Sustainability is an approach businesses can opt to take in order to create long-term value through careful consideration of how they operate in the economic, social and ecological environment. Sustainability is becoming increasingly important for companies across a plethora of industries to implement as time passes; over 60% of CEOs consider strategies that are sustainable as a requisite to being competitive in the modern world.
For the switch to sustainable strategies to be more systemic, certain industry leaders are required to rise up and demonstrate the need for companies to act on sustainability. Weslee Andrews is one such leader. The entrepreneur and philanthropist, who possesses a Ph.D in Biotechnology science, has just launched a micro electric car in Europe in order to further this cause. But more than this, his endeavours to push for political power so that he may further entrench such initiatives into society have led many to believe he is the future of sustainability.
The Growth of Sustainability
Sustainability continues to rank amongst some of the highest characteristics consumers are continually demanding from companies, as they hope to seek out goods that are more environmentally-friendly. This sentiment is shared by business investors, which doubles the pressure on modern-day companies to implement sustainable actions into their manifesto. In recent years, the example set by big corporations has accelerated the growth of sustainability across all industries.
For example, Nike has turned its focus to diminish its waste and carbon footprint. Similarly, Adidas has been successful in their implementation of a far greener supply chain and has even gone as far as correcting specific issues in their production process that threatened the notion of sustainability, such as dyeing and eliminating plastic bags.
Furthermore, industry giants Pepsi and Coca-Cola have adopted similarly progressive stances towards sustainability – with both determined to focus on improving their conservation of water as well as pursuing targets to actively replace it.
Despite these obvious advancements in sustainability, there are still significant steps that need to be made if the targets the world has set for itself are to be met. This requires the bridging of two paramount gaps: the ‘knowing-doing gap’ and the ‘compliance-competitive advantage gap’.
The ‘knowing-doing gap’ refers to a phenomenon discovered by MIT. This found that despite 90% of CEOs recognising sustainability as an important endeavour, a mere 60% of companies actually integrate it into their business strategy, with even less assimilating it into their business model.
Similarly, the ‘compliance-competitive advantage gap’ describes the apparent dissonance between the companies that see sustainability as a competitive advantage they can benefit from and those who see it as something they are required to be compliant with. Not even a quarter of businesses consider it a financial benefit.
Role of Electric Vehicles
It has been consistently illustrated in research that electric cars are more sustainable than their fuel-using counterparts; they are better for the environment due to the fact that they emit fewer greenhouse gases and air pollutants. This even includes the production and electricity generation required for such cars.
The primary benefit of EVs is the improvement to air quality in busy cities and towns they propose. Air pollution plummets with the use of these vehicles as they produce no carbon dioxide whatsoever; the use of one electric car saves 1.5 million grams of carbon dioxide. This results in cleaner streets and a more pleasant general living experience for everyone in the vicinity.
Not only this, electric vehicles play such a vital role in the future of sustainability because as it currently stands, road transport is responsible for such a huge proportion of a city’s air pollution; in London it exceeds 50%. This means it is unsurprising then, why Weslee Andrews is hoping to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles with the release of his new micro electric car.
Weslee Andrews’s Efforts In Sustainability
Weslee Andrews has been turning heads for his efforts to develop sustainability in the UK and Europe with his micro electric car. As a well-known businessman for his success as a group owner of Blue Diamond, a renowned international defence contractor, big things are expected from this extremely reputable leader.
Weslee Andrews hopes to make sustainable electric cars a feasible option for the real person, someone who won’t spend extortionate amounts of money on many other expensive electric alternatives. He even produced the most affordable and sustainable Micro electric cars for the future.
Speaking of the future, his plans for sustainability are not limited to the now – he hopes to take a political role developing foreign investment and improving connections between countries with trade agreements. He is planning to do so under the title of the future Foreign Minister to the UK.
Closing Remarks
Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important aspect of the way businesses must conduct themselves, as a result of the pressures placed on corporations by their customers and investors. Whilst some are responding to this positively and using it as a competitive advantage, many do not – which is why strong leaders are required to pave the way to a more sustainable future. Weslee Andrews is one such leader.
