Supplier Spotlight – Sustainable Advantage

Sustainable Advantage recently began working with Aptus on our ESG strategy and action plans for the future. We had a quick Q&A with Managing Director James Stander to find out more about them.

Q: Where are you based and how long have you been in business?

Sustainable Advantage are based in Walton on Thames in Surrey. Founded in 2010, we have spent many years helping companies become more sustainable and supporting them on their transformation to a low carbon economy.

Our heritage sits firmly in the environmental arena with a particular focus on energy and waste procurement and management. In the early years whilst our purpose was to improve overall environmental performance, the reality was that our clients were more focused on the bottom line and therefore driven by cost savings and operational efficiency, hence our focus on energy and waste procurement support.

We have finally come full circle and are now witnessing a very real movement with environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance being tied to long term value and a growing concern over the risk of climate change. Evaluating an organisation’s ESG issues are now a central part of almost all investment processes and business strategies. We deliver a full ESG programme for companies big and small across the UK covering the full spectrum of the E, the S and G.

Q: How long has Sustainable Advantage worked with Aptus and what services are you providing?

We may have only just met Aptus, but are thoroughly enjoying working with them to develop their ESG strategy and map out a practical plan of action that is appropriate to the nature and scale of the business.
We will continue to work collaboratively with their leadership team to help them meet their set ESG goals and ambitions.

We began our engagement by conducting a thorough ESG Review of the business by scoring Aptus’ practices and procedures against circa 65 ESG metrics. Aptus achieved a highly respectable overall score for their baseline assessment, placing them above average as a benchmark, as there were several instances where they were able to demonstrate best practice.

Q: What makes your business different from any other suppliers/service providers?

We are the only company we know of in the UK that can provide a strategic ESG consultancy service and follow through by delivering on a number of the actions required to improve performance. Whether that be implementing
and managing a full waste management programme, procuring energy contracts and providing granular monthly reporting, to producing ESG reports, SECR Reports, calculating Scope 3 baseline emissions, developing a net
zero strategy and advising on all HR elements.

Q: What problems do you solve for clients?

ESG is fundamental to long term value and business reliance. Some of the companies we work with have been confronted with an ESG supplier assessment by their key clients with the risk of being sanctioned if they do not surpass a threshold score. Others, who are tendering in the public sector, have lost out on major opportunities having not been able to produce a Carbon Reduction Plan or align with the Government’s Social Value model criteria.

Q: How do you overcome these issues?

We go on the journey with our clients, providing the external resources to create value and positive change, all of which support business development opportunities and investor demands. Through an ESG Review, we identify sustainability opportunities and risks, and then work with clients to develop high impact strategies and solutions to unlock sustainability performance.

Published on 15th July 2022