Building a Sustainable Organization: Innovation, Practices, and Impact

This report provides a comprehensive overview of sustainable innovation within organizations, emphasizing the importance of integrating environmental and social considerations into business models. It examines the concept of sustainable innovation, highlighting its significance for companies in addressing environmental impacts and achieving long-term value. The report uses Bio-bean as a case study, showcasing how the company's innovative approach to recycling coffee waste contributes to a circular economy. Furthermore, it explores how organizations can adopt sustainable practices through novel products, operational changes, and organizational transformation. The report also reflects on the application of sustainability ideals in personal lifestyles, discussing practical steps individuals can take to reduce their environmental footprint, such as using eco-friendly products, conserving energy, and reducing waste. The analysis emphasizes the benefits of sustainable innovation for both businesses and individuals in creating a more sustainable future.

Building A
Sustainable
Organisation

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
TASK ..............................................................................................................................................3
Importance of sustainable innovation.........................................................................................3
Reflection on how one could comply with the sustainability ideals in current lifestyle.............6
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Sustainability refers to meeting with our own needs by utilising the available natural
resources without compromising with the requirement of future generations for fulfilling their
own needs. Some of the examples of sustainability practices are renewable energy such as solar,
wind, hydroelectric, biomass etc. In a business context, sustainability can be defined as he
business approach for creating a long-term value of business by raising the concerns for the
responsibility of organisation towards ecological, social and economic environments (Akbar and
Ayandibu, 2022). Sustainable innovation considers introducing the changes to the products,
services or processes of company to provide long-term social and environmental benefits while
also assuring the economic advantages to the company (Ruan, Ding and Yang, 2022). This report
will discuss the importance of sustainable innovation in context with sustainable organizations
like Bio bean company. It is a UK based private company headquartered in London, England in
the recycling and manufacturing industry and is the world's first coffee recycling factory dealing
in products like recycled coffee raw materials, coffee biomass pellets, natural coffee flavour
ingredient etc. The report will also cover the reflection on the compliance of sustainability ideals
with the current lifestyle of individuals.
TASK
Importance of sustainable innovation
Sustainable innovation refers to the development of new products, services , processes
and technologies in order to make contribution to the development and well being of human
needs and organisational needs while ensuring the conservation of natural resources and
regenerative capacity. Sustainable innovation includes new ideas , processes , concepts and
practices so as to provide benefits to ecological environment, social cohesion while ensuring
economic viability. The business organisations are adopting sustainability by way of compliance
with Corporate social responsibility and responsible innovation. The organisations that do not
introduce innovation in their business fall behind their competitors and there relative market
share gets decreased due to which they have to shut their businesses down (Viale, Vacher and
Bessouat, 2022).
Sustainable innovation helps the companies in addressing the social and environmental
impacts. By adopting this, the companies provide those products and services that are good,

beneficial and not harmful for themselves and for the society as well in the long-run. For
example, Bio-bean company is the world's first waste coffee recycling factory in London that
operates in the industry of Recycling manufacturing, renewables, solid fuels etc. i.e. the
sustainable products that ensure the well being of organisation as well the society. The company
deals in the products like coffee logs, coffee biomass pellets, recycled coffee raw material and
natural coffee flavour ingredients etc. that are beneficial for company as well as customers i.e.
Society as these products ensures the sustainable impact of its products on the social as well as
environmental factors. The companies that adopt traditional forms of innovation cause harm to
employees as well as natural resources (Dixit and Singh, 2022). For example, coffee capsule
machines provide cafe-quality coffee at home but due to them almost 25000 plastic capsules are
thrown in landfill sites. The primary factors to introduce sustainable innovation in the
organisation consist of products, services and processes. It can be achieved by the businesses
through following ways.
 Developing novel products and services – By adopting sustainable innovation, the
companies can introduce and offer novel products and services that contribute them in
achieving sustainability. For example, Bio-bean is a certified B Corp and has developed
an eco-friendly biofuel that it has made from the coffee waste to facilitate the Power
London's double-decker buses. The company also upcycles the coffee grounds into eco-
friendly products like coffee logs and coffee pellets that act as an alternative to carbon
heavy fuels such as coal briquettes and imported wood logs. The company is using a
material that is making contributions for circular economy while ensuring generation of
revenues of almost 10 million dollars annually.
 Changing operational processes – Sustainable innovation does not only include the
introduction of novel products and services in the company but it also include offering
the existing products or processes by bringing the necessary change or transformation in
them by way of innovation. The business firms can also innovate by these ways. The
process changes can done in different areas like marketing, production, design etc.(Fang
and et. al., 2022). For example, Fair-phone is a Dutch social organisation that offers
consumer-sourced smartphones. The products of Fair-phone do not have any technical
feature like Bio-bean that created novel products for the purpose of sustainable
innovation rather Fairpohne has transformed the production process of smartphones to

