EXHAUSTED DRIVING SUSTAINABILIITY IN BUSINESS Spring/Summer 2013
AN OFFICE FOR THE FUTURE...
PAGE 17
CAN CROWDSOURCING HELP YOUR SUSTAINABILITY GOALS? PAGE 11
3 BUSINESS TRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR PAGE 8
INTRODUCING ‘GREEN 15’! PAGE 5
DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS
1
EXHAUSTED
NEW WEBSITE LAUNCHED
EDITOR’S NOTE Typical business related magazines are full of dull and lifeless news bulletins, yet we work in an exciting, challenging and continuously evolving environment. It makes no sense!
ANNOUNCING THE LAUNCH OF LIFTSHARE’S NEW BUSINESS PAGES
So, here’s our Spring/Summer edition of Exhausted; something we hope you actually want to pick up with your morning coffee. This issue is full of useful news and information to help you on the road to sustainability. We’ve tried to avoid the waffle and stuffiness you find elsewhere. Find out what your online reputation score is and why it is becoming important (page 4), the latest online tool that will help you deliver personalised travel plans in under 30 seconds (page 6) and how crowdsourcing can help you meet your sustainability goals (page 12) - ` ` amongst other things! Please feel free to contact me and let me know what you think or what you would like covered in the next issue! HAPPY READING! Jemma - jemma@liftshare.com Editor
CONTENTS What’s your reputation score and why is it important?
visit www.liftshare.com/business
2
DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS
PAGE 4
Introducing ‘Green 15’
5
What impact does the horse meat scandal have on sustainability?
5
The multi-modal personalised travel planning tool for organisations
6
3 sustainable business trends to look out for
8
What a difference a single advocate makes
9
An office for the future... the new Liftshare HQ
10
Can crowdsourcing help you meet you sustainability goals?
12
DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS
3
A UNIQUE INSIGHT INTO SUSTAINABLE THINKING
WHAT’S YOUR REPUTATION SCORE AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
INTRODUCING ‘GREEN 15’
Rachel Botsman, a leading researcher on collaborative consumption, believes we are entering an era where our online reputation will be more important than our credit score.
Presented through a series of mini broadcasts from industry leaders and influencers exploring how individuals, organisations and brands are challenging today’s environment to shape a more sustainable future.
Today reputation is linked with influence, using platforms such as Facebook or Klout to establish how many friends you have or how often other users like or share information you post.
From the latest sustainable trends and innovations to increasing green expectations, for Green 15 listeners we hope to become a trusted source of credible, thought provoking, sustainable information and conversation.
But what if your online reputation took into account your social /emotional intelligence and the overall value you contribute to your communities? And why does it matter?
Our first two podcasts come from Mike Barry, Marks & Spencer’s Head of Sustainability - the man responsible for Plan A and Dr Alan Knight, Director of Business In The Community.
We are entering a time all about sharing: sharing with friends, sharing with co-workers, sharing with neighbours, sharing with complete strangers, sharing for free or sharing with a payment. But sharing has its risks and the first critical step in any sharing relationship is considering trust and reputation.
Green 15 has been set up to provide unique insights into the latest sustainable thinking, strategies, technologies and positions to help organisations and individuals tackle sustainability.
Listen to the full broadcasts at http://blog.liftshare.com and give your own opinion/feedback. And keep your ears open for future Green 15 broadcasts due for release soon, including: Bill Eyres - Head of Sustainability at O2 and Fabian Pattberg – past CEO of E.ON and now a leading online influencer in sustainability.
If you can’t make those you wish to engage with feel safe, you won’t have much influence.
So how do you build an online reputation? Consider your digital profiles. People already look at your track record online to gauge the type of individual you are – do you have good feedback within your e-bay account, are people providing positive feedback to your blog and passing on the social content you share on LinkedIn or Twitter, do you have plenty of quality LinkedIn recommendations, are you providing worthwhile comments to others’ content? These are just a few of the areas that will be under scrutiny when analysing your reputation.
