“Recently, we had the pleasure of hosting Steve Malkin, CEO and Founder of the Planet Mark at our Customer and Supplier Day, who shared valuable insights on how businesses can align their values with sustainability goals. One of the key takeaways Steve gave us was the importance of collaborating and communicating with stakeholders and reinforcing sustainable achievements no matter how small with strong story telling. He went on to explain, that as people we remember events and milestones and by storytelling to all our stakeholders, from our colleagues to our customers and suppliers to the public at large we can celebrate success along our continual ESG journey.
At the event some of us highlighted the challenges around greenwashing, sometimes PR and communication felt like it could be seen as greenwashing. Steve encouraged us all to yes, be very careful to not greenwash, but as the same time, if the journey achieves sustainable milestones, it’s important that stakeholders know about these milestones. If you are truthful and detailed about these successes, then it’s not greenwashing. You can find out more about avoiding greenwashing by reading Planet Mark’s advice on how avoiding greenwashing can strengthen your brand position.
Technology emerged as a powerful enabler in our journey towards carbon reduction and achieving net-zero emissions. Steve emphasised how leveraging innovative technologies can drive transformative change throughout our operations. By harnessing technology, we can implement efficient processes, optimise resource utilisation, and reduce our carbon footprint, ultimately leading the way towards a more sustainable future.
This technology is also important when we look to gather and report social value, the ‘S’ of ESG, as it is becoming increasingly important, particularly to larger stakeholders and its not always easy to measure and report the social value of a business. Steve explained that in many ways the environmental elements of ESG are easier to measure and report. Mainly because as businesses we have been doing this for longer and the information is easier to obtain. He stressed that most businesses have a higher social value than they think, Planet Mark technology can help determine this value and allow businesses to report more easily to the increasing number of stakeholders that are asking for this data.
To sum up, Steve emphasised that sustainability is not just about our own journey—it’s about fostering collaboration and supporting our customers and suppliers in achieving their environmental and societal goals and the significance of extending our sustainability efforts beyond our organisation, working hand in hand with our valued partners to drive positive change throughout the supply chain.”
At OT Group we are committed to integrating sustainability and ESG principles into our business practices. By aligning our values with sustainability, leveraging technology to reduce our environmental impact, and supporting our customers and suppliers in their sustainability journeys, we believe we can make a meaningful difference.
