Making sustainability more than a buzzword

“Best of breed,” “value-added,” “synergy,” “seamless,” “sustainability” – what do all these terms have in common? They are all popular buzzwords that fly from businessman to businessman at boardroom meetings like mosquitos on a hot day.

The problem with buzzwords is that they sound good when spoken, so they are constantly overused in business settings and lose meaning as a result. What does “herding cats” mean? It refers to an attempt at bringing organization to an otherwise chaotic work environment. However, entrepreneurs often  talk about “herding cats” rather than developing leadership, empowering employees or making meaningful changes to the workplace.

The term “sustainability” falls in the same category. Businesses – especially nowadays – increasingly talk about improving “sustainability.” But what does it mean to improve or focus on sustainability? Sustainability can be applied to a variety of tasks. Companies can have green sustainability, where they focus on reducing their environmental impact. There is social sustainability, which revolves around employee and labor relations. Finally, there is operational sustainability – the ability to continually perform and improve basic business tasks.

“Sustainability requires and seeks to maintain a state of balance,” Josh Lasky, a professor of sustainability, writes for Policy Innovations. “Yet in a world where it seems that balance (whether ecological, economic, or otherwise) has become a speedy and accelerating target, even our best guesses at what the future holds admit a tremendous range of possibility.”

Clearly, sustainability is an ambiguous buzzword. However, it can act as a successful guideline for businesses. If companies want to achieve sustainability, they need to break it down further: What are there specific goals and objectives, and what actions and practices can they put in place to achieve these end results?

Lean sustainability
Kaizen is an effective tool to obtain sustainability at any level. The set of Japanese mindsets and practices revolves around reducing waste, bolstering operational efficiency and empowering employees.

“Waste reduction” applies to a variety of functions. At the most basic level, it means eliminating and removing processes that don't create value. This can refer to taking steps out of an activity to improve efficiency (for example, removing red tape to make it easier for customers to sign up for a bank account). However, it can also refer to a reduction of pollution and environmental waste. For example, if a manufacturing line has fewer steps, it is also less likely to consume as much fuel.

Operational efficiency is something most businesses strive for. The recession has forced many companies to limit their budgets and do more with less. In this kind of work environment, efficiency is crucial. By focusing on reducing needless tasks and streamlining processes, companies can improve their ability to operate. This helps entrepreneurs make their businesses as a whole more sustainable and future-proof.

Finally, Lean practices can be deployed to achieve social sustainability as well. Kaizen revolves around the empowerment of employees at every level, starting from the bottom. When worker satisfaction and engagement becomes a priority for employers, they are better able to enforce environmental and operational standards. A Lean workplace is run by engaged employees, so by empowering them, businesses can better achieve other sustainability goals.

Whether a company's goal is to reduce waste, improve operational capacity or buoy employee relations, Lean sustainability can help businesses to achieve all three goals.