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Embracing sustainability: The Sustainable Operations Maturity Model
Written by Stefano Montanari & Thijs van Krimpen
12 June, 2024
In an era where consumers express their values through their choices, aligning your brand with sustainable practices is no longer an option but a necessity. Today’s consumers identify with initiatives that promote sustainability and environmental preservation, demanding responsible manufacturing, sustainable materials, and ethical trading practices. Leading-edge companies have refined their processes, gaining competitive advantages through operational excellence, cost efficiencies, and technological innovation. However, true success is achieved by integrating sustainability into these advanced processes, ensuring long-term adaptability to evolving regulations and best practices.
The Sustainable Operations Maturity Model is a comprehensive tool designed to assess and enhance an organization’s sustainability practices. This model evaluates current capabilities, identifies gaps, and designs action plans to position companies advantageously in the conscious consumer-driven market.
Key pillars of the model
- Corporate strategy: Elevate your business purpose by integrating sustainability goals. Align your company’s vision with environmental and social responsibility, creating a mission that extends beyond profit and positively impacts society and the environment.
- Business processes: Assess your entire value chain to evaluate the application of best practices that minimize environmental and social impact. Enhance your core business processes to reflect your commitment to sustainability.
- People: Ensure your workforce not only possesses the knowledge and skills for sustainable operations but also experiences a professional journey that is fulfilling and sustainable. Cultivate a culture of continuous learning and commitment to sustainability among your employees.
- Governance: Establish robust governance structures that enable the execution of sustainability principles and ensure compliance with established goals. Implement proactive measures to manage risks and capitalize on opportunities related to sustainability.
- Technology: Embrace and deploy tools that improve your business processes in pursuit of sustainability goals. Leverage technology to collect, analyze, and act upon sustainability data, optimizing resource use and energy efficiency.
Overcoming common challenges
Navigating the path toward sustainability presents various challenges, including:
- Lack of awareness/expertise
- Equity and diversity issues
- Compliance challenges
- Legacy systems
- Data underutilization
- Change management
Benefits and opportunities
Embracing sustainable operations promises an array of opportunities and benefits:
- Enhanced brand value
- Competitive advantage
- Risk mitigation
- Improved employee satisfaction
- Cost reduction
Our approach
We help clients unlock value within their business processes by harnessing the power of data to discover insights that will guide their transformation journey. The maturity assessment is the first step, gathering the building blocks that indicate the current state of their processes. Using this information, we provide an agile, data-driven diagnostic approach to identify challenges and dependencies. This blueprint guides the design of the transformation roadmap.
The second stage involves detailed design for enhanced results, including prioritizing initiatives and establishing measurable KPIs. The final step is the implementation of the transformation plan, closely monitoring the deployment of each project to facilitate agility and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
Leading the way to a sustainable future
The Sustainable Operations Maturity Model enables organizations to transition from basic compliance to leadership in sustainable operations. This journey is a testament to your commitment to a future where sustainability is the cornerstone of your company’s success, contributing positively to both society and the environment.
Discover Cognizant sustainability services to learn more.
