Sustainability: what it means to us and what we do to achieve it.
The first thing that springs to mind is ecology. This is of course an important part of the topic, but there is much more to it. Responsible use of resources perhaps comes a little closer to the actual term. Resources are interpreted broadly in this context. Of course, water, wood, air and oil are important resources that we use in our daily lives. However, people themselves are perhaps one of the most important resources available to us. Equal opportunities for all employees, unconditional respect for all human rights and polite, informal interaction with one another are principles to which in-factory is committed.
In a working group made up of volunteers, in-factory is working intensively on the concept of sustainability. This working group deals with the valid laws and standards that exist on the subject of sustainability in Germany and Europe. The principles of DIN ISO 26000 and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (NAP), on which our approach is based, should be mentioned in particular. A document has been drawn up to describe the company's sustainability strategy and give it a concrete form.
"The journey is the destination!" We have made this guiding principle the core idea of our sustainability strategy. Clearly, the focus here is on constantly developing and adapting our approach to the currently important areas.
A long journey always begins with an inventory. As broad as the concept of sustainability is, we also try to carry this out as precisely as possible. The aim is to record the current status and evaluate all relevant aspects of sustainability. The first stage of a series of surveys was launched for this purpose. This first survey, which is still far from being fully developed, was made available to the employees of in-factory. The aim was to further intensify awareness of the topic and to ascertain the existing understanding of the term. The survey was recently completed and is now in the evaluation phase. At the same time, work is continuing on the quality of the survey. In the future, this should be an instrument that allows us to constantly scrutinize the procedure and adapt the corresponding courses of action. Initial findings are already being incorporated into the strategy and will lead to further steps on an ongoing basis.
Knowledge is another resource that we consider to be very important. The in-factory already has many media with which it tries to disseminate knowledge among all employees. A regular training series, the company's internal wiki, internal company workshops and a shared messaging platform are just a few examples. In this way, we are also trying to continuously develop in this area.
A consulting company often faces the challenge of bringing the IT consultant to the customer in its business areas. The in-factory is already providing active support here in terms of sustainability. This includes subsidizing electric vehicles and the use of public transport.
We are already looking forward to addressing further sustainability topics in our next workshop or in the internal "Sustainability" channel.
