I have to confess it – I’m not sure what I think about “sustainability.” Part of the problem is that I’m not entirely certain what it means.
Sure, I get the “ability to manage and maintain resources for the long term benefit of people and the environment” part. And I suspect that – like most other emerging trends – it’s something that a lot of companies had a handle on before there was a buzzword to go with it. Reminds me of those hot new business books that come along, promising “10 winning strategies for successful business!” and they turn out to be things like “Take care of your customers!” and “Watch your costs!” Well, golly, thanks, I never would have thought about doing any of that, but now I sure will.
There is no question that using natural resources and energy in a sustainable way is – like clean air, clean water, mom, apple pie, etc. – hard to argue with. And it’s laudable that some of the world’s largest engine and equipment manufacturers have turned their collective brainpower toward ensuring that there will be a future for them and the rest of us.
Yet I always wonder about how much things like sustainability mean the farther down the food chain you go. Does the excavating contractor, when he looks at buying a new wheel loader, really care much about the manufacturer’s sustainability efforts? Will that contractor care if one machine OEM is more comprehensive in its sustainability efforts than another’s – to the point where he or she will buy Sustainable Company X’s machine and not Company Y’s?
One step farther, does the general contractor who hired the excavating contractor care that a company may or may not have spent millions on sustainability?
As I am not sure about any of the answers here, I turn to you, good reader, for enlightenment. Tell me:
- How do you define sustainability?
- How important is sustainability to you?
- How important do you think it is to your customers?
- Are there things you’d like to know about sustainability and/or is it something you’d like to read more about?
Please let us know.
Sustainable Greetings,
1)To be sustainable is simply to endure. These days many companies find it harder to endure but the companies that work on new technologies and new products will endure or have sustainability.
2) As we all look to increase our operational efficiency overall we need to invest in areas that will maintain sustainabilty. In other words grow our businesses with our customers, Existing and new.
3)If you do not have product and services for your customers you will not endure or be able to sustain.
4) I think you do not need to read about the word of sustainability but you need to read and live about how to provide the best products and services for your customers as they change and if you do you will also be able to have a sustainable future.