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The Basics Of Building a Business Case
Why develop a business case?
Commitments to sustainability are often made
without a fully formed strategy to deliver them, or even buy-in
from those responsible for delivering. Creating a business case
can clarify why sustainability is an important commitment and how
it fits into core business strategy. Alternatively, a business case
might be needed to persuade your organisation to make a commitment
to sustainability in the first place.
And it’s not just those making the first steps that need a business
case. Many with a track record of commitment and good progress have
found there comes a point when the business reasons for becoming
more sustainable need to be spelt out clearly otherwise the commitments
become peripheral, perceived as a ‘nice-to-do’ and lose any strategic
role.
A carefully tailored business case will contain elements that chime
with each individual business unit or department, helping employees
understand how sustainability affects their area and the role they
can play in promoting the organisation’s sustainability.
What should it contain?
An effective business case needs to:
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Clearly
state your organisation’s significant sustainability impacts
and what opportunities and risks they represent. |
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Identify
key stakeholders issues. Remember that the management of perceptions
is as important as the management of actual impacts, and will
influence an organisation’s ability to maximise the opportunities
and minimise the risks as listed above. |
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Be relevant.
Link the sustainability opportunities and risks to core business
(e.g. formatted to align with your business plan, or key strategic
objectives). Using a style and language that is easily understandable
by the intended audience, usually senior managers or directors. |
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Include
examples, data and supporting information for each opportunity
or risk, from inside and outside the organisation. |
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Be kept up-to-date. As business priorities, drivers and pressures, best practice and the available evidence change the business case should reflect these changes. |
The SIGMA business case tool, which SD3 helped develop, explains in more detail how to go about developing and using a business case.
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