Duke Energy’s Sustainability Filter
We created this “filter” to help management and employees view each decision and action through the lens of sustainability.
Connection
Understanding the big picture and the interrelationships between issues
- Have we considered the financial, environmental and social impacts of this action/decision?
- Have we taken potential changes in the external environment, such as new regulations, into account?
- Have we considered this action/decision in light of our key stakeholders’ expectations and priorities? Have we looked for the connections between issues?
- Have we examined it from a life cycle/value chain perspective?
Efficiency
Using resources as efficiently as possible to save money and respect our planet’s limits
- Does this action/decision help us reduce our use of resources — materials, energy, water, etc.? What about our suppliers? Customers?
- Does it help us improve our performance on the 3Rs of solid waste (reduce, reuse, recycle)? What about our suppliers? Customers?
- Does this action/decision provide us an opportunity to profit from what we might otherwise throw away?
Balance
Developing solutions that effectively address competing interests
- Does this action/decision balance our stakeholders’ competing priorities?
- Does this action/decision balance “people, planet and profits?” Can we develop a win-win-win solution?
- Does it balance short-term and long-term needs?
- Have we evaluated purchases and performance of suppliers against these same questions?
Grandchildren
Anticipating how future generations will view the actions we take (or don’t take) today
- Have we looked at this action/decision through the eyes of future generations?
- Will it stand the test of time?
- Will this action/decision contribute to long-term shareholder value?
- Will it benefit, or at least not harm, society and the environment?