Innovation

Sustainable Square is a small multinational firm that supports organizations to identify Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Risks. They help create solutions in the fields of Responsible Investment, Sustainability, and Social Impact. They empower businesses to become more resilient, help them drive and increase their impact, and assist them in conducting their operations in a responsible and inclusive manner. In addition, the firm advises on multiple different subjects such as Carbon Footprints, Sustainability and Climate Change, and Impact Investment.

Sustainable Square encourages ‘Decent Work and Economic Growth’ (SDG 8) by supporting and promoting their employees from all levels to speak up and share their ideas on CSR goals and Sustainability values during monthly meetups. They further provide employees with specific training programs and workshops to hone their skills and expertise. Sustainable Square also focuses on improving their employees' lives both professionally and personally. For example, they do not force a restrictive working environment. In fact, employees get to work remotely anywhere they are comfortable, whether it be in the office, a café, or even in the comfort of their homes. Even more so, they grant flexible leaves in which new parents get to set up their maternity/paternity leave schedules. When it comes to the health of their employees, they have two first aid trained personnel who are available to help reduce any medical risks that may occur in the office.

Sustainable Square also contributes to the 11th SDG of ‘Sustainable Cities and Communities’. Most of their employees participated in doing volunteering activities with partnering organizations to help make the world a better place for all. For example, they worked in planning and organizing the Special Olympics in Abu Dhabi, which is the Olympic games for people of determination. They also worked with Emirates NBD Exchanger, where they volunteered in elderly homes and created a welcoming and joyful environment for the elderly within the community.

They also practice achieving SDG 12, which is the ‘Responsible Consumption and Production’ goal. One of the procedures Sustainable Square follows is the reduction of plastic uses within water consumption. For instance, they use water dispensers, glass cups, glass bottles, and avoid using any sort of plastic bottles in the office to reduce the impact of plastic waste.

The firm applies the 17th SDG of ‘Partnerships for the Goals’, where they partner with various organizations to meet CSR and Sustainability objectives. For instance, The Little Wings Foundation is a partnership between Sustainable Square and Al Jalila Foundation, in which their aim is focused on providing medical help to children who are suffering from musculoskeletal malformations in GCC countries and North Africa. They also conduct medical research in the UAE to find better treatments for children who are struggling with limb deformities. Sustainable Square operates in multiple countries outside of the UAE which helps form partnerships with more people and organizations all aiming to achieve CSR and sustainable practices for a better world. Sustainable Square also works on building partnerships among various businesses through a program they have established called the ‘Dubai Sustainability Majlis’ based in the UAE. This monthly-based program brings a group of businesses together to disseminate information and come up with suggestions on CSR and Sustainability initiatives, with the possibility of businesses partnering with each other.

Inspiration

The two founders met in University and became instant friends. Later in life, they went to work in different countries. Monaem Ben Lellahom ended up working in the sustainability sector while Eric Hensel was working in the UAE. When they met again, Hensel and Ben Lellahom decided to start a sustainability advisory firm, the first of its kind, in the UAE. With Ben Lellahom’s sustainability knowledge and Hensel’s UAE network and business knowledge, they started Sustainable Square. The main inspiration came from the realization that at the time, there was no Sustainability Advising firm in the UAE. They also realized that CSR was not defined properly and there was no specific index for CSR measurement. Armed with that knowledge, and the opportunity of being the first movers in this sector, both men launched the business and now have a presence in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia and they’ve only been operational for 8 years.

While talking to Ben Lellahom, he explained the idea of the business and its concept:

“We call it Sustainable Square, not the shape but as a meeting point. We wanted to build a sustainable square that connects different stakeholders who drive change”.

Ben Lellahom describes the business as a square. It is inspired by the Arabic word “Meydan” which is a space where people meet and gather. In this case, the “square” connects practitioners and business leaders to discuss and innovate ways to drive and enhance sustainable development and initiatives.

