Innovation

Their innovations are mainly related to two aspects, reducing food waste and saving water resources. First, Enviro-Stewards developed strategies to reduce food waste by analyzing their findings in environments and factories around the world. Through the detailed systematic record of the production process of small waste consumption, minute-by-minute data can be collected to determine the saving plan. Second, they analyze the sources and factors of waste and focus on how to reduce or eliminate waste. Third, they create many analysis and control sites. For example, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), food safety practices, and other appropriate protocols for the industries. Next, they make an implementation plan through teamwork. Provide others with clear, measurable, practical, and feasible solutions through classification and quantification. Finally, the payback period of our opportunities averages 10.5 months, they will follow the above practices according to local conditions for reasonable construction and implementation.

On how Enviro-Stewards innovations came about, the company's chairman, Bruce, explained that the water we rely on is increasingly scarce. There are still more than 1 billion people in the world who do not have access to clean water. As a result, millions of people die every year from drinking unclean water. Also, 690 million people on our planet are starving. Compared with the cases of so many people starving and wasting food and water all over the world. Therefore, innovation for sustainable development and reducing waste is beneficial to all of us, is profitable, and is a major measure to solve the world's resource and environmental problems. He also explained that many people spend cheap prices to save costs and manufacturing processes. However, if we spend a hundred dollars to build these water treatment systems that can last for decades, it is much better for low-cost, short-life equipment. In addition, food waste and water resources are closely related, and the growth of food needs irrigation of water resources. Therefore, saving water resources and food can be innovated together.

In Enviro-Stewards, Chairman Bruce and his 18 employees designed innovative processes. Enviro-Stewards engineers and scientists provide consulting and analytical methods to implement practical, measurable, and economically viable solutions that guide your organization to long-term, sustainable, and financial success. The process is collaborative and aims to match the expertise of other people's facility teams with our experts to achieve the best possible results. First, they will meet with other organizations to learn about other organizations. Second, they record the processes of waste and consumption. Third, they analyze the records and prioritize solutions to the problem. Fourth, they will develop a design and technical analysis of practical conservation alternatives that respect Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), food safety practices, and other appropriate protocols for the industries. Next, they will classify and quantify all implementation plans to provide clear, measurable, practical, and feasible solutions. Finally, they set up an average opportunity recovery cycle and work with other companies on engineering design, funding application, project management, commissioning, and post-implementation verification.

Enviro-Stewards innovation fulfills their purpose and sense of mission and is of great significance to the sustainable development of society. Through innovation, they provide effective ways to reduce food waste and water conservation, which is in line with the concept of today's business development. For example, as emerging moral leaders, enterprises need to promote social change and social progress. Also, our world is facing many problems, including resource shortage, the gap between rich and poor, climate change, and so on. These problems are related to the waste of food and water. Their innovation has put into practice the SDGs and 2030Agenda advocated by our world and so on. Therefore, Enviro-Stewards has a sense of mission and purpose to promote the sustainable development of society, and through their innovative approach to achieve these goals and sense of mission.

In the interview, we found some innovative quotations,

“Someone will always do it cheaper, but at what cost?"

“Compared with traditional procurement mechanisms, sustainable procurement requires more foresight."

” Our approach is different from that of most consultants. Instead of focusing on solving the final state dilemma, we perform traditional audits but examine the root causes to develop innovative and sustainable solutions.”

“We don't believe in band-aid because it doesn't solve the problem. Our experience tells us that if they only address the symptoms without alleviating the root causes of the problem, their businesses will struggle with ongoing resource and financial problems.”

“Environmental managers adopt a comprehensive approach to comprehensive assessment and implementation, focusing on prevention, resource conservation, and improving their bottom line.”

Inspiration

Enviro-Stewards prides themselves on being different from other consultation firms, offering sustainable and innovative solutions to your problems. When asked what the motivation was for their innovation, Bruce stated, “B corporations you will find innovation because if I use the same model as my peers, I’m dead. Our peers don’t pay a living wage, don’t do this work in East Africa, etc. So, I have to generate more value than my peers… Consultants make their money by curing problems after they’re created… They make very little money in preventing it in the first place… So, I had to create my own company to focus on that type of work”. Most consultation firms will provide a cheap enticing band aid solution so they can continue to profit off the problem long into the future. For example, composting. Your waste problem persists. It’s just managed better, and you must continuously pay for composting. In comparison, Enviro-Stewards focus on getting to the root cause of the problem and preventing it before it happens. The purpose for their innovation is to redesign processes to prevent problems in the first place. Going back to the composting example, if you solve your waste problem there is no need to continuously compost. The purpose and motivation for their innovation is that it is more sustainable and cost efficient for companies when they are given sustainable and innovative solutions to prevent problems.

