Driving a Successful Sustainability Agenda – A Deep Dive into a Holistic Approach

Driving a sustainability strategy comes with incredible complexity and a spectrum of expectations. With the stakes being as high as it gets – the preservation of our planet – this is one we need to get right. The question is: HOW?

In Cisco CX we have designed a coherent and holistic framework to help you synergize different aspects of sustainability into a unified strategy. This enables a strategic alignment between sustainability & business goals, and a comprehensive stakeholder engagement – integrating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) metrics into business performance indicators and optimizing the allocation of resources.

Importantly, our framework recognizes the inherent diversity among stakeholders and their varying priorities and value drivers in the realm of sustainability. It can be a common scenario where initiatives aimed at sustainability are often confined within silos, resulting in different parts of the organization operating at different maturity levels.

By acknowledging this reality, our framework helps organizations align their capabilities and benchmark themselves against industry leaders. This entails a comprehensive approach that takes into account the distinct perspectives and objectives of different stakeholders. By integrating their efforts and fostering collaboration across departments, organizations can bridge the gaps in maturity levels and ensure a more cohesive and holistic approach toward sustainability.

Moreover, this integrated approach promotes a more unified organizational culture, where sustainability becomes an intrinsic part of the overall business strategy.

In part 1 of this 2-part blog series, I want to share with you our signature approach, developed by Cisco CX to drive a successful sustainability agenda.

Six Dimensions to driving a holistic approach to sustainability

We take a structured approach in assessing the technology maturity across six key dimensions: Strategy, Governance, Execution, IT for Sustainability, Sustainable IT, and ESG Data Management. By evaluating each dimension, we help our customers gain valuable insights into their current state, identify areas for improvement, and translate them – leveraging our expertise – into a roadmap.

• Strategy: Focuses on evaluating your approach to sustainability within your overall business strategy. It assesses how effectively sustainability goals are aligned with your vision and mission. This also considers the level of integration of sustainability into strategic decision-making processes and the establishment of clear objectives and targets.
• Governance: Examines your governance structure and processes regarding sustainability. It evaluates the presence of dedicated sustainability governance bodies, the level of senior leadership involvement, and the effectiveness of oversight mechanisms. This dimension also takes into account the organization’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and risk management related to sustainability initiatives.
• Execution: Assesses your ability to translate your sustainability strategy into action. It evaluates the presence of well-defined implementation plans, the allocation and skills of resources, and the engagement of relevant stakeholders. This also examines your capability to drive change, implement more sustainable practices, and monitor progress effectively.
• IT for sustainable business: Focuses on your utilization of technology to support sustainability initiatives. It assesses the integration of sustainability considerations into IT strategy and the use of technology solutions to optimize resource consumption, reduce environmental impact, and enhance operational efficiency. This also examines your capability to leverage emerging technologies for sustainable innovation.
• Sustainable IT: Evaluates your internal IT infrastructure and operations with a sustainability lens. It assesses your efforts to minimize energy consumption, reduce e-waste, and adopt environmentally friendly practices in IT procurement and asset management. This also considers your commitment to sustainability-related IT standards and certifications.
• ESG data management: Focuses on your ability to collect, analyze, and report ESG-related data. It assesses the quality, accuracy, and completeness of data collection processes, as well as your capability to derive meaningful insights from the data. This also evaluates your transparency and reliability in reporting ESG performance to stakeholders.

Focus on Measurable Outcomes: Turning Data into Action for Progress on Sustainability

In Cisco CX we love turning data into actionable insights.

It’s time for organizations to move beyond data collection and analysis and focus on translating those insights into tangible actions and committing to implementing practices designed with sustainability in mind. Energy management offers a great example; Access to data allows us to evaluate consumption, optimize usage, implement energy-efficient technologies, and explore renewable energy sources. Taking action can result in reducing emissions, reducing costs, and improving operational efficiency.

Let’s not forget, that measurable outcomes play a vital role in progressing the sustainability agenda; we all need to set quantifiable goals, track progress, monitor performance, identify gaps, and take corrective actions as needed. In other words, we need to be able to report on our progress and milestones transparently. Not only to be accountable and build trust but also to benchmark our performance against industry peers and further improve.

Be more sustainable with Cisco CX

Leveraging our years of experience, Cisco CX’s comprehensive approach to guide you through your sustainability transformation journey can help you achieve measurable outcomes.

Sustainability can be a competitive differentiator in today’s fast-changing business landscape. Contact us to understand where you stand, compare yourself with your industry peers, and develop an executable roadmap to advance your sustainability journey.

Together, let us create a better world through technology and sustainability!

In part two of my blog, I will look at the different personas and the value drivers for sustainability. Stay tuned!