'A Better Way' Sustainability Strategy. Integrating all 17 UN SDGs to achieve a net positive benefit to people, planet, and profit.
Description
ilke Homes' A Better Way sustainability strategy aligns with, and facilitates the success of, all 17 UNSDGs. Our approach to sustainability matches our innovative and forward-thinking approach to business. A Better Way was born out of a desire to integrate a holistic approach to sustainability and progress past a culture of 'no harm' towards one that delivers a net positive benefit to people, planet, and profit. Developed by a local master’s student, it integrates modern and creative approaches to achieving the Triple Bottom Line over the next 5 years.
The fundamental objective of our A Better Way strategy, and the underlying focus of all our sustainability practices, is to push beyond simple ‘box-ticking’ exercises and instead create tangible advancements towards the achievement of global sustainability agenda.<br />
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Through aligning our sustainability framework with the UNSDG framework, our goal of achieving a holistic approach to sustainability and bringing benefit to people, planet, whilst continuing to grow and develop financially, can be truly realised.<br />
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Working from the basis that the UNSGD framework was purposefully designed to be implemented as a whole, with the success of one Goal facilitating the success of another, an executive decision to progress past ‘cherry picking’ several UNSDGs to align with and support was taken, and instead the Better Way aligns with all 17 of the UNSDGs.<br />
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Our unique approach to sustainability sets a precedence for inspiring change, both within the UK manufacturing and construction industry and beyond, in terms of realistically setting a path to achieve full sustainability. It acts as an example to others regarding the feasibility of pushing forward and attaining a holistically sustainable future for all. <br />
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Our bold approach to sustainability initiatives brought a number of difficulties, notable the process of localising the Global Goals into a digestible format for a UK based start-up business. This challenging feat could only be combatted through executive buy-in, belief in path taken, and an innovative, open-minded approach to sustainability agenda. Indeed, it is top management support, confidence in the mission, and out-of-the-box thinking which will continue to remedy any difficulties and challenges which will might arise to secure the success of A Better Way.
The A Better Way strategy developed out of ilke Home’s desire to accept moral responsibility for its operations, implement Best Business Practice, and through recognition of the shifting consumer market towards one which increasingly values morality, responsibility, and sustainability.
The project has been designed to follow the UNSDG framework and incorporate a Triple Bottom Line approach- addressing social, economic, and environmental challenges. The strategy required the localisation of the Global Goals, transitioning global sustainability agenda into a UK based manufacturing and construction context. This was achieved through external market analysis and creative thinking.
In terms of logistics, the A Better Way strategy comprises of 17 company-specific objectives each with a 2018, 2019, and 2024 target. Therefore, the A Better Way strategy encompasses multiple sub-projects which are co-ordinated to deliver a complete approach to sustainability over the next 5 years.
As ilke Homes is a start-up business, the strategy has been designed into progressive stages to aid success and prevent burn-out through over-optimism. Therefore smaller, less resource intense projects are designed in the first year of the project whereas more aspirational, large-scale projects which require substantially more resources are designed to be undertaken as the company develops in the years to come. This approach was undertaken as to remain ambitious, yet realistic.
A Better Way is integrated throughout the business, from design to manufacture to on-site installation, and therefore although principally implemented and overseen by ilke’s in-house sustainability advisor, responsibility is delegated throughout the company as to ensure a unified, collective-responsibility approach. This makes the overall practice both viable and achievable as well as further supporting a culture of shared responsibility for sustainability.
- Delivering a free fruit scheme to all employees encouraging individuals to increase their in-take of fresh fruit and vegetables. Research shows that for every £1 spent on increasing proportions of fruit and vegetables £11 of social value can be created.
- Undertaking a Phase 1 Habitat Survey to understand the ecological context of our main factory site and to work with experts to develop a biodiversity plan moving forward on how we can best support ecological advancements.
- Implementing a successful in-house recycling scheme allowing 98.76% of waste to be diverted from landfill.
- Securing an efficient, effective, and responsible hazardous waste plan to prevent harmful pollutants affecting local wildlife and communities.
- Identifying strategic suppliers and working with said suppliers to raise awareness of, and minimise the production of, waste. Development of systematic Waste Take Back schemes which align with the waste hierarchy.
- Achieving 5% Club status representing a commitment from ilke Homes to have a minimum of 5% of our workforce as Earn and Learn employees by 2024. Working with local educational institutions to avoid the social phenomenon of 'Brain Drain' keeping talent within Yorkshire and contributing to local socio-economic development.
- Working with experts to conduct overheating and embodied carbon assessments to establish baseline values and highlight areas where we can continually improve upon these starting values.
