How to bring sustainability into everyday business: from protocols to behaviors

Discover the principles and tools that help companies move from formal protocols to a truly sustainable culture. Learn more about our integrated approach and field experiences.

Introduction

The limit of policies “paper”

Many companies have made progress in establishing sustainability policies and protocols. Statements of intent, environmental commitments, ESG plans, certifications - all of this is important to provide a framework. However, these policies often remain formal documents, little present in everyday work. The risk is that sustainability will be perceived as a management-only issue, disconnected from operational activities and individual behavior.

Why we need to act on behaviors

To achieve concrete results, companies must go beyond the formal level. People's behaviors —in small, everyday gestures as in strategic decisions— represent the true driving force of sustainability.

From consumption management to process efficiency, from environmental safety to supplier selection, each behavior helps determine the organization's true impact.

For this reason, it is essential to accompany cultural transformation, promoting behaviors consistent with sustainability values. Information courses or institutional communications are not enough: levers of engagement, experiential training, coaching, new leadership models, and a continuous feedback system are needed.

How sustainability can become part of corporate culture

When sustainability permeates corporate culture, it becomes natural for people to make responsible choices. This requires patient and continuous work:

• to evolve management systems from a cultural perspective;

  
  

• integrate sustainability into leadership and decision-making processes;

  
  

• develop KPIs capable of measuring behavioral change;

  
  

• create moments of discussion and continuous learning.

Companies that succeed on this path become more resilient, innovative, and attractive to talent. But above all, they contribute in a concrete way to the well-being of people, the protection of the environment and the creation of value for the community.

What is meant by “behavioral sustainability”

Behavioral sustainability refers to the set of everyday, concrete, and repeated behaviors that reflect an organization's sustainability values and goals. It's not just about respecting environmental standards or adopting good practices in projects: it's about how each person, at every level, acts in line with sustainability principles. 

From waste management to optimizing energy consumption, from consciously choosing suppliers to social responsibility for local communities, everything depends on behavior. Sustainability becomes real when it is experienced in actions, not just in documents.

Many companies today publish ESG reports, adopt codes of ethics, and define environmental policies. This is the stated sustainability. But too often, there's a lack of true alignment between what's communicated and what happens in the operational environment. Many companies today publish ESG reports, adopt codes of ethics, and define environmental policies. This is the stated sustainability. But too often there is a lack of real alignment between what is communicated and what happens in operational reality.

For example, a company may boast emission reduction targets, but if in day-to-day choices managers do not assess the environmental impact of purchasing or logistics decisions, that sustainability remains on paper.

Practiced sustainability, on the other hand, is measured in the behavior of individuals and teams: how they manage resources, how they communicate with each other, how they assess risks, how they make decisions that integrate social and environmental impact.

People in the company carefully observe the consistency between what the organization says and what it actually rewards and values. If they see that sustainable behaviors are recognized and supported, they will be more motivated to adopt them. Conversely, if they perceive that business objectives always prevail over sustainability commitments, they will tend to disengage on a behavioral level.

Building this coherence requires strong cultural work: rules or economic incentives are not enough. We need leadership that can be an example, management systems that include behavioral aspects, and a context that fosters learning and continuous improvement.

Why it's so difficult to turn protocols into everyday practices

Transforming protocols into everyday behaviors is one of the most important goals for companies that want to integrate sustainability into their organizational culture. 

The first obstacle is represented by cognitive mechanisms and natural resistance to change. Humans tend to favor established habits, even when new behaviors are more consistent with corporate values. Changing the way we act requires commitment, awareness, and a context that supports learning. Many cognitive biases, such as the status quo effect or confirmation bias, lead people to underestimate the importance of new practices and advocate for entrenched behaviors.

The very structure of the organization often intervenes to further complicate the picture. Traditional models, based on functional silos and predominantly process-oriented management, are not designed to support behavior change. Protocols are seen as formal fulfillments rather than as tools to guide daily actions. Furthermore, there is often a lack of spaces and moments dedicated to reflecting on the real effect of behaviors on the environment and society. Without a review of organizational models, it is difficult to create the conditions for cultural change.

Finally, leadership plays a key role. When there is a lack of leadership capable of communicating a clear and engaging sense of sustainability, initiatives risk not being perceived as priorities. Ineffective communication, focused only on technical targets or compliance indicators, does not stimulate personal engagement.

People need to understand why they should change and how new behaviors contribute to common success. Without this narrative and concrete examples offered by leaders, the shift from protocols to everyday practices remains partial and fragile.

