About the 6 steps
Whichever steps you choose to take for your business, this guide provides a gateway to the help, information and resources you need to achieve them.
These 6 steps draw from the many guides already available. They have been developed and tested in partnership with four leading New Zealand companies.
The 6 Steps
Follow this six-step guide to build sustainability into your company's value chain.
Map your value chain
Identify the focus of your assessment and gather data to help you draw up a value chain map.
Learn more
Identify risks & opportunities
Review the environmental, social and economic impacts at each stage of your value chain to identify the risks and opportunities.
Learn more
Assess priorities
Prioritise the issues for your business based on the risks and opportunities you have identified.
Learn more
Identify solutions
Once the most pressing issues have been assessed you need to identify the options for dealing with them.
Learn more
Develop project plan
Introduce good planning when implementing change to lead better outcomes and successes.
Learn more
Business as usual
Create a successful sustainable value chain by changing your organisational focus to make this a normal part of your business.
Learn moreThe 6 Steps
Follow this six-step guide to build sustainability into your company's value chain.
Identify the focus of your assessment and gather data to help you draw up a value chain map.
Learn moreReview the environmental, social and economic impacts at each stage of your value chain to identify the risks and opportunities.
Learn morePrioritise the issues for your business based on the risks and opportunities you have identified.
Learn moreOnce the most pressing issues have been assessed you need to identify the options for dealing with them.
Learn moreIntroduce good planning when implementing change to lead better outcomes and successes.
Learn moreCreate a successful sustainable value chain by changing your organisational focus to make this a normal part of your business.
Learn moreTips:
To get the most out of the 6 steps we recommend the following:
- Start by addressing 'hot spots' in your business – that is, the issues with the greatest impact.
- Hold group discussions with the key people from across your business to tackle each step
- Encourage each participant to think broadly about the topics discussed and not to narrow their focus down to a single topic
- When working on each step it is natural that other opportunities or solutions outside the topic scope are thought of and explored. To avoid distraction, it is useful to put these issues in a 'parking lot' where they are recorded and then put to one side.
- Fully complete each step before moving on to the next one. Try not to make assumptions on the outcome before all aspects have been fully explored.
For further ideas, we recommend the following guides which greatly influence the 6 step process:
- The World Business Council for Sustainable Development's Collaboration, innovation, transformation Ideas and inspiration to accelerate sustainable growth – A value chain approach.
- Food and Drink Federation's Sustainable Sourcing: Five Steps Towards Managing Supply Chain Risk.