- Implementing super-low flow water infrastructure in each of our homes as standard to achieve UK level 6 Code for Sustainable Homes status on water use per person, therefore protecting a vital natural resource and minimising water bills for end-users.
- Conducting two phases of employee engagement, asking our employees how to we can create better homes, deliver better communities, and establish a better business plan. We have also introduced a 'Ask an Exec' element to our staff app to increase transparency across the business and minimise inequality risks.
- Beginning to report on our ESG performance to stakeholders and maintaining excellent communication links between sustainability agenda and all employees through monthly A Better Way updates available on our staff app.
Through the above results, ilke Homes has actively contributed, at least to some extent, to 12 UNSDGs since October 2018.
- Executive buy-in: Executive buy-in has been instrumental so far in allowing the Better Way strategy to flourish into a successful practice, and undoubtedly it will continue to be the ‘make or break’ of the strategy’s success. Without executive buy-in we would risk a disordered and fractured approach to sustainability. With executive buy-in there is solid direction.
- Engagement: Engagement across the company, from general operatives to the executive board, is fundamental to the success of a sustainability practice. Through engagement, the practice has company-wide buy-in, a united direction, and a sense of shared ownership/responsibility.
- Dedicated Resources: Having a full-time in-house sustainability advisor allows for the strategy to again have direction and a ‘leader’. Without a dedicated employee to sustainability agenda the task would fall to employees who already have full-time roles and therefore it would risk sustainability efforts falling short. To be serious regarding the success of any sustainability practice, adequate resources must be invested.
- Creative Thinking: Thinking outside the box allowed for challenges regarding resource scarcity to be overcome. As explained above, to allow for a successful practice, adequate resources have to be invested, however in order to be economically viable, the practice has to work within fiscal boundaries. To overcome the issue of resource scarcity in the face an ambitious sustainability strategy, it was imperative that creative thinking took centre stage; how objectives could be attained, SDGs facilitated, within the confines of limited resources.
- Localising the Strategy: Transitioning the Global Goals into a UK manufacturing and construction context was, and is, fundamental for enabling the success of the practice. Through making the UNSDGs relevant to employees, executives, investors, and so forth it is easier to communicate the importance of the UNSDG framework, which otherwise appears ‘distant’, and achieve a higher degree of buy-in.
As a start-up business, without the luxury of indefinite resources behind our sustainability strategy, we had to be creative with our sustainability practices; looking for innovative ways to maximise result with minimal input. This can be seen throughout our strategy (linked below). Results obtained so far showcase that tangible positive impacts can be achieved through resource-light practices.
Impacts:<br />
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Through aligning our sustainability practices with the UNSDG framework we have already begun to make significant social, economic, and environmentally positive impacts. By using the UNSDG framework as the basis of our sustainability practices, it ensures that all three aspects of sustainability are addressed. This allows for us to have a truly holistic sustainability impact.<br />
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Furthermore, through localising the Global Goals by integrating the UNSDG framework into a UK based manufacturing and construction context; it shows the true power behind the ‘think globally, act locally’ ideology. Our A Better Way practice, although designed for our business within our specific context, is having a global impact as can be seen through our evidence-based results to date.<br />
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Finally, it is necessary to remember when considering the UNSDG framework and developing a UNSDG based sustainability practice, that the sustainable development goals are innately interlinked and interdependent. Therefore, the fulfilment of one Goal often leads to, or at least aids, the success of other Goals. We have seen this within our sustainability practices either by design or by secondary/tertiary impact.<br />
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Ground-Breaking Practice:<br />
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A Better Way is ground-breaking for two reasons. First, it incorporates all 17 UNSDGs, 62 specific global targets. This is considerable given the general consensus within the private sector to cherry pick ‘easy-win’ Goals. A Better Way is ambitious, it steps out of our comfort zone, but it is this which means we will make ground-breaking, inspiring change.<br />
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Secondly, building on the above, we have managed to make an ambitious yet realistic sustainability practice which addresses all 17 UNSDGs as a UK based start-up business meaning we do not have indefinite resources behind us. The fact we have created, and started to implement, A Better Way with real results to date is ground-breaking in itself.<br />
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Lessons Learnt:<br />
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From planning to initiating to execution, the key lesson learnt in implementing our successful sustainability practice is the importance of networking and working openly with others in order to secure help, advice, resources, and alternative perspectives. It has become even more apparent through delivering A Better Way that only through working collaboratively can a sustainable future be realised.
SDGS & Targets
Deliverables & Timeline
Resources mobilized
Partnership Progress
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| 14.1 | By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution |
| 17.14 | Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development |
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- Europe
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Contact Information
Rebecca Richardson, Miss