“It’s no longer sufficient to think about sustainability through the climate lens. The challenge and the exciting thing now is really grappling with the interconnectedness of the biodiversity crisis and the opportunity and necessity of the circular economy.”

• The transformation of ScottishPower from oil and gas to entirely renewable energy sources.
• The importance of continuous engagement with staff and stakeholders, ensuring everyone in the organisation connects their work to climate goals.
• The need for a fair transition to net zero, and to deliver on biodiversity and the circular economy.

Listen for great insights into the challenges of accelerating the pace of change while bringing colleagues with you, maintaining public support and ensuring a just a transition.

Sam also talks about how he has kept motivated over many years of working on sustainability, offering useful ideas we can all apply ourselves and with our colleagues.

Highlights from the conversation

Here are five insights that from my conversation with Sam that I think are especially important and helpful:

Move beyond climate

Discussion and action around sustainability in business must move beyond climate to embrace issues like biodiversity and the circular economy. 

The good news is that these are issues that people care about and can see how they are relevant to themselves and to their organisation. (Listen to our Roundtable: Getting Beyond Net Zero for more)

Winning support isn’t a one off-project 

In order to achieve change, of course you need the support of your employees and other stakeholders. But a key point Sam makes, I think is that winning this support, isn’t a one-off project. That support has to be continually renewed and built upon. 

Work must connect to sustainability

If your organisation’s going to make real progress on sustainability, all employees need to see how their work connects to sustainability. If you listened to the episode with Jaime Blakely-Glover, that was a key point he made when he was talking about the Most Sustainable Workplace Index.

Build on what’s already happening

When you’re developing a sustainability strategy, whether or not it’s the organisation’s first sustainability strategy, it’s essential to recognise all the work that was already happening, not just so that you can celebrate that, but so that you can link to and build on what’s already been achieved. 

Maintain motivation

It’s important to maintain your motivation, and your colleagues’, by celebrating wins, not just final achievements, but of all the important steps along the way, because sometimes it’s a long journey.

Only for large businesses?

Even though ScottishPower is a huge company all these points apply to sustainability leaders working in any size of organisation. 

But Sam also talks about how ScottishPower supported COP26 in Glasgow, including by making their offices available for delegates and campaigners. (They also supported young film makers, seen in the header image, to be part of COP TV.)

Doing that kind of thing might seem easy for big corporations when there’s a major climate event happening, but is it relevant to smaller businesses and at other times? I believe that with a bit of imagination, any organisation can support NGOs, community groups, and others working on climate and sustainability. 

Many of these groups are doing hugely important work, often on a shoestring. Many relying heavily on volunteers, not just at big events, but day in, day out, right throughout the year. 

How can your organisation support groups working and sustainability?

I encourage you to think about how your organisation could help them. Perhaps you could offer office or meeting space, technical support, professional skills, and more. Why not talk with NGOs and community groups working on climate and other aspects of sustainability near your organisation’s locations? Why not reach out to your staff and ask them? Some may already be members of volunteers and be able to make connections.