Nurturing a Culture of Sustainability in Organizations

In a world where organizations constantly face uncertainty, sustainability is no longer an option but a business imperative. How does an organization become truly sustainable? This is by going beyond compliance or corporate social responsibility and embedding a culture of sustainability in their daily decisions, behaviors, and mindset.

A study conducted by the Ateneo Center for Organization Research and Development (Ateneo CORD) published in 2025, suggested specific ways organizations can build a culture of sustainability and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The results, which were based on insights from interviews and the sustainability reports from seven Philippine companies in banking, power, and food manufacturing industries, are shared below.

The CREATE culture-building framework developed by Ateneo (CORD) was used as a guide in this study.  The framework suggests that six components shape and maintain organization culture: (1) communicating desired values, (2) role modeling by leaders, (3) engaging employees in culture-building efforts, (4) aligning systems and structures, (5) training for desired values, and (6) evaluating and reinforcing desired behaviors.

 The first component is communicating the value of sustainability. The organizations actively promoted awareness among internal and external stakeholders of sustainability efforts. Company newsletters, and annual reports available to the public highlighted sustainability efforts. In addition, top -down communication from top management was crucial in spearheading initiatives. Having sustainability champions per unit also served as a great strategy in ensuring that sustainability efforts were implemented down the line. Another method was creating a brand or acronym for sustainability efforts aligned with the organization’s core values. This created better recall and buy-in among employees.

The second component is the importance of leaders' role modeling. This was observed in the creation of board committees that push the agenda for sustainability. Leaders were also visible at events and ensured the allocation of resources and funds for sustainability initiatives. 

Engaging employees is the third component. This was done by providing employees with different opportunities to be involved in sustainability initiatives. HR-driven programs designed to encourage collaboration among units on sustainability initiatives were also increased.

The fourth component is aligning sustainability to the organization’s vision, mission, and values (VMVs). This alignment was done by embedding sustainability initiatives  in their value chain, operations, structure, and policies, and  setting organizational targets and employee goals linked to sustainability goals. For example, some companies created a sustainability office in their organizational structure. Also, sustainability became one of the criteria found in their unit Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and part of their individual goals. On a wider scale, organizations had an “intentional alignment” with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These SDGs served as a basis for the development of programs with their stakeholders. Likewise, organizations also complied with existing national government agencies’ permits and licenses.

The fifth component involves improving the capabilities of leaders and employees regarding sustainability through basic and specialized training and development activities. Different learning methods, such as including sustainability as a topic in onboarding, using technology in training for sustainability, and working with experts, were also implemented.

The last component of the framework involves evaluation and reinforcement. Organizations used metrics to track performance vis-a-vis organizational success indicators and individual goals. They also espoused transparency by producing sustainability reports which highlighted achievements in this area. In addition, rewards and recognition encouraged employees to think of innovative ideas that contribute to sustainability efforts.

In essence, the challenge to nurture a culture of sustainability lies not only on the leaders but also on the members of the organizations. A holistic approach to promoting sustainability is needed to ensure that company driven initiatives translate to employee behaviors.