Before founding Enviro-Stewards, Bruce worked for multinational companies. He started Enviro-Stewards (a B corporation) because he wanted to create a sustainable company that valued their employees and communities. Bruce stated, “Conventional companies would penalize me if I took a leave of absence to do volunteer work and stuff like that. So, I said why not create an environment where people can do both.” He recognized employees’ value flexible work environments that provide a better work-life balance than his competitors, so he incorporated this structure into his company. Enviro-Stewards offers its employees 24 hours of paid volunteer work per year and as much time off without pay as they want. They also pride themselves on paying their employees livable wages unlike many of their competitors. All of this is possible because Bruce had the idea of building a sustainable company that gives flexibility to its employees and helps companies reduce their environmental footprint.

Overall impact

Their innovation on food loss prevention, has been the most significant, and impactful towards the Enviro-steward’s success. Their innovative solutions towards preventing and solving food waste have been very impactful to their clients. Enviro-Stewards’ President, Bruce Taylor states, “We went into 50 fifty factories in a row, we saved them $230,000 per factory, per year of food”. Seeing the Enviro-Stewards’ success resulting in companies becoming more environmentally friendly while becoming more profitable, has been the most impactful innovation towards their success.

Enviro-Stewards’ Safe Water Social Venture (SWSV) Innovation is a very important project to communities around the world that have no access to clean water. Saving the lives of many through their water treatment innovation that allows anyone from anywhere to access clean water. Bruce and the team have made a significant impact on the communities in East Africa and explains, “What we do is teach them how to build water treatment systems using local materials that goes in somebody’s house, and you can make them for $100 American, and they last 25 years. They save each family approximately $1000 in medical costs over the life of the filter, and it takes no energy or chemicals to operate”. Not only did they create a sustainable water treatment solution, but they also developed a way for individuals to start their own safe water project for the communities to spread access to clean water everywhere. SWSV provides modules and learning tools to educate individuals to manage a business where these individuals can provide their learnings and filters they create to others, effectively increasing access to clean water throughout communities that are in need of these essential resources.

Through their food loss and waste reduction innovation, they have found from analyzing their 50 factories they have completed, “not wasting this food would save 32,600 tonnes of embedded CO2 emission each year. This is equivalent to taking 7,000 cars off the road.” (Enviro-Stewards, 2021). The company has made companies across Canada to become more profitable while finding ways for companies to reduce their carbon footprint. Another quote from their website explains an example of their innovation in that, “beverage loss prevention at Beau’s Brewery will save $722,000/yr of beer, avoiding 600 tonnes of GHG” (Enviro-Stewards, 2021). Enviro-Stewards’ innovations have a direct effect on the reduction of carbon footprint for the companies that they consult while increasing their profit margins.

Short-term effects of their innovation include solutions towards a more sustainable method of operating, for companies and where they cut down on the costs and are able to save significant amounts each year directly due to the innovations from Enviro-Stewards. Long-term goals of the Enviro-Stewards is a society and world with less carbon emissions, pollution, and access to clean water for communities around the world.

Business benefit

Innovation is the driving force for the development and survival of an enterprise, an important method for an enterprise to adapt to the state of social development, and an important means to promote the efficiency of enterprise management and the change of management mode. One of the benefits of innovation is to help establish a good corporate brand image, form corporate advantages, integrate with the market economy development environment, and enhance corporate competitiveness. The result is to promote the all-round development and progress of the enterprise, to point out the direction for the development of the enterprise, and to maintain the vigor and vitality of the enterprise.

Returning to our research object Enviro-Stewards, Enviro-Stewards does not believe in the Band-Aid method because it cannot solve the problem. They believe that if you only address the symptoms without reducing the root cause of the problem, your business will face ongoing resource and financial problems. Relying on this innovative approach, Enviro-Stewards has cultivated the core competitiveness and management level of the company and achieved the reduction of production costs and the improvement of the economic benefits of the company, thus opening up the company's market.

Social and environmental benefit

First of all, in modern society, society needs the support of science and technology. Technology has eternally existed in human life and work, and human beings also need to use technology to survive and develop. Science and technology are the primary productive forces for economic development and creation. Therefore, science and technology, as the primary productive forces of the entire society, have certain beneficial effects on economy, politics, humanities, environment, and so on. Enviro-Stewards will not start from scratch and try to solve the problem, they will check the root cause to develop innovative and sustainable solutions. Using science and technology, Enviro-Stewards method of treating sewage is to reduce the load of sewers and the use of toxic substances, while increasing production and income.

Secondly, science and technology will not only promote social and economic development, but also protect the ecological environment. Reasonable use of science and technology can improve the ecological environment. Therefore, it is inseparable from science and technology for the entire society. Enviro-Stewards launched Safe Water Social Ventures in 2004 to enable communities to sustainably provide safe water and change lives. The project focuses on providing training, tools, and guidance to enable the team to provide safe water for their communities. To achieve this goal, we work with grassroots groups to build local capacity, provide meaningful employment opportunities, and empower these communities to help their neighbors do the same. The use of science and technology can allow mankind to reduce the demand for nature, explore new resources in terms of science and technology, improve the needs of the entire society, achieve ecological balance, and protect the ecological environment.

Interview

Bruce Taylor, Founder