ensure responsibility and sustainability regarding the innovative products. The company
is using recycled and responsibly mined materials and offers its workers fair wages and
safe & healthy working conditions. The company ensures reduction in e-waste by having
a modular design that facilitates in easier repairs and upgrades.
Sustainable innovation helps in operational optimisation, organisational transformation
and systems building as well. It plays a crucial role in the business organisations in terms of
providing competitive advantage to the company. The importance of sustainable innovation is
being explained as under -
 Contributes to sustainable businesses – Sustainable innovation requires the businesses to
incorporate the problems relating to human rights, climate change etc. to their innovation
processes. Sustainable innovation enables the businesses to consider the long-term and
sustainable growth by investing in technologies and human resources as well (Patón-
Romero and et. al., 2022). For example, Bio-bean company uses different machines or
patented technology for converting coffee grounds to be produced into a new material
that was previously considered as waste.
 Requires systems thinking – The organisations that focus on sustainable innovation do
not consider only their own business rather they have to consider the whole system that
consists of natural environment, society, communities and stakeholders etc. They are
required to develop a deep understanding regarding their impact on other organisations
and natural environment by taking steps for sustainable innovation. For example, Bio-
bean conducts thorough research and development in biodiesel, biochemicals for waste
coffee grounds and other organic waste streams to ensure sustainable impact on the
environment.
 Operational optimisation - Sustainable innovation helps the businesses in improving their
operational processes without changing their business model. Through this, the firms are
able to reduce their negative impact on the environment as well as society by using
renewable energy and reduced packaging. Businesses are able to manage this by
involving environmental and social criteria to their operational processes. It can also be
referred to as eco-efficiency (Li and et. al., 2022). In context with Bio-bean, it tries to
reduce its impact on the environment by undertaking the practices like burning of waste

coffee grounds in biomass boilers as a sustainable local renewable heat alternative that
helps the company in operational optimisation through adopting sustainable innovation.
 Organisational transformation – It is also a part of sustainable innovation that the
organisations are benefited by. Through this approach, businesses can create disruptive
innovative products and services that facilitate the needs of society and provide benefits
to the environment as well. It does not only consider the sustainability aspect of not
harming the society or environment but also considers to introduce new things in the
organisation by way of transformation. The example of smartphones with modular
designs in case of Fairphone and extraction of biofuel out of coffee waste show the
organisational transformation by way of introducing sustainable innovation. It basically
requires introduction of new things or sustainable and innovative products like Briquette
an barbecue charcoal from waste coffee ground that is being produced by Bio-bean.
 Systems building – By introducing sustainable innovation in the business, companies
consider themselves as a part of an ecosystem and identify that sustainability is not a
thing to be achieved by an individual organisation. Sustainable innovation requires the
companies to think beyond the boundaries of their own organisation to involve in this
process the partners in previously unrelated industries and marginalised actors as well
(Simone and et. al., 2022). In context with Bio-bean, the company has partnership with
Cawleyes that provides the services of waste collection, recycling i.e. coffee recycling,
food recycling, glass recycling etc. and currently is being in partnership with Bio-bean to
support the company in introducing sustainable innovation in the business.
So, through sustainable innovation , organisations do not only leave positive impact on the
environment, society or economy but they are also benefited by this in terms of operations,
transformation or systems. Bio bean also benefits different food businesses and restaurants by
collecting waste coffee grounds from hundreds of coffee shops, restaurants, office blocks and
other coffee factories. The organisation is also making contributions to the economy in terms of
better and sustainable production and making biofuel that help in reducing the impacts of air and
water pollution and also helps in reducing traffic congestion.
Reflection on how one could comply with the sustainability ideals in current lifestyle
Sustainability does not only have importance in the business organisations or firms , but
it also plays a crucial role in the individuals' life as well. The individuals must also adopt the

