Sustainability, The Next Frontier of Innovation

Whether it has been the impact of plastic pollution on our oceans or making sure we increasingly source our goods and services from local suppliers, the implementation of a sustainability strategy is something that businesses cannot ignore.

As companies tackle ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) issues, they may find themselves at different stages of the maturity curve from initial steps, like creating dedicated sustainability positions or a sustainability department, to the leading practice of integrating ESG goals into corporate strategy. And while previously many companies believed sustainability may be a cost and negatively impact their bottom line, many are realising that more often than not the opposite is true; sustainability increases profit.

Sustainability can also be used to drive innovation activities. However, at times the scale and enormity of the task means that companies are not always sure how and where to start.

With this in mind, and in order to help guide our membership in this area, we held a number of events during 2020 focussed on everything from the EU Green New Deal to Sustainability Strategy and on to the incorporation of ‘Design for Repair’ principles in the development process.

Throughout 2021 and beyond, IRDG will continue to keep our membership up to date with all elements of Sustainability development, especially as the state agencies start to incorporate sustainability targets into their 2024 Innovation Strategies.