Read today’s headlines in the news and you’ll see that the topic of “sustainability” is a popular one, and it touches just about every industry out there. From the global mining industry to the food and beverage industry, to the transportation and construction industries, there really isn’t an industry or business in the world that isn’t somehow affected by what many people call “the sustainability trend.”
What does it mean to be “more sustainable”? To be more sustainable, businesses in all industries are focusing on reducing waste and using resources – energy, water and materials – more efficiently. They’re employing closed-loop processes to help protect the environment. Manufacturers are being much more conscientious about considering a product’s entire life cycle, and they’re practicing ways to restore renewable resources and their communities.
How do companies implement sustainability strategies? According to the Sustainability Learning Centre, “There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ strategy for implementing sustainability… Some companies need to start with considering ‘whether they want to pursue sustainability’ while others know that this is a priority and want to know ‘how to implement sustainability.’”
Sustainability is here to stay! We predict the topic of sustainability will continue to be popular around the world, and all industries will do their part to employ sustainable practices. Businesses and organizations are gathering together and planning trade shows and expos to highlight sustainable practices. A few examples are the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week which took place earlier this year, and, in the China., the University of Pittsburgh is hosting Engineering Sustainability 2013, and the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) is hosting their conference in Fasteners in the coming months – and there are many other sustainability-related conferences planned this year.
We believe sustainability really is more than a trend: It’s a new way of life and a new way of doing business for everyone.