The advice now... tread carefully, consider all your online actions and what they will say about you in the future. Soon your online behaviour will be analysed in full and your online reputation will be calculated as a result.
4
DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS
LISTEN TO A SERIES OF INTERVIEWS FROM INDUSTRY LEADERS AND INFLUENCERS
GR1E5N
IN THE NEWS...
HORSE MEAT SCANDAL
What impact does it have on sustainability?
Ultimately your reputation will become a summary of your past actions online! The weight of each of your online actions is still in the balance; currently there is no defining mechanism for what is more important, but give it time.
EXHAUSTED
IN THE ONLINE WORLD
Horse Use by 21.6.2013
This year’s revelations that we have been eating horsemeat in our burgers with no knowledge has left governments, businesses and consumers unable to ignore the urgent need for far more traceability and accountability in the supply chain. This coverage is already causing deeper exploration of supply chains, from the environmental impacts of activities to fair trade. Demands and expectations from stakeholders are changing, awareness campaigns and the way your business tackles the issues such as sustainability and social responsibility in the supply chain will be under scrutiny.
DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS
5
EXHAUSTED
a travel plan just for me “A BRILLIANT SOLUTION FOR PERSONALISED TRAVEL PLANNING” myPTP - the multi-modal personalised travel planning tool for organisations TOP 3 TIME SAVING REASONS TO CONSIDER myPTP... • First ever planning tool to integrate data for all modes of transport at the click of a button; including walking, cycling, public transport, car-sharing and driving alone • You can deliver a detailed, interactive and emailable personalised travel plan in less than 1 minute! Details include travel options, times, number of changes, petrol costs, CO2 emitted, and calories burnt for journeys displayed • Provides the ideal platform for travel data collection to assess modal shift TOP 3 STRATEGIC REASONS TO CONSIDER myPTP... • Creates a legacy for sustainable travel promotion • There are both individual and bulk upload options for PTP creation, making it a useful tool for activities such as travel roadshows, door-to-door travel planning, or workforce commuting • Procurement is straightforward
CASE FILE: Blackburn with Darwen (BwD) “I have currently co-ordinated over 900 myPTPs; not only is it a fantastic tool, very easy to use, but we are really seeing the benefits to the end user. As part of our sustainable travel project, myPTPs are an important feature and one that allows people to understand what transport choices are available to them on a personal level. We are now working with six of the largest businesses in Blackburn with Darwen to incorporate myPTPs into their travel plans and HR induction processes” Melanie – Travel Planning co-ordinator - Capita Symonds “The myPTP service offered by Liftshare has proved very successful in providing detailed personalised journey plans for people working in the borough. The myPTP service is an important element of our BwD CONNECT Project which is a comprehensive ‘smarter choices’ campaign designed to promote lifelong travel behaviour changes that reduce carbon emissions and encourage the transport system to be an engine for economic growth.” James Syson - Transport Strategy Team Leader - BwD Council 66
DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY BUSINESS DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY ININ BUSINESS
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council won a successful bid to the Department for Transport’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF). The Council received a total of £1.4m from the fund, which is being invested in its BwD CONNECT project - a comprehensive ‘smarter choices’ campaign combined with the provision of improved walking, cycling and public transport infrastructure. BwD CONNECT will enhance the travel choices presented to some of the most diverse and deprived communities in England, helping to improve access to employment and training opportunities whilst reducing car usage. With a previously established relationship through the ‘Shared Wheels’ brand - a regional car-sharing scheme run through the Liftshare network - the Council were keen to look at Liftshare’s myPTP product to aid the delivery of their campaign. To begin, the BwD CONNECT project team focused on the six largest businesses in the Blackburn borough. A Travel to Work survey has currently been delivered to over 1,500 staff. As a result, 73% requested and have received myPTPs. To deliver these, the bulk upload facility was used. It was found to be an easy to use system and a fluid way to get all the information into one place and personalise it. The response to these myPTPs was very positive, with businesses and recipients providing feedback that the tool effectively “highlights that people really do have a choice”.
