Something I’ve come across a couple of times in recent months is sustainability practitioners complaining that they are too bogged down in process to actually change anything. Pressures from environmental management systems, reporting requirements and client environmental questionnaires mean that so much effort is put into gathering data that practical projects cannot get moving.

I often think this is a symptom of silo-thinking where every sustainability idea has to come from, and be implemented by, the sustainability team. But if you want a truly sustainable business, then those ideas should be coming from, and be implemented by, every corner of the business. The sustainability team should see themselves as facilitators rather than deliverers – helping others come up with the inspiration, putting in the perspiration and, of course, letting them bask in the glory.