Sustainability is a hot topic. Leaders at every organization are interested in learning how to be more sustainable, how sustainable other companies are, what sustainability trends will look like in the future, and on and on. Managers often find themselves struggling to fully embrace sustainability, however, as they just can’t keep up with all the latest trends and efforts. It often seems that by the time the latest sustainable best practice has been implemented, another comes along—rendering the just-completed project obsolete.

This is evidenced by the fact that across industries, organizations have for the most part struggled to respond to the challenge of sustainability:

Many industries, such as high-tech, industrial, energy, and more, are not on track to meet net zero goals 93% of organizations won’t meet their goals without at least doubling the pace of emissions reduction by 2030

Truly, to meet sustainability goals, organizations need to get ahead of the expectation and break new ground for creative solutions.

Sustainability and Internal Innovation: A Winning Combination

An article by the World Economic Forum indicates that sustainability is accelerating innovation, not holding it back. It’s about juggling the varying goals, as the author, Joni Rautavuori, CEO of United Kingdom-based manufacturer Tharsus Group, writes: “The businesses that adapt most appropriately to the multi-layered challenges we face, will be the ones that will earn the right to survive and create long-term, transformative change.”

Too many corporations see innovation and sustainability as competitive forces in a company. This is not so, asserts Ivanka Visnjic, Director of the Institute for Innovation and Knowledge Management at Spain-based Esade University, an international business and law institution. In a recent Forbes opinion piece, she writes: “Innovation is essential to be able to address challenges such as climate change, social inequality, and relentless resource depletion.”

When it comes to business strategies, sustainability and innovation are complementary. This is because the very nature of sustainability means moving from current systems to better, more efficient ones. Legacy approaches weren’t designed to be long-term, and we need to migrate from them to new and updated systems designed with durability in mind.

Moving Forward Via Sustainability Programs

This complete overhaul—of protocols, best practices, strategies, infrastructure, and more—should spark creativity within operations, forcing the entire organization to think outside existing boundaries. Teams will be positioned to exceed what has been done and is perceived possible.

This revamp applies to all aspects of operations—procurement, day-to-day processes, shipping, R&D, and more. In fact, innovation can lead to:

Material use reduction – Updates to existing protocols may result in less raw material, or less material overall, being needed to achieve the same results or processes Less waste – Reduced material use, along with workflow improvements, may mean material sharing, better informed procurement, and more—reducing overall waste upstream Greener waste disposal – New disposal strategies can enable reuse or recycling of waste materials, meaning less sent to landfill

These benefits and more speak to the positive influence innovation and creativity can have on reaching sustainability goals. And in the same way, they speak to the fact that sustainability needs innovation and creativity to make any real impact.