Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast: Why Sustainability Starts with Your People
In this blog:
Discover why organisational culture is the key to driving successful sustainability initiatives. We’ll explore how culture shapes employee behavior, impacts business success, and, most importantly, how you can build a culture that fully integrates sustainability at every level of your organisation.
Plus, we’ll introduce our new "Levels of Impact" course, designed to help your team take action and create lasting change.
When it comes to driving change within an organisation, it’s often said that culture eats strategy for breakfast. And right now, culture is more important than ever. As the world faces disruptions, innovations, and shifting social norms, it’s critical for businesses to focus on their internal culture to stay competitive and relevant.
But here’s the challenge: culture takes time to shift. While the world moves fast, organisational culture can be a slow burner. It’s the shared values, goals, and attitudes that shape how people work together. Get it right, and the rewards are clear:
Employee retention
Competitive advantage
Improved job performance
Becoming a customer’s preferred choice
What Does Culture Mean for Sustainability?
The world is facing major challenges—climate change, pollution, dwindling natural resources, and growing societal pressures. More than ever, businesses are expected to lead the way in finding solutions.
You may already have a solid sustainability strategy on paper. But how do you get people within your organisation fully on board with such a complex, multifaceted issue?
This is where culture comes into play.
Building a Culture of Sustainability
To truly embed sustainability into your organisation, it’s not enough to simply set targets and draft strategies. You need to create a culture where every employee understands the importance of sustainability and feels empowered to make a difference.
Here’s the formula:
Teach the fundamentals of sustainability: Equip your team with a foundational understanding of sustainability principles and why they matter.
Show employees how sustainability fits into their roles: Every person in your organisation has a part to play. Help them see how sustainability applies directly to their day-to-day work.
Nurture a culture of curiosity: Encourage employees to ask the right questions and challenge the status quo. This fosters innovation and engagement around sustainability efforts.
Introducing the "Levels of Impact" Course
At Planet One Point Five, we believe that sustainability is everyone’s responsibility, and we’ve developed a program to help businesses build a genuine culture of sustainability.
Our new "Levels of Impact" course is designed to:
Equip employees with essential sustainability knowledge
Help them integrate sustainability into their daily roles
Foster a culture of curiosity and proactive problem-solving
The course is CPD credited and can be completed in just 2 hours, making it an ideal solution for organisations looking to embed sustainability quickly and effectively.
By empowering your employees with the right tools and knowledge, you can create lasting cultural change that drives real sustainability progress.
“Culture is the glue that holds an organisation together, and sustainability is the compass that guides it forward.”