Genee and Ecogenesys join forces to turn sustainability ambition into action

A new partnership designed to help organisations turn sustainability knowledge and ambition into practical, measurable action officially launched at the North East Recycling Forum on 24th September.

Genee Consulting and Ecogenesys Training Academy have joined forces to provide organisations with a flexible route to build sustainability knowledge, strengthen environmental management and demonstrate progress through recognised environmental accreditation.

The partnership brings together Ecogenesys Training Academy’s practical environmental and sustainability training with Genee Consulting’s delivery of Investors in the Environment (iiE), a nationally recognised environmental accreditation programme.

Why this matters

Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important part of how organisations operate.

Customers are asking more questions, environmental requirements are appearing in tenders and procurement processes, supply chains are looking for better information and organisations themselves want to understand and reduce their environmental impact.

But knowing sustainability matters and knowing what to do about it can be two very different things.

For many organisations, particularly smaller businesses, there isn't a dedicated sustainability team or environmental manager. Responsibility might sit alongside someone's existing role, and suddenly they are faced with questions around carbon, energy, waste, procurement, biodiversity, environmental legislation and reporting.

Where do you start? What should you measure? And how do you know whether the actions you're taking are actually making a difference?

The good news is that you don't need to be a sustainability expert to start making meaningful progress.

There isn't one sustainability starting point

One of the things we've learned through delivering Investors in the Environment (iiE) is that organisations come to us at very different stages.

Some are completely new to sustainability. They know they want – or increasingly need – to do more, but aren't sure where to begin.

Others are already taking plenty of positive action. They might be measuring their energy use, reducing waste, calculating their carbon footprint, engaging staff or working with suppliers, but want a framework that brings everything together and helps them understand what to do next.

And some already have established sustainability programmes and experienced professionals in place. For them, iiE can provide an independent framework to strengthen what they're doing, identify further opportunities, evidence continual improvement and gain recognition for their achievements.

There isn't a right or wrong place to start. What matters is identifying the next step that's right for your organisation.

Giving organisations a practical framework

Investors in the Environment is designed to help organisations turn environmental ambition into practical, measurable action.

Rather than being a tick-box exercise, iiE supports organisations to develop an environmental management system that works for them.

The framework helps organisations understand their environmental impacts, establish policies and priorities, measure and monitor resource use, develop practical actions, engage their people and track progress over time.

Organisations can progress through Bronze, Silver and Green accreditation, building their approach as their environmental management develops.

And importantly, you're supported along the way. Through Genee, organisations receive dedicated support, practical resources and templates, an annual audit and a written report highlighting achievements and opportunities for further improvement.

The aim isn't to expect organisations to arrive with everything already in place. The framework is there to help you build it.

Building knowledge – and turning it into action

It's this principle that sits behind our new partnership with Ecogenesys Training Academy.

Ecogenesys provides practical environmental and sustainability training, including Carbon Literacy, ESG Awareness and Environmental Compliance, helping organisations and their people build knowledge, understanding and confidence.

Genee can then support organisations to translate that knowledge and ambition into practical action through Investors in the Environment.

Training can help people understand why sustainability matters and what it means for their organisation. iiE provides a framework to start embedding that understanding into how the organisation operates – reviewing impacts, measuring performance, taking action, monitoring progress and evidencing improvement.

For an organisation completely new to sustainability, training may be a really useful place to begin.

For an organisation already taking environmental action, the next step might be putting a more structured framework around that activity through iiE.

And for an organisation with an established sustainability approach, the priority might be independently evidencing progress, identifying opportunities to go further and working towards a higher level of accreditation.

Our partnership means we can help organisations find the route that works for them.

New to sustainability? Build your knowledge and confidence.

If sustainability is new to your organisation – or has recently become part of your role – you don't need to know everything before you begin.

Building knowledge across your organisation can help people understand environmental issues, recognise how they relate to their own roles and feel more confident about taking action.

Alongside this, iiE provides a practical structure for working out what's important to your organisation and starting to put the foundations in place. Meaning you can learn as you progress.

Already taking action? Add structure.

Many organisations are further along than they realise.

You may already be reducing waste, monitoring energy, engaging your employees, considering environmental impacts within procurement or delivering individual sustainability projects.

iiE can help bring those activities together. A structured environmental management framework makes it easier to understand where you're doing well, identify gaps, establish priorities and demonstrate how individual activities contribute to wider environmental improvement.

Rather than starting again, you build on what you already have.

Already well underway? Evidence your progress and keep improving.

Having an established sustainability programme doesn't mean you've outgrown iiE.

Independent accreditation can help demonstrate your achievements to customers, employees, suppliers and other stakeholders while the iiE framework encourages continual improvement.

As organisations progress through the accreditation levels, the emphasis develops from establishing strong foundations and baselines to tracking performance, demonstrating measurable improvement and extending environmental action more widely.

It's about asking: what have we achieved, how can we evidence it, and where can we go next?

Start where you are. Build from there.

Sustainability doesn't have to begin with a sustainability strategy, a specialist team or all the answers.

It can start with understanding where your organisation is today and taking the next practical step.

Through our partnership with Ecogenesys Training Academy, organisations can access the learning, framework and support that's right for their starting point – whether they're completely new to sustainability or already well underway.

If you'd like to find out how Investors in the Environment could work for your organisation or explore the wider sustainability pathway available through our partnership with Ecogenesys Training Academy, get in touch with Genee at jo@genee.org.uk.