst reducing consumption of resources to produce all that packaging and then it reduces trash volumes.

Wal-Mart has more employees than any other company, true? If it can manage to change behavior it will exhibit a positive force that can be leveraged. While I am a stern critic of Wal-Mart I find myself in the position to cheer its industry leadership in these areas.

 

[Stijloor]

Actually, Wal-Mart has been doing quite a lot of work to reduce resource consumption, including efficient logistics, energy saving measures in stores and asking suppliers to reduce packaging.

It is easy to suppose Wal-Mart is interested it its own profits vs "green" but it should be noted that the dynamics are not mutually exclusive. Corporate Social Responsibility is, after all largely interested in things that often turn out to be profitable as well. Specifically, reducing packaging reduces logistics costs in shipping whilst reducing consumption of resources to produce all that packaging and then it reduces trash volumes.

Wal-Mart has more employees than any other company, true? If it can manage to change behavior it will exhibit a positive force that can be leveraged. While I am a stern critic of Wal-Mart I find myself in the position to cheer its industry leadership in these areas.

I know a little bit about about this organization's practices and how it treats its personnel and suppliers. :mg:

Hence my skepticism...

Stijloor.

 

[Jen Kirley]

I know a little bit about about this organization's practices and how it treats its personnel and suppliers. :mg:

Hence my skepticism...

Stijloor.

Absolutely. However, it is only fair to point out that Wal-Mart has been making efforts to improve its practices. How well that plays out is yet to be seen... its reputation for heavy-handed tactics with suppliers will be hard to overcome, and I feel sure it will keep its image as the worst employer in any town for some while.

 

[Dr. L. Ramakrishnan]

I agree with Jennifer's views. No corporation is without problems with any of its stakeholders. Identifying such issues and irritants and moving forward within certain acceptable framework is the best thing that a corporation can do. While Wal-Mart's issues are well known all over the world, at least it is taking actions in certain areas, need not be related to employees and suppliers, to improve the lives of people around the world. If Wal-Mart has to be sustainable in the long run, I am sure it will take appropriate actions in the concerned areas of employees and suppliers in the near future.

My assessment so far is that most of the corporations (even if they say they are proactive) are reactive with respect to many sustainability issues (e.g. labour, health & safety, environment, management systems, governance - which includes diversity, inclusiveness, corruption and bribery, harassment, intellectual property rights etc.). But their PR moves faster than light !!!

 

[gpainter]

Wal-Mart is working on becoming a leader in sustainability. Most areas look to "what is Wal-Mart doing?" as an indicator of what they should be doing. Good or bad?!.

 

[gpainter]

Lean is Green and one of the 3 legs of Sustainability is economic(profit). One can not have a good stool if all three legs are not present or level. I listened to the presentation and have e-mailed for more info. May be of some interest, although not sure of participation rates.