Why now is the time to reinvent responsibility

It has now been almost three months since we embarked on our current journey into uncertainty. From initially facing the immediate requirement for continuity with a mixed sense of excitement and challenge – with no real idea as to timescales, but a general assumption of weeks rather than months – to the growing realisation of more fundamental implications and long-term changes to the ways we work.

Of course, our first priority throughout has been the wellbeing of the people we work with – employees, clients and partners. But we’ve also focused on our business, by helping our clients to adjust to new dynamics and to re-invent what business responsibility is, combining insight and creativity to deliver effective and impactful work.

While our clients are also learning how to manage the most diverse range of issues, and in particular how to combine critical sustainability imperatives with emerging business priorities, we are continuing to be supportive, creative and productive as more of us become used to working from home. While working remotely isn’t new for all of us, the new tools and information security technology that we’ve introduced have certainly given us an idea of how we might work in the future, with more time spent working miles rather than feet apart.

We have discovered that modern communications technology has enabled a dispersed team to work effectively together, and have delivered a huge number and range of projects on time and on budget to the same high standards as ever.  And we’re already seeing that clients, having been on a similar journey, are once again commissioning new projects.

So through effective communication, talented and dedicated people, we have increased our support for clients and maintained the positive relationships on which our business thrives.

Looking forward: Resilience and responsibility are our watchwords

As our understanding of a physically interconnected world is challenged, it creates an impetus for businesses to reconsider what is important, spurring a re-emergence of social issues and public health as priorities. This new responsibility imperative will be a driver for economic transformation.

Our current environmental, social and governance models have to change and integrate in response to the critical new realities of growing global population, climate change, scarcity of natural resources, digitisation and rising inequality. The concept of responsible corporate behaviour is fundamentally changing, and we must therefore rethink established behavioural norms and how we communicate our ethical and business models in order to achieve meaningful long-term sustainability.

For us, the need to maintain our leadership in sustainability consultancy and execution, to remain sensitive and responsive to clients’ changing needs and challenges, and to nurture our ability to provide creative and effective support, are critical.

Legislative and ethical changes, physical and logistical challenges, personal and emotional considerations mean that ever-growing historic focus on environment and governance is matched by an equal focus on community responsibility. Our perspective is both immediate and long-term and we face these challenges together, helping our clients demonstrate real sustainability through their environmental, social and governance commitments and actions, whatever the circumstances.

Whatever the challenge – sustainability strategy, consumer insight, stakeholder engagement, supply change transformation, corporate reporting, brand positioning, website development , film production – we’re here to advise.