To say that the world has been impacted by COVID-19 is an understatement. The global crisis has hit many industries hard, both financially and culturally. Over the last few months, many employees have been working from home or found their jobs put on hold. Uncertainty has characterised this period of unprecedented change both in our professional and personal lives.
Yet, this upheaval has also brought to the fore important issues that companies need to start addressing as we enter a stage of recovery. At Green Office Technology with the help of Epson, we’ve already begun to examine what values we want to uphold, and have extended this to look at the expectations and intentions of others around us, asking what will drive us all forward in this new world we find ourselves in.
What’s emerged from the initial review is that sustainability remains a beacon, not only for us but for many other organisations and individuals as well.
Over the last months, Daniel Quelch and Epson has been working alongside research specialist B2B International to capture the views of over 4,000 employees and decision makers alike, to understand the extent to which sustainability is being embedded into business recovery. But we also wanted to understand how aligned organisations’ sustainability efforts are with the expectations of their employees and customers.
Initial findings prove that sustainability remains critical for many organisations. While recovery and financial stability are undoubtedly primary objectives, for over a quarter of those interviewed, sustainability is cited as a top three priority.
Epson are now taking the views and statistics gleaned from the research, and testing them against groups partners, customers and third-party experts, leveraging their thoughts and experiences to round out the collective view. Such an approach enables a better understanding of the practicalities and drivers for implementing sustainable solutions.
Over the coming weeks, further research and round tables will be hosted with the purpose of unearthing the motivations, expectations and opportunities of sustainability in a world that needs it now more than ever.
I cannot wait to share more of what has been discovered around sustainability and its importance in rebuilding and reshaping our society.