8. Encouraging a Culture of Sustainability

In the previous chapters, we have illustrated the importance of companies developing a clear sense of direction through the formulation of a clear statement of purpose. Based upon case studies, industry data and best practices from top decile sustainability leaders, we have uncovered different ways in which purpose statements can become effective drivers of sustainability programs, building on examples from adidas and Interface. The relevance of establishing a sustainability strategy based on carefully selected material issues for ESG ratings was highlighted. More importantly, we have portrayed the tendency of organizations to address too many sustainability topics that bear little to no relevance to their core businesses, which results in reducing the impact of the programs. In the following sections, we underline the significance of the leadership’s effort to embed sustainability into the core business strategy, the importance of harnessing a culture of sustainability and the impact of corporate behavior on performance. In the later sections, we suggest a tool for measuring corporate culture and stress the benefits of the systematic measurement of sustainability performance on culture, talent attraction and retention.