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Total Technologies helps companies become sustainable

Total Technologies helps companies become sustainable

DID YOU KNOW? That the new non-financial sustainability reporting directive (CSRD), approved by the European Parliament in November 2022, is also to be adopted by member states this year.

- Thus, from 2024 all large companies, with more than 250 employees or which achieve more than 40 million euros in turnover (or have assets greater than 20 million euros) will have the obligation to submit a statement regarding the operational impact on environment (the obligation enters into force in 2024, but the first report for 2024 must be submitted in January 2025). The reports will also include appropriate environmental impact statements from the service providers. A first-wave CSRD-eligible manufacturer or retailer will require logistics or transport/distribution providers to submit a report on the level of carbon emissions produced for the storage/handling, transport/distribution of its products. 2024 becomes the threshold from which almost all companies in the transport and logistics industry will have to take CSRD into account.

- Two years later, starting with 2026, the directive will also apply to medium-sized companies, with 50-249 employees and a turnover of 8 to 40 million euros.

- And by the end of the decade, including small companies with at least 10 employees and a turnover of over 700,000 euros, will have to draw up and submit their sustainability statements.

It is already a certainty that the long-term success of a company cannot exist without the inclusion of sustainable solutions in the business development strategy. Here's how sustainability can be a key differentiator in the business environment:

• Sustainability in business

• What differentiates a sustainable business from the competition. The benefits of sustainability

• Steps to a sustainable business

 

Sustainability in business

What does sustainability mean?

If we were to find a definition of what "sustainable development" means, one of the benchmarks we can take is the 1987 Brundtland report of the World Commission on Environment and Development, entitled "Our Common Future". According to this document, "sustainable development means meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, and its objective is to find a middle way between economic development and the protection of social and ecological balance."

But, in the current context, sustainability no longer only means efficient consumption of resources, such as energy, recycling and protecting the environment, but also measures that can be taken, first of all, for people's health, with the least harmful effects on natural ecosystems.

The business environment plays a crucial role in economic development and has a major impact on social and environmental aspects, both in the short and long term. Indeed in recent years we have seen a growing recognition of the need for companies to adopt a more sustainable perspective, taking into account the environmental and social implications of their operations.

Regardless of the challenges it faces, in order to enjoy success today, a company must formulate long-term winning strategies, giving equal importance to human resources, the balance of society and the environment.

State Councilor Laszlo Borbely, coordinator of the Department for Sustainable Development, announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding for the establishment of the Sustainability Code. "Only if we think in perspective will we be able to deliver concrete results for the well-being of the population in the medium and long term," he said.

 

What differentiates a sustainable business from the competition. The benefits of sustainability

Implementing sustainable solutions not only makes a major contribution to protecting the environment, but also contributes to the long-term success of a business. Here are some of the indisputable advantages of a sustainable business:

  • Reputation improvement

Because a harmful environment has a negative impact not only on companies, but also on the people who form communities, implementing sustainable practices improves the company's reputation. A sustainable business strategy demonstrates to the community that it not only cares about its own profit, but also invests in maintaining a healthy environment.

  • Gaining customer trust

The success of a business is directly proportional to the trust that customers have in the company. For this reason, businesses must avoid supporting uncertain environments, characterized by insecurity, by approaching practices that lack social responsibility.

On the other hand, maintaining a healthy external environment and the contribution that a sustainable business has in a community denotes not only high-level professionalism, but also involvement in creating a healthy community. These things increase customer confidence, which is beneficial for any business.

  • Increasing employee motivation

Employees will always appreciate a company that cares about protecting them and the planet. All these sustainable measures adopted by the company contribute to improving the way employees perceive shared workspaces and increasing the level of motivation.

When an employee feels protected and feels that they too are helping to protect the planet through the company, this improves their self-esteem and motivates them to become a better version of themselves. In this context, an increase will also be felt in the level of employee productivity, an effect that will contribute to increasing the turnover of a sustainable business.

  • Reducing business costs

Although at first glance the implementation of sustainable measures involves expenses, in the long term, they will bring generous savings that will minimize the company's costs. For example, purchasing a service subscription can extend the life of your workflow equipment by several years, so it can prove to be a profitable sustainable investment.

 

Steps to a sustainable business

Since sustainable development is a key element in the success strategy of every business, here are the stages companies go through towards sustainability:

  • Identification and review - in this stage environmental problems that generate costs are identified and then systematically reviewed to reduce costs and increase business efficiency.
  • Implementation of proactive strategies - proactive environmental strategies are valued as sources of strategic business opportunities and creation of competitive advantage. The aim is to apply these production processes that allow obtaining ecological products and the implementation of sustainable solutions at the expense of traditional solutions that harm the environment. Total technologies can help you find the right solutions for your company and build the best strategy to achieve your sustainability goals.
  • Continuous sustainability - in this stage, the organization becomes an active promoter of sustainability values ​​and tries to influence market operators and society in this regard. The best environmental practices are adopted because the company is aware that it must proceed responsibly, something that entails the development of competitive strengths in the business environment.

The importance of sustainability indicators will increase in the next 5-10 years, and companies will be evaluated according to the actions they take to protect the environment.

The migration to green energy, green financing, recycling and resealing programs or the marketing of sustainably created products are some of the trends that will become the "norm" for the way business will be done in the future.

Thus, sustainability is the only business strategy of the future that allows us to meet the needs of the current generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.

Total Technologies is a promoter of the circular economy, having in its portfolio a series of innovative solutions such as: robots, robust equipment made of recycled or recyclable materials with a high degree of endurance, electronic labels, barcode technology and RFID technology or intelligent optimization solutions of the delivery management process. By using technology effectively you will generate positive effects both on the environment, on the community you live in and last but not least even on your company.

For more details, do not hesitate to contact our specialists, by phone at +40 372 317 714 or by e-mail at info@bsys.totaltech.ro.

 Article published by Daniela Popa