Overall impact

Possibly one of the most important initiatives that Sustainable Square is working on is their online articles. They are one of the only sustainability consultancy firms in the UAE that publishes insightful and helpful articles on different topics like CSR, Social Investment, and Renewable Energy. In the short term, this leads to individuals and corporations having more knowledge and awareness regarding CSR. In addition to that, they have organized the ‘Dubai Sustainability Majlis’ where a group of businesses gather on a monthly basis and have multiple attendees share their insights, experiences, and ideas. As a result, many businesses benefit from the meeting and may establish partnerships amongst themselves. Consequently, due to the sharing of knowledge, CSR and Sustainable initiatives are better planned, understood, and implemented in the MENA region.

This leads to the long-term effect of an increased overall interest in sustainability which in turn leads to a better economy and country to live in as a whole. Implementing excellent CSR strategies that contain concepts like community volunteering, less plastic waste, and less water consumption all lead to a healthier world for animals and humans alike. This will eventually result in a shift from profit-focused to sustainability-focused businesses. As of today, due to better education, businesses now need to start operating ethically to be able to run and get a profit. As the first movers in the region, Sustainable Square had a great impact on that shift. As the CEO of Sustainable Square Monaem, Ben Lellahom stated, “Sustainability is not a side dish anymore”; emphasizing the fundamental requirement of incorporating sustainability in organizations to drive businesses to overall success.

Business benefit

Sustainable Square is a consulting service first and foremost. They generate revenue by offering all kinds of different consulting services to clients. Firms also employ them to evaluate and measure the impact of their existing sustainability and CSR plans. If Sustainable Square sees something amiss, they will prepare a plan and come up with strategies for improvement.

This focus and knowledge on sustainable values mean the company is a great place to work overall as seen by low employee turnover rates and high employee satisfaction. Sustainable Square cares about employee health and wellbeing. They believe that work-life balance is essential for reducing stress and preventing burnout in the workplace. For that reason, the company has great policies to help maintain that balance. Employees are offered the choice to work remotely out of the office and they have reduced and flexible working hours. Furthermore, all employees regardless of ranking are empowered as Sustainable Square ambassadors and are encouraged to represent the company. Sustainable Square is very passionate regarding diversity and inclusion, equal pay, and making sure both genders have the same work opportunities. All these factors maintain a positive and healthy work atmosphere which helps ensure the success and growth of the business.

Social and environmental benefit

Sustainable Square benefits society in a number of ways due to its many helpful initiatives and actions. They are mainly focused on knowledge and education when it comes to their effects on society. For example, they have volunteered to train employees from Oman on CSR, and they also make sure to participate in conferences frequently to explain and teach the general public topics related to CSR values and Sustainability. Even more important is the coaching they do for non-government social enterprises. These businesses don’t usually have much of a budget or a capacity to pay, so Sustainable Square provides pro bono (free) coaching to teach and train organizations on how to measure their actual social impact. Other than these programs, the Sustainable Square team is encouraged to give back to the community by participating in multiple volunteering activities some of them being volunteering in the Special Olympics, helping out with elderly homes, and ocean clean-ups.

Sustainable Square also does a lot for the environment. They try to limit their effect on the environment by constantly monitoring their actions and making sure they are not producing too much waste. For starters, they pay attention to their energy consumption. The Sustainable Square office was chosen as an open space to allow a high volume of natural light, thus reducing electricity consumption during the daytime. They also choose natural air ventilation in cool weather conditions, opting out from air conditioning when not needed. As for water consumption, Sustainable Square buys big drinking bottles from private companies and reuse them. They do not buy single-use plastic water bottles. Finally, when it comes to their waste management, Sustainable Square has partnered up with InfoFort to help recycle their paper waste. InfoFort also produces a monthly analysis report on Sustainable Square's impact on the environment which measures their weight of recycled paper, gallons of water saved, gallons of oil saved, and finally, their offset carbon footprint.

Interview

Monaem Ben Lellahom, Chief Executive Officer (CEO)