The businesses involved in this initial approach have found the tool particularly helpful with those employees who are just joining. As a result, they have included the option to receive a myPTP into their induction processes.
businesses targeted in this initial stage). With the aim of a 10% response rate from 4,500 staff, myPTP will prove useful in providing a choice of transport methods to and from the hospital.
The Council itself will be relocating staff in the near future and will use myPTP to assist with this move.
The Council’s internal experience with myPTP is proving positive too with feedback that the tool is “very engaging” and from an admin side “it is really easy to produce myPTPs compared to the manual ones we’ve previously compiled and sent out”.
As part of the CONNECT project, multiple methods of distribution have been used (workplace and residential) and currently 970 myPTPs have been delivered and based on the planned activity, this will soon be in excess of 1,000. Roadshows that are planned within each of the businesses chosen over the next year will deliver myPTPs to staff, and the tool is being used as a ‘hook’ as well as a marketing tool to further push sustainable travel.
The best way to appreciate what myPTP can do for your organisation is book a demo. CALL Jemma or Kate on 01603 389321 or EMAIL jemma@liftshare.com
BwD CONNECT are also distributing myPTPs in the community as residential plans and they aim to focus on the unemployed to overcome travel barriers. They see clear uses within job centres and are looking to offer a myPTP to those searching for employment. They are also working with training providers such as Bootstrap, focusing on a dual approach - providing training for the long-term unemployed as well as breaking through transport obstacles. As part of the legacy for myPTP, a Travel to Work survey was distributed to employees at the hospital (one of the six DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS
7
1. NAKEDNESS! Today, nothing you do in business goes unnoticed or unreported by stakeholders; we’re all facing unprecedented public exposure. It’s time to get naked! Re-engineer your business and focus your efforts on the authenticity and transparency your customers, investors and workforce expect. You can no longer pursue any actions that pose a potential or real threat to the environment; the public will hear about them. Is this perhaps why, in the past year alone, the number of businesses implementing a sustainability initiative has doubled? 2. SUSTAINABILITY DRIVING DOWN COST Companies from Ford to Unilever are reporting how their sustainability initiatives cut both costs and reduce waste streams – winning them price competitiveness and customers. A further business trend driving down costs is the use of sustainable best practices to design products that are cheaper to produce, but less damaging to the environment. Expect to see far more of this, this year. 3. INDIVIDUALS’ ATTITUDES The biggest change this year, which will impact the sustainable economy considerably, is the belief by people that climate change is a real problem and threat; as a result individuals are finally taking action! • Today, there are over 360,000 members on Liftshare – the UK’s largest car-sharing network – enabling drivers to share journeys, reduce carbon emissions and save money - this figure is rising rapidly. • 57 % of people in the UK now report that most or all of the light bulbs in their home are energy efficient. • 3 in 10 Brits say that in the past 12 months they have given business to a company as a reward for their steps to reduce global warming. This is a trend no business or investor can afford to ignore. The revenue success of every company is now being determined by its ability to offer sustainable solutions.
‘focus your efforts on
authenticity and transparency’ 88
DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY BUSINESS DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY ININ BUSINESS
A person championing social and environmental issues in an organisation without the support of the management team or board of directors may as well spend their time trying to canoe upstream without a paddle, right?
EXHAUSTED
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A SINGLE ADVOCATE MAKES
3 SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS TRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR
The art of timing... Think of a predator in wait for prey. Rather than running around and using too much energy, it will wait until the right moment to strike. Create solutions that are appropriate and when the right opportunity arrives, present them.
A network of supporters... Begin to build support within the business, focusing on those things that will interest each department. There’s no better way to get the finance director on board than by showing them the impact on the bottom line.
Go outside... Wrong! If the individual has enough passion, commitment, resolve, data and well placed rebellion, they can make all the difference. Most changes come as the result of an initial action by a single person. But it has to be the right person; timid, shy and retiring won’t cut it. If you’re the lone wolf in your organisation, consider these points on your road to creating change -
Another tactic is to use external expertise to leverage change. Invite senior individuals who are engaged in sustainability to come and talk to the senior management of your company. They are often more willing than you think as they are keen to spread the message and show what they have been achieving.