sustainability practices to ensure conservation of natural resources and energy for the use of
future generation (Lautensach and Lautensach, 2022). For, example, as part of their sustainability
practises , they should use green products such as bamboo toothbrushes and recycled cutlery in
their every day use. It will reduce the waste of plastic toothbrushes to be dumped into the
landfills. Individuals or students must purchase their required accessories or food products from
the local farmer markets and eco-friendly stores (Iran and et. al., 2022). As I talk about myself,
my lifestyle is more inclined with adopting sustainability practices in my day-to-day activities, I
always prefer to purchase the essentials from the local farmer markets. I always carry the jute
bags to hold the purchased products and avoid the use of plastic bags to ensure environment
sustainability.
While making purchase for the long-term products like washing machines or
refrigerators, individuals must look for the label to get most efficient appliances in terms of
saving of energy. Energy conservation is also a part of sustainability that I follow by saving
energy through using less energy that also facilitate in reduction of carbon emissions. When I use
the plastic products like bottles of cold drinks etc. , I always wash them with clear water after
use, and crush the bottle and store it separately from the wet waste. To reduce the negative
impact of the plastic waste on the street animals or the environment or the landfills, I always
handover the plastic waste to the plastic agents.
Sustainable actions facilitate in making a real difference in society. To adopt a
sustainable lifestyle, I try to commit to sustainability to ensure reduction in carbon footprints and
the amount of toxins released into the environment. I do not throw the unused clothes to the
waste instead I donate them to the charity to ensure reduction of cloth waste to be dumped into
the landfills. I always try to buy those items that are made of recycled materials or are designed
to be zero-waste. So, I buy my clothes, and bedding that are made of recycled materials. I try to
conduct the home made compost from the food waste that helps in reducing the waste to be
transported and disposed of and reduce the negative effects to the environment as well. It ensures
my contribution to the elimination of air, water an soil pollution by converting organic waste to
compost. So, I undertake the above sustainability ideals to ensure adoption with the sustainability
practices in my lifestyle.

CONCLUSION
The above report has thrown a light on the concept of sustainable innovation in the
organisation that considers introduction of necessary change in the existing products, services,
processes or technologies or brining the transformation in organisation to bring change or to
introduce new and innovative things. The importance of sustainable innovation has been
discussed in context with Bio-bean, a company in recycling and manufacturing industry. It can
be understood from the above discussion that the sustainable innovation can be achieved in the
business by way of producing novel products and service as well as by changing operational
processes. It has been observed that sustainable innovation does not involve any single
organisation but also impact the other organizations by systems building. In the end, the
reflective document has also been provided to reflect on the personal lifestyle regarding
sustainable practices and adoption of sustainability ideals.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Akbar, K. and Ayandibu, A., 2022. Creativity and Innovation: The Need for Cognitive Skills and
Abilities in Developing Entrepreneurs of the Future. In Achieving Sustainability Using
Creativity, Innovation, and Education: A Multidisciplinary Approach (pp. 50-67). IGI
Global.
Dixit, S. and Singh, P., 2022. Investigating the disposal of E-Waste as in architectural
engineering and construction industry. Materials Today: Proceedings, 56, pp.1891-
1895.
Fang, Z., and et. al., 2022. Spatial spillovers and threshold effects of internet development and
entrepreneurship on green innovation efficiency in China. Technology in Society, 68,
p.101844.
Iran, S., and et. al.,, 2022. When mortality knocks: Pandemic-inspired attitude shifts towards
sustainable clothing consumption in six countries. International Journal of Sustainable
Fashion & Textiles, 1(1), pp.9-39.
Lautensach, S.W. and Lautensach, A.K., 2022. Environmental security. Routledge Handbook of
Global Environmental Politics, p.269.
Li, L., and et. al., 2022. Integrated regional development: Comparison of urban agglomeration
policies in China. Land Use Policy, 114, p.105939.
Patón-Romero, and et. al., 2022. Application of ISO/IEC TR 33014 to the improvement of Green
IT processes. Computer Standards & Interfaces, 82, p.103611.
Ruan, X., Ding, N. and Yang, J., 2022. Dual-level eco-efficiency analysis in sustainable
management: An empirical study on textile manufacturers and supply chains in
China. Journal of environmental management, 304, p.114227.
Simone, C., and et. al., 2022. Future-proofing: Making Practice-Based IT Design Sustainable.
Oxford University Press.
Viale, L., Vacher, S. and Bessouat, J., 2022. Eco-innovation in the upstream supply chain: re-
thinking the involvement of purchasing managers. Supply Chain Management: An
International Journal.