Business View Magazine | Volume 8, Issue 9

93 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 8, ISSUE 9 THESIS scores have improved (relatively) 38%, from 32.5% to 45% (where 100% equals the maximum score). This is an indication that the systems and processes put in place to respond to THESIS KPIs are creating positive changes in the manufacturer’s practices and its supply chain, leading to an overall improvement in scores. Scores improved in 2020 after largely remaining the same between 2018 and 2019, indicating that companies pursued sustainability improvements even during the challenges of the 2020 global pandemic. Across these years, we have observed particularly large increases in many product categories in measurement of greenhouse gases, water use intensity, air quality, and worker health and safety, and management systems to manage biodiversity in sourcing. Some areas that still have relatively low scores across many manufacturers includes packaging sustainability, managing deforestation risks in complex food supply chains, and managing end-of-life and product takeback in durable goods (outside of the electronics sector, which is a leader here). What Can You Do? Every company, large or small, can be a sustainability leader in its market. A business’s need to act on sustainability is related to the expected costs and revenues associated with acting versus continuing with existing practices and processes. Voluntary adoption of new THE SUSTA INAB I L I TY CONSORT IUM practices requires a business case to act. The most common costs and revenue impacts from sustainability improvements are: • Reduction of operating costs • Improve worker productivity • Reduced regulatory and reputational risks • Reduced supply risks • Increased product or service revenue • Increased external investment Given the broad array of issues that a company could pay attention to and act on, it should