Helping customers combat climate change through more responsible purchasing: business leaders shown new approach to enabling people to assess the harmful impacts of available options and make buying decisions that benefit the environment.

Many buyers are not fully aware of the impacts of their purchase decisions upon the environment, according to Prof. Colin Coulson-Thomas, or the extent to which the consequences of their actions are contributing to climate change.

Speaking at the Global Convention on Climate Security (Palampur, India) the author of ‘Winning Companies; Winning People’ suggested “Some might behave differently if they appreciated certain connections and were more aware of the implications of their actions. An understanding of the outcomes of different options might enable them to select a way forward that minimised harmful effects.”

Coulson-Thomas’ investigations have revealed: “Many corporate boards would like to contribute to combating environmental challenges and climate change, but they have yet to identify practical and cost effective ways of turning their noble aspirations into concrete outcomes that will help to save the planet. At the same time many consumers do not fully understand the differing environmental impacts of alternative options.”

According to Coulson-Thomas: “Pioneering companies are using a new generation of support tools that can help people to make more responsible purchasing decisions by enabling them to select offerings and courses of action that will have the least harmful consequences. The same tools can lead to more business from concerned citizens, as well as: boosting the performance of key workgroups such as front line sales, account management and support staff; speeding up responses; reducing cost, risk and stress; and improving quality and compliance.”

The Professor has found that “It is possible to increase sales while at the same time helping customers to select more environmentally friendly options when they buy. The outcome is a win for the supplying company, a win for customers, and a win for the planet, our children and future generations.”

In relation to climate change, environmental and other impacts, Coulson-Thomas raises certain questions: “Should the governing bodies of organisations accept responsibility for making customers and users of various corporate offerings more aware of the consequences of their buying decisions?  Should directors take steps to encourage and enable more responsible and less harmful purchasing?”

Coulson-Thomas believes: “Too often social responsibility and other policies remain as words on paper and there is a wide and growing gap between boardroom aspiration and the reality of conduct on the corporate front line. Many boards need cost effective ways of implementing policies for confronting and handling climate change and other issues if their good intentions are to result in desired outcomes.”

The challenge for many suppliers is to find ways of helping customers to understand the implications of different options and make more responsible choices. Coulson-Thomas finds: “Many companies view environmental impacts and climate change as a challenge rather than as an opportunity. Understanding impacts and consequences, especially negative ones, is a first step towards reviewing and developing one’s portfolio of offerings, and being more transparent. Working with customers and prospects in this process can help to build more mutually beneficial and longer lasting relationships with them.”

In essence, “the approach is to make it much easier: for staff and customers to understand complex options, inter-actions and implications; for people dealing with customers such as contact centre teams, sales staff and account managers to do difficult jobs ; and for customers to make responsible choices. Ideally customers can be helped to help themselves.”

Coulson-Thomas’ investigation suggests “The emphasis must shift from selling to enabling customers to determine the least harmful or most beneficial option from the point of view of the environment and climate change, and making it easy for them to buy a solution that addresses their individual needs, priorities and concerns.” He demonstrated that it is possible to do this in a way that also frees people from dependency upon particular locations and supports mobile activities, relocation, outsourcing and different ways of working and learning.

The approach advocated in the Professor’s speech and book has been adopted by pioneering users and can and does boost performance and speed up and enable bespoke responses, as well as reducing stress, avoiding risks and cutting compliance costs. He reveals: “Such favourable outcomes have been achieved within a year, achieving returns on investment of 20, 30 or 70 times on just one outcome measure and a quick payback at a time of adversity when funds are scarce.”

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The Global Convention on Climate Security and Eco-Investors Forum was held at the S M Convention Centre, Palampur, India. Politicians, business leaders and academics spoke on Governance for Climate Security, Business Innovation, Social Change and National Security.

The support tool for enabling more responsible purchasing that was used as an example at the convention was developed by Cotoco and information on other tools for supporting the relationship between buyer and seller can be found on www.cotoco.com.

Further information on what high performers do differently in areas that are vital for corporate success, such as sales, pricing and purchasing, and how support tools can make it easier for ordinary people to do difficult jobs, can be found in Colin Coulson-Thomas’ book ‘Winning Companies; Winning People’ which can be obtained from www.policypublications.com. Details of reports setting out critical success factors for purchasing and other activities can also be found on the Policy Publications website.

Dr Colin Coulson-Thomas, author of “Winning Companies; Winning People” is an experienced company chairman and an advisor to corporate clients worldwide. He is the author of over 40 books and reports and has helped over 100 boards to improve director, board and corporate performance; reviewed the processes and practices for winning business and building customer relationships of over 100 companies; and spoken at over 200 national or international conferences in some 40 countries.  He can be contacted via www.coulson-thomas.com