Sustainability guide for SMEs
When it comes to sustainability, SMEs can also make a big difference - more than they may realize and even with just a few resources. This is shown by a new sustainability guide that the auditing firm OBT has created together with the HSG St.Gallen.
SMEs can also achieve more than they think with limited budget, time and influence. Sustainability is often seen as a continuous process of change. Due to constantly changing framework conditions, it is important to review further measures and the achievement of objectives at certain intervals. A new sustainability guide for SMEs from OBT and HSG St.Gallen provides concrete instructions and practical examples.
A topic that affects everyone
The fact is that the topic of sustainability now affects all of us, whether personally or as a company, regardless of size and industry. However, practice shows that there is still a lot to be done and that the differences between companies are still very large: On the one hand, there are SMEs that are already considered pioneers when it comes to sustainability; on the other hand, there are those companies that are only beginning to ask themselves what measures might even make sense. And there is another group: those SMEs that underestimate their possibilities for contributing to greater sustainability or overestimate the effort involved. "Because even with supposedly small measures, a lot could be achieved over time. In our opinion, there is a lack of overview and inspiration - especially examples from SMEs for SMEs," write the editors of the new SME Guide to Sustainability. Too often, they say, the sustainability discourse takes place at the level of large companies, even though two-thirds of employees in Switzerland work in SMEs. The leverage to make a difference would therefore be great, they continue.
Sustainability guide with broad-based knowledge
This was motivation enough to develop a sustainability guide specifically for SMEs. According to the editors, they want to make a small contribution to even more sustainable business practices in the Swiss SME landscape and beyond. The sustainability guide first provides an overview of the concept of sustainability and explains sustainability standards and certifications. It then outlines ways in which the need for action can be identified and measures implemented - pragmatically and/or with a systematic approach. How sustainability can be communicated and continuously developed is also explained, and resources are also mentioned where SMEs can get external support.
The Sustainability Guide for SMEs is broadly based and brings together perspectives from theory and practice. Interview partners such as Stefan Aerni (Quality & Sustainability Manager at Dolder Hotel AG), Olmar Albers (Managing Director öbu - Association for Sustainable Business), Josephine Herzig (Co-Director Engagement Programs, B Lab Switzerland) or Stephen Neff (CEO, Foundation myclimate) have contributed their knowledge. The SME guide can be downloaded directly from the website of OBT and is also available as a short extract.
