Sustainable development isn’t just about the environment, it’s
about social responsibility and economic benefit. This is widely talked about, but
when it comes to putting sustainable business into practice it can raise different challenges that requires a new set of skills.
In recent years political, academic, industry and consumer interest
has grown considerably in this area which has given rise to the development of
businesses with social and environmental conscience. Social enterprises are
seen as way forward by enabling communities to take ownership of initiatives
that contribute back.
Like any business, social enterprises need to demonstrate their
benefits they provide to the communities they serve. However because these can
include environmental and social benefits aswell as a financial profit the way
these benefits are captured requires so much more than a profit and loss
balance sheet or an environmental management system.
Over the last year or so Ecostudio have been working with
leading social enterprises and community initiatives to establish sustainable
performance indicators and a practical methodology for benchmarking
these benefits. This has provided a straightforward way to demonstrate a social
businesses contribution to a sustainable future and offers a practical way
forward for planning for the future.
A feature on one of our clients will follow……please check
back soon….or contact us for more info.