Good intentions are no longer enough

For the longest time, companies have donated to charities and communities, because they wanted to “give back” and “do good”. Such donations tend to solve an immediate need rather than provide a long-term solution, and often there is no or little follow up on the real impact to people and the environment.

There is also growing global consensus on the tremendous impacts of business on climate change, and vice versa. Businesses worldwide play into the reasons for climate change, and as such must also take on a leading role in finding the solutions for it. Some multinational corporations have a larger revenue than the GDP of entire countries, showing just how big a part business plays in this equation. Likewise, climate change will damage economies, increase resource scarcity and dramatically raise the cost of doing business. Businesses, along with governments and citizens, must act and it is no longer enough to simply “give back” and “do good”. It is time to place sustainability on the highest agenda, and to analyze, understand and act on the risks as well as opportunities.

At RA International, we have embarked on this journey of creating lasting and sustainable impact through our core business activities. In the past – like many other companies -, we mainly focused on supporting external community initiatives. However, over the last couple of years we have increasingly started looking inwards at what we can do to increase the positive and diminish the negative impacts of our own operations on people and the planet. We recognized that we are in a unique position due to the locations in which we operate, which are largely underdeveloped and often conflict or post- conflict regions. Working in some of the world’s most difficult terrain is a huge challenge, but also a huge opportunity to create lasting change.

This does not mean that we no longer support community initiatives – We still do “What we can. Where we are.” and constantly keep an eye open for oppor­tunities to contribute to individuals and organizations in need.

It can be overwhelming to get started on the sustainability journey – With so many things wrong in the world and so many things we could and should be doing, where do we even start? What should we focus on? While the answer will be different for every company, it is important not to let this overwhelming sensation paralyze us, but to just get started and begin making sustainability a factor in decision making processes, strategic planning and the day to day running of the business.

At RA, we hope to inspire others and contribute to a shift in mindset within our industry by demonstrating that companies can be competitive and profitable at the same time as operating sustainably.

To be sustainable and purpose-driven is more than a side project. It is a business strategy in itself