How to start with sustainability in your organisation – real answers from iiE members
If you’re looking at sustainability in your organisation and wondering where to begin, you’re not alone.
Many organisations want to take meaningful environmental action but feel unsure about how to start sustainability – What should we measure? How much time will it take? How do we get colleagues on board?
To help answer these questions, we recently brought together a panel of iiE-accredited organisations for an open Q&A webinar. Members from across law, healthcare, finance, technology, charities and sport shared their real experiences of starting out, the challenges they faced, and what helped them make progress.
Panel members:
- Ann Barrasso, Operations Director and Sustainability Lead at Roythornes Solicitors
- Matthew Edwards, Quality Manager and Green Champion at Elanco Animal Health UK
- Sara Monteiro, Team Leader and Sustainability Officer at Conker Cloud Innovations
- Grace England, Head of Strategic Initiatives and Innovation at Charity Bank
- Steve Mack, Head of Compliance at Newcastle United Foundation
Let’s get started…
What are the most common sustainability challenges when starting out?
One of the most common challenges organisations face when starting sustainability is not having a clear template or benchmark to follow.
Sara Monteiro, Team Leader and Sustainability Officer at Conker Cloud Innovations, explained that as a fully remote software business, traditional sustainability approaches didn’t apply easily. With no central office, questions emerged early on like: How do you measure emissions? What does good practice look like?
By working closely with iiE and using the homeworking calculator, Conker developed a tailored approach covering cloud usage, home energy, and essential travel. They went a step further by offering LED lighting to employees for use at home – extending sustainability beyond the workplace.
Key takeaway: Sustainability doesn’t have to be one-size-fits-all. With the right framework and support, organisations can adapt best practice to fit their day to day.
Which early actions can make the biggest difference?
For Matthew Edwards, Quality Manager and Green Champion at Elanco Animal Health UK, structure was what made sustainability feel manageable. Clear goals, action plans and regular reviews helped move sustainability from good intentions to everyday practice. One early initiative involved replacing printed product information with QR codes, saving around six tonnes of paper each year. As staff became more engaged, other ideas followed, including donating unused IT equipment instead of disposing of it.
Grace England, Head of Strategic Initiatives and Innovation at Charity Bank, highlighted the importance of having reliable data. As a tenant in a shared building, accessing utility data took patience and persistence. Once in place, it enabled clearer target‑setting and emissions reductions over consecutive years. The iiE carbon calculator helped the team focus efforts where they would have the most impact.
Key takeaway: Early wins often come from simple, well‑targeted actions backed by data rather than large, complex projects.
How do you get colleagues and senior leaders on board?
Engaging others can feel like one of the hardest parts of starting sustainability. Ann Barrasso, Operations Director and Sustainability Lead at Roythornes Solicitors, spoke about the importance of leadership support. Sustainability is now a standing item on the board agenda and is supported by a self‑elected green team across the firm. Friendly competitions and intranet updates help keep it visible and inclusive.
Steve Mack, Head of Compliance at Newcastle United Foundation, described starting from scratch. With no formal sustainability background, he reached out to iiE for guidance and used the framework to set direction. Over time, sustainability has become embedded in the organisation’s culture. Staff now routinely raise the topic at interview stage, a sign of real change.
Key takeaway: Visible leadership support and staff involvement make sustainability easier to sustain over time.
ARTICLE: Bringing your colleagues with you on your sustainability journey
How long does sustainability accreditation really take?
Time commitment is a common concern for organisations considering sustainability accreditation. Ann explained that at Roythornes, sustainability is treated as part of everyday work rather than an added responsibility. Green team meetings take place every few months, while most actions are integrated into existing processes. Transport data proved the most time‑consuming area, particularly mileage and vehicle information, which required input from finance teams.
Steve shared how small process changes helped. Updating mileage claim forms to capture vehicle type and fuel improved data quality while encouraging staff to think more carefully about travel choices.
Key takeaway: Embedding sustainability into existing systems is far more effective than treating it as separate work.
How can organisations reduce transport emissions effectively?
Transport was one of the most widely shared challenges across the panel.
Members described a range of practical approaches:
- Elanco promoted electric vehicles through tax incentives, encouraged public transport use, and provided bike storage and changing facilities. A car‑share map helped staff coordinate travel to events.
- Conker, as a remote‑first organisation, plans travel carefully, prioritising public transport and using car sharing only where needed.
- Roythornes offers additional mileage reimbursement for car sharing, using modest financial incentives to support behaviour change.
Other examples from across the iiE community included adjusting working hours to match public transport timetables, covering emergency taxi costs to encourage lift sharing, and rewarding active travel through staff benefits.
Key takeaway: Flexibility, leadership buy‑in and listening to staff make transport initiatives more effective.
ARTICLE: Creating a travel plan: How to be effective and where to start
What are some easy biodiversity and community projects to get started with?
Biodiversity and community action does not have to be complicated.
Grace shared how Charity Bank organised a team visit to Kent Wildlife Trust, combining learning with team building. The organisation is now exploring longer‑term ways to support the Trust.
Steve spoke about Newcastle United Foundation’s football boot recycling scheme, which redistributes donated boots to children in local communities, bringing together sustainability, inclusion and sport.
Matthew explained that Elanco encourages employees to use volunteer days on animal welfare and conservation projects aligned with organisational values.
Sara added that Conker supports two sustainability‑focused causes each year, one short‑term and one long‑term. This year, these included Wildlife Vets International, supporting conservation through education and veterinary care worldwide.
Key takeaway: Community and biodiversity projects work best when they reflect your organisation’s values and staff interests.
Final tips for organisations at the start of their sustainability journey
We finished the session by asking each speaker to share one top tip:
- Ann: “Demonstrate that everyone can play a part, from printing less, to recycling, to using DocuSign. Just keep showing people how they can get involved.”
- Matthew: “Try lots of different things. Not everything will work, but celebrate your successes.”
- Sara: “Ask for feedback, and really listen. In our remote company, we use polls, dedicated chat channels, and interactive boards. If something’s not possible, explain why, and look for alternatives.”
- Grace: “Block time in your calendar for green actions. If it’s not scheduled, it’s easy to get bumped.”
- Steve: “My big four:
- Get support from the top.
- Get ideas from staff.
- Share your success stories.
- Use your iiE advisor – they’re part of your team!”
A huge thank you to our wonderful panellists for sharing so openly. It’s your ideas and energy that make the iiE community such a powerful force for change.
You do not need all the answers to get started
Every organisation on this panel began with uncertainty, limited time and competing priorities. What helped them move forward was having a clear framework, practical tools and access to expert support.
If you are at the beginning of your sustainability journey and would benefit from guidance and structure, iiE accreditation is designed to support organisations from their very first steps.
Find out how iiE can help your organisation get started
Book an introductory conversation with an iiE advisor