Environmental Impact: How to Make Your Business Contribute Positively in Guatemala
In the framework of the XV National Business Transformation Forum El cambio está en ti, business leaders and entrepreneurs shared their experiences on how to make companies move towards sustainability in Guatemala. They agreed that there are six key steps to achieve businesses that positively impact society and the environment, while generating economic value. These steps are:
- Awareness: Recognize the negative and positive impacts that productive activity generates and maximize the positive aspects while reducing the negative ones.
- Committed leadership: The commitment of the company's top management is fundamental to implement a sustainability strategy.
- Change management: Inspirational leadership and structural change management are necessary to achieve the transformation towards sustainability.
- Listening to the community: Companies must be able to listen to their stakeholders and dialogue with them to identify relevant issues and manage them in a comprehensive manner.
- Teamwork: Sustainability requires strategic alliances and collaboration between public, private and civil society.
- Going beyond: A holistic approach to sustainability should be adopted, seeking to generate value for society and the environment, in addition to reducing negative impacts.
Business leaders stressed the importance of changing the business paradigm in Guatemala and contributing to the country's development. They affirmed that embracing sustainability does not imply losing focus on business, but rather integrates different dimensions of business action, improves trust and, in the long term, profitability.
The XV National Forum on Business Transformation was organized by the Center for Corporate Social Responsibility Action (Centrarse) and was attended by business leaders from large, medium and small companies, as well as entrepreneurs. During the event, the importance of promoting more sustainable businesses that have a positive impact on their environment was highlighted.
In summary, in order for businesses to contribute positively in Guatemala, it is necessary to be aware of the impacts, have a committed leadership, manage change, listen to the community, work as a team and adopt a holistic approach to sustainability. These steps are essential to accelerate the transformation to sustainable organizations that generate economic, social and environmental value.
