Matthew Chester's Outpost

In Senge’s book “The Necessary Revolution”, the road to sustainability is presented as a transformation of business ethos, embracing a proactive approach and moving beyond compliance on a journey that will increase stakeholder value, brand reputation and market share. But to move beyond compliance requires a firm to be compliant in the first place – and this is where CRC could kick-start a firm’s journey.

CRC has mandated many UK firms to report energy consumption and purchase allowances based on that consumption. The huge additional cost associated with energy emissions means that emissions must be measured and reported accurately – hence good data management processes and systems are paramount. But the real benefit comes from stepping beyond compliance and using data to inform decision making and drive strategy.

Simply complying with CRC will not save firms money but it will reduce the risk of being fined by the Environment Agency. In fact, compliance will end up costing a firm through annual subsistence fees and independent audits, not to mention the internal costs associated with managing compliance. However, using energy data intelligently will enable consumption profiles to be measured, monitored, and reduced - resulting in the double benefit from reducing energy spend and CRC liability.

And once the benefits of managing energy are realised then the systems and processes in place can be expanded to include the wider carbon agenda, resources, waste, etc. all the while becoming easier to demonstrate commitment and leadership in sustainability. For large corporations this can add value directly because it becomes easier to participate in schemes such as the Carbon Disclosure Project and the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and demonstrate a firm’s green credentials.

Year on year this will begin to snowball, in a positive way as good data informs good decision making and target setting that in turn leads to further progress and achievements - providing a narrative that can be included in corporate annual reports, and environmental and CSR reports. And evidence from M&S, Co-op, Coca-cola Enterprises, and O2 (to name a few) suggests that this brings with it a sustainable future with increased stakeholder value and a fortified brand. Complying with CRC is just the first step.

A quintessentially sustainable business is cognizant of its social, environmental, economic and technological impacts. The Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa is no exception. Formed out of necessity to improve local economic prospects as the traditional farming economy was not providing enough opportunity or wealth for the local community, the reserve provides employment opportunities for guides, drivers, caterers, security, maintenance, management, etc. Yet its economic stability is not wholly reliant upon tourism.

By ensuring and maintaining the health of the reserve’s flora and fauna, many species of animals are exported to other reserves and parks at a premium because there is a high demand for tuberculosis-free livestock. However, there are no breeding programmes at the reserve – each species is monitored to ensure that it does not exceed the carrying capacity of the reserve and thus create an imbalance to ecosystem. This is a necessary step as the reserve is fenced, creating a permanent boundary that prevents many species migrating into or out of the reserve. Therefore, to maintain ecological sustainability predation has to be carefully monitored and controlled to prevent any species beginning to dominate. Of course, maintaining this balance in the reserve also ensures that tourist numbers are up and keeps the cash flow healthy.

Mosetlha Bush Camp located on the reserve extends this vision of sustainability by offering guests the chance to stay at an eco-camp where there is no running water, no electricity or gas, and the primary source of fuel comes from locally sourced wood. Local conditions make this easier to comprehend as energy is only required to cook, heat water, and provide minimal levels of lighting. Central heating is not necessary as even in winter the temperature can be in the thirties. But, wood provides warmth in the cool of the evenings in the form of a camp fire and the embers are used to cook the evening’s meal with. Wood also provides the hot water too, which is heated in a simple donkey boiler that can be decanted into buckets and used for showering – choosing to shower during the day when the ambient temperature is warm makes the process a prosaic one.

However, the camp is not carbon neutral, yet. It uses two fossil fuels: diesel to power its Land Rovers and paraffin to fuel the lamps in the evening. There is certainly an appetite for the camp to shift to solar powered lighting solutions and possibly showers too in the future as both are proving successful in the staff’s quarters and will reduce the camp’s emissions. Increasing solar power capacity will also provide improvements to the camp’s communication systems which are currently compromised by the lack of electricity. Tackling the diesel emissions may not be as easy.

Nevertheless, the camp (and probably the reserve as a whole) has the hallmarks of a sustainable business: an understanding of its environmental impact and responsibility, the need to generate and maintain wealth locally, and a recognition of the role that green technology can have on improving business. My experience also highlighted how a small behavioural change and local factors can combine to reduce the burden on the environment from anthropogenic activity.