How to write a sustainability policy
A Sustainability Policy is a series of short statements that demonstrate your sustainability commitments. It’s an overarching account of your sustainability journey so far – your impacts, commitments, and actions.
Why do I need a Sustainability Policy?
There are numerous reasons why you need a Sustainability Policy, these are our top three:
- It’s becoming a necessity: Your policies are often one of the first things investors will ask to see to determine if you are managing your environmental and social (E&S) issues. And as larger companies come under increasing pressure to improve the sustainability of their supply chains, they will also be expecting suppliers to have the right policies in place.
- It’s a great communication tool: A Sustainability Policy sets out all the key information your employees need to know about your commitments and goals – it will help them understand why changes are being made and what their role in those changes are.
What should I include in my Sustainability Policy?
We have created a Sustainability Policy template that you can use as a guide, but it’s important to remember that it should be specific to your company.
Nevertheless, your policy should include some of the following elements and be between one and two pages long:
- The wider context: Start by acknowledging why sustainability is important.
- A statement of your commitment and scope: Simply state that you’re committed to making positive changes and what is covered.
- Your priority areas: State your main E&S impacts and the subsequent areas you have chosen to prioritise. There’s no set number of topics you should prioritise, but for smaller businesses we would recommend between two and five.
- The actions you are taking: Include a bullet point list of the actions you’re taking to address your priority areas. You could also highlight your goals and when you’re aiming to achieve them by. Measurable targets are better.
- Accreditations: If you have any certifications, you should include a statement about them (examples include ISO 14001, BCorp, Fairtrade).
- Senior Management Sign-Off: Those at the top of the company should sign the Sustainability Policy – this demonstrates your company’s commitment to making real change.
What makes a good Sustainability Policy?
To stand out, your Sustainability Policy should be:
- Honest: Be transparent about your progress and set realistic ambitions. Also, don’t be afraid to be open about the challenges you face as a small business in addressing sustainability. Doing so helps build trust between you and your customers and prevents accusations of greenwashing.
- Easy to find: If you want to capitalise on the marketing benefits of having a Sustainability Policy then make sure your stakeholders can find it. It should be on your website for customers to read and shared with your employees and business partners.
- Continuously reviewed: Your Sustainability Policy should change to reflect changes in your company. You should review it annually and update it with any new goals or milestones reached.
Here's some Sustainability Policies we like:
- Example 1: Crystal Doors (a door and window manufacturer in Rochdale) have a simple and effective policy – it clearly states their impacts, commitments, and the specific actions they are taking.
- Example 2: Vantage (a retail marketing company) clearly detail the actions they undertaking are to address their major E&S issues and highlight their targets.
- Example 3: Adexchange (a media company) have an easy to follow policy that is centred around how they will help the local community.
- Example 4: Although Mondi are a large global manufacturing company, their overarching Sustainably Policy is still short and clear – it’s two pages long and highlights their main objectives.
How to write a sustainability policy
A Sustainability Policy is a series of short statements that demonstrate your sustainability commitments. It’s an overarching account of your sustainability journey so far – your impacts, commitments, and actions.
Why do I need a Sustainability Policy?
There are numerous reasons why you need a Sustainability Policy, these are our top three:
- It’s becoming a necessity: Your policies are often one of the first things investors will ask to see to determine if you are managing your environmental and social (E&S) issues. And as larger companies come under increasing pressure to improve the sustainability of their supply chains, they will also be expecting suppliers to have the right policies in place.
- It’s a great communication tool: A Sustainability Policy sets out all the key information your employees need to know about your commitments and goals – it will help them understand why changes are being made and what their role in those changes are.
What should I include in my Sustainability Policy?
We have created a Sustainability Policy template that you can use as a guide, but it’s important to remember that it should be specific to your company.
Nevertheless, your policy should include some of the following elements and be between one and two pages long:
- The wider context: Start by acknowledging why sustainability is important.
- A statement of your commitment and scope: Simply state that you’re committed to making positive changes and what is covered.
- Your priority areas: State your main E&S impacts and the subsequent areas you have chosen to prioritise. There’s no set number of topics you should prioritise, but for smaller businesses we would recommend between two and five.
- The actions you are taking: Include a bullet point list of the actions you’re taking to address your priority areas. You could also highlight your goals and when you’re aiming to achieve them by. Measurable targets are better.
- Accreditations: If you have any certifications, you should include a statement about them (examples include ISO 14001, BCorp, Fairtrade).
- Senior Management Sign-Off: Those at the top of the company should sign the Sustainability Policy – this demonstrates your company’s commitment to making real change.
What makes a good Sustainability Policy?
To stand out, your Sustainability Policy should be:
- Honest: Be transparent about your progress and set realistic ambitions. Also, don’t be afraid to be open about the challenges you face as a small business in addressing sustainability. Doing so helps build trust between you and your customers and prevents accusations of greenwashing.
- Easy to find: If you want to capitalise on the marketing benefits of having a Sustainability Policy then make sure your stakeholders can find it. It should be on your website for customers to read and shared with your employees and business partners.
- Continuously reviewed: Your Sustainability Policy should change to reflect changes in your company. You should review it annually and update it with any new goals or milestones reached.
Here's some Sustainability Policies we like:
- Example 1: Crystal Doors (a door and window manufacturer in Rochdale) have a simple and effective policy – it clearly states their impacts, commitments, and the specific actions they are taking.
- Example 2: Vantage (a retail marketing company) clearly detail the actions they undertaking are to address their major E&S issues and highlight their targets.
- Example 3: Adexchange (a media company) have an easy to follow policy that is centred around how they will help the local community.
- Example 4: Although Mondi are a large global manufacturing company, their overarching Sustainably Policy is still short and clear – it’s two pages long and highlights their main objectives.