FROM TH E E D I TO R Do something I n the last FIDI Focus, we looked at business sustainability in the form most people recognise it: environmental. In this issue, we build on this, and discover that sustainability in its broadest sense, is actually a holistic approach that takes in many, if not all, aspects of a companys operations. These include how a company recruits and treats its staff; how its employees feel about working there, and how they act on this; and what positive impact its activities have on the local community and the wider world. These are underpinned by a fundamental measure, financial sustainability. Without this, no business can survive for long, let alone be a force for good. To paraphrase one of our interviewees:Make sure your company can pay its bills, and then you can focus on making a difference. There is so much common sense in this broad definition of sustainability, we might ask why on earth we havent done more before. Would staff prefer to work for a company that improves the community in which they live? Well, yes. Would customers prefer to employ a company that has a low impact on the environment? You would think so. And would business owners prefer to go to bed at night knowing their firms have the strength to withstand an economic setback? For certain. W W W. F I D I. O R G FF303 Sept_Nov 21 pp08-09 Ed.indd 9 If these wider aspects of sustainability were important considerations for business before, the pandemic has brought about change that means acting on them is now essential. COVID-19 highlighted the importance of solvency and good cash flow (financial); of employee wellbeing and good mental health (human/staff); of the good we can do in our communities (social); and of companies responsibility for looking after the environment as they operate. If the why is clear, how businesses go about ensuring they are fully sustainable will require far-reaching changes to the accepted way of doing things in some areas and will be the subject of a great deal of debate within the industry. FIDI and its regional Associations will have a key role to play in facilitating these discussions and driving forward change for the benefit of all. The challenge to become a truly sustainable moving industry ahead is vast; however, thats no excuse for having small ambitions. Everybody must do something, playing their part by contributing as much to the collective effort as they possibly can. If we get this right, everybody, as employees, employers, business owners or family members, will enjoy the benefits. DOMINIC WEAVER editor@fidifocus.org 9 14/09/2021 13:47