Using the competition... There’s nothing that will get management’s attention more than competitor strategies that are one step ahead. Highlight what competitors are up to in those areas that are relevant to your cause.
These simple techniques can make all the difference and make a single individual heard by those who matter and can instigate change on a larger scale. DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS
9
E D I L S THE If you’re waiting to see Liftshare, then you can hang around in the main lobby watching people fly out of the office slide!
D L O
S
t, ocen n n I and wich e l r g o o N o s of G w home in e k i l y the hare’s ne b d e r ts Inspi to Lif e m welco
The re a dere generatio n l i c t squat of what quirk y, vib , w p r o v rant w ides a as orkpl ace.
EXHAUSTED
AN OFFICE FOR THE FUTURE... THE NEW LIFTSHARE HQ
es are c a p s k Wor ctional n u f h t bo unal. m m o c and
Liftshare’s office provides a showcase for their friendly, inviting and creative approach to business. The unique design of the office represents what Liftshare hopes is a free flow of information through all parts of the company; not to mention the buzz the office has created around the city. Even the kitchen area is rustic and environmentally calming.
10
DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS
If you’d like to check out the media coverage and see the slide in action, visit http://blog.liftshare.com/lifestyle/ liftshareoffice DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS
11
CROWDSOURCE CAN CROWDSOURCING HELP YOU MEET YOUR SUSTAINABILITY GOALS? Have you heard of GE’s Ecomagination, Unilever’s Living Lab, Heineken Ideas Brewery, Sony Futurescape or WWF Green Ideas? These are all very smart sustainability projects which embrace crowdsourcing, tapping into the wisdom of their communities and customers to demonstrate just how much a company needs the insight of these ‘crowds’ to reach their sustainability goals.
It was invitation only and 80 external experts along with 100 Unilever managers from R&D, procurement, marketing, and customer development took part. Lab conclusions were shared with all participants and put on the agenda of a Unilever steering team. We need to wait and see what action occurs as a result of these discussions, but we’d bet money it will be greater than anything Unilever could’ve achieved alone!
The allure of crowdsourcing for sustainability and CSR communications is irresistible to both companies and activists. But as with most things, it has its pitfalls! In early 2012, McDonald’s found itself under attack by activists through its #McDstories Twitter campaign. Waitrose also got more than it bargained for with its sentimental campaign, “I shop at Waitrose because ...”
And they’re not the only organisation tapping into external expertise to solve sustainability problems. Proctor & Gamble have their own innovation sourcing site called Connect + Develop, Sainsbury’s are crowdsourcing ideas from a pool of 155 companies including one of their own largest competitors ‘Tesco’ and many more companies are heading in the same direction.
THE RIGHT COMMUNITY
SIMPLE STEPS
The key to getting the best out of crowdsourcing is asking the right community for help in creating a better business and ideas.
Whilst these are all relatively big examples, each organisation is implementing the same basic idea and following the same simple steps to curated crowdsourcing...
Just as the value of user-generated content increases when organised and packaged by professional editors, crowdsourced ideas and actions are far more powerful if they are shaped around identifiable business goals.
Step 1 – Look into ‘who’ you want involved in helping you solve the sustainability problems
Let’s take Unilever’s Sustainable Living Lab, an online collaboration platform to help the company achieve its ambitious sustainability targets for 2020. Last April, some 2,200 sustainability leaders and experts from 77 countries took part in a 24-hour online “big think” about four key issues: sustainable sourcing, sustainable production and distribution, consumer behaviour change, and recycling and waste.
12 12
The key to the productive discussion and planning came in the creation of the event.
DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS
Step 2 – Consider ‘what’ specific discussion you wish to get them involved in that will help provide answers to your problems Step 3 – Decide ‘where’ the discussion should be held – what is the right platform to use to bring them all together; social media, online website, face-to-face event? Step 4 – Set it up and start crowdsourcing! Why not try it for your own business and see what a difference it can make?