Too expensive, no return on investment, no priority... Too often, sustainability actions still don't make it to implementation. By drawing up a clear and concrete business case for your initiative, you can demonstrate to your CEO or business manager the value and benefits for your company. In this blog, you'll discover how to build a strong business case.

Departments fighting over budgets, it happens in many companies. With limited resources, it's important to make a clear and compelling case for why your company should invest in a particular sustainability action.

Sales, marketing and service teams can usually present data to demonstrate the ROI of investments and ask for additional money. For example, how many leads a new ad campaign or event participation can generate.

If you want your sustainability action to get the green light as well, you'd better do your homework. Sustainability is often still seen as a cost item, which means that initiatives are not given priority or are immediately discarded. With a good business case that clearly highlights the benefits for your company, you increase the chance that your idea will be warmly received.

What should your business case do?

Convince, make your business manager or CEO want to sign right away. To convince your management that your sustainability initiative should actually be implemented, list clearly the reasons why the initiative is a good idea and what your company or organization stands to gain. These reasons are also best quantifiable.

What is a strong business case not? A quick presentation of the initiative you want to pursue. Taking the time to present a thoughtful plan of action while also considering the positive impact on your business is the best way to maximize your chances of a positive response.

1. Outline the problem

Briefly describe, at most in a few sentences, what you think could or should be done differently. If you already have one or more solutions in mind that solve the problem, include them. The more concrete your case, the more likely it is to succeed.

Some examples:

• We have a lot of pmd waste, which means we are contributing to the giant plastic soup. With a packaging-free drink dispenser from Dripl, we are significantly reducing that amount of waste;
• Our energy bills are sky-high because our consumption is very high. With better insulation and sensitizing our colleagues about saving, we can reduce costs;
• We do not have a green image and that is one of the reasons why we are losing out in the war for talent. By investing in green initiatives such as Dripl or a corporate forest, we can polish that image.

2. Demonstrate how your sustainability initiative will benefit your business

If you already have a possible solution in mind, you most likely found a list of its benefits on the website. Listing those in your business case is already a good first step, but your management also wants to know if there are specific benefits for your company with the investment. Then highlight those extra or add them, because they make your business case much stronger. Plus, that way you have some elements you can report on later.

If you build your business case only with the general(er) benefits, it's much harder to get a before-and-after picture of the positive change you've made in your company.

Some examples:

• Increased productivity;
• Less cost for collection or processing AND less clutter in the office;
• Lower energy costs;
• A green image works in the war for talent;
• A hipper office environment gives us a competitive advantage.

3.Define success for each of your reasons for change

The next step is to tie all of the above together with one or more success metrics. These will give you and management a clear indication of the positive benefits your sustainable innovation brings to the company. It also gives you a measurable goal to track and report on.

Some examples:

• saved 400 kilograms of waste on an annual basis, corresponding to cost savings worth amount y;
• A 10% increase on employee satisfaction scores in your next engagement survey;
• A 10% decrease in short-term absenteeism by encouraging healthier eating and drinking habits.

Make the following steps clear

As icing on the cake, you can add what steps you need to take to implement your idea. Again, the better your preparation, the more likely you are to get a yes from your management.

Getting Started

Want to get started on your business case? Then be sure to download our template - it gives you a framework in which you can present the info you gather in a clear way. That way, you'll have a powerful document in hand when you finally get to pitch your idea to your CEO.

As an example, you'll also get a completed copy about Dripl and our Refill Point. Would you also like to use it yourself to present Dripl to your CEO? Then be sure to refine the arguments for why your company really needs Dripl, as they may vary from company to company.

Good luck!