The role of sustainable leadership

Leadership plays a crucial role in transforming sustainability from an abstract principle to concrete behavior. Leaders, at all levels, must act as role models. People carefully observe not only the statements, but above all the actions of their direct managers and company management. If a leader adopts sustainable behaviors consistent with business values —for example, promoting energy efficiency, reducing waste, choosing responsible suppliers — these gestures become powerful cultural signals. Conversely, inconsistencies between what is stated and what is practiced quickly undermine the credibility of corporate commitment.

Another key element is the use of consistent language. Leaders must be able to communicate sustainability not as a formal obligation, but as an integral part of business strategy and organizational culture. Words matter: When leadership adopts language that values the positive impact of sustainable actions and recognizes virtuous behaviors, it helps spread new mental models within the company. This also involves avoiding ambiguous or contradictory messages, which create confusion and disorient teams.

Finally, leadership must be able to build a climate of continuous learning. Promoting sustainable behavior requires training, constant feedback, and the ability for people to experiment with new practices without fear of error. Leaders must facilitate this process by creating spaces for discussion, valuing innovation, and supporting the development of sustainability-related skills. 

Only in this way can corporate culture evolve in an authentic and lasting way, transforming sustainability into a living and everyday element.

Integrating sustainability into management systems

Policies and procedures are a key starting point for building a robust sustainability strategy. However, they alone are not enough. For sustainability principles to translate into concrete, daily actions, it is essential to also work on cultural levers. This means going beyond mere compliance and building an organizational culture in which sustainable behaviors are shared, practiced, and valued. In other words, management systems must evolve from compliance tools to true engines of cultural change.

A key step is to behaviorally reread the most common standards in the company. These systems already provide a useful framework for guiding processes and outcomes, but they need to be integrated with elements that address people's behavior. For example, indicators related to sustainable behaviour can be introduced in audit processes and monitoring systems, such as how often virtuous practices are applied in the field or the level of involvement of teams in environmental and social initiatives.

Many companies that have embarked on this path have adopted integrated practices that go in this direction. Some examples: involving function managers in setting behavioural sustainability goals; inserting experiential training modules into development plans for managers and teams; using predictive KPIs to monitor the evolution of corporate culture; promoting internal communication campaigns that reinforce the value of sustainable actions. Integrating sustainability into management systems in this way allows change to be visible and measurable, progressively strengthening the coherence between company values and daily behaviors.

Changing Behaviors: Levers and Tools

Changing behaviors within an organization requires targeted and ongoing interventions. It's not enough to simply inform or raise awareness: it's necessary to create learning experiences that foster the adoption of new practices, reinforce desired behaviors, and support overcoming resistance. Among the most effective levers, experiential training and coaching occupy a central role. Through interactive workshops, simulations, and team coaching activities, people can concretely experience how to integrate sustainability into their daily actions. Individual or group coaching also allows you to work on personal barriers and organizational dynamics that hinder change.

Another key lever is internal communication. Effective communication techniques help spread coherent messages and build a shared language around sustainability. It is important that communication is not limited to technical or regulatory aspects, but can tell success stories, value virtuous behaviors, and emotionally engage people. The narration of concrete examples, the use of internal testimonials, and the creation of ongoing communication campaigns help strengthen a sense of belonging and commitment to common goals.

Technologies can amplify the effectiveness of these interventions. Personalized e-learning platforms allow you to reach all levels of the organization in depth, offering modular and interactive training paths. Internal digital campaigns, thematic newsletters, and the use of video storytelling help maintain high attention and engagement. In some contexts, virtual reality allows you to simulate complex situations and train sustainable behaviors in an immersive way, with a strong impact on learning.

Finally, another powerful tool is gamification. Introducing game elements and reward systems related to sustainable behaviors can increase motivation and foster the adoption of new practices. Programs that reward teams or individuals for concrete results, initiatives that transform sustainability challenges into inspiring goals, leaderboards that make progress visible: all these strategies help create a positive climate around change, transforming sustainability into a shared and enthusiastically lived goal.

How to measure cultural change

Measuring cultural change in the company is essential to understanding whether behaviors are actually evolving toward greater consistency with sustainability values. However, it is important to go beyond traditional final KPIs, which only detect what has already happened. Predictive KPIs, capable of anticipating cultural trends and guiding corrective actions in good time, are also needed to drive and sustain change.

Final KPIs, such as energy consumption data, waste reduction, or the number of audits passed, remain useful but capture the past. Predictive KPIs, on the other hand, focus on behaviors that anticipate outcomes. For example, the frequency with which awareness-raising actions are carried out, the level of active participation in sustainability initiatives, the integration of environmental criteria into decision-making processes, or the quality of feedback collected during meetings and workshops. These indicators help to understand whether the corporate culture is really changing and in which direction.

Examples of behavioral indicators useful for monitoring sustainability include the number of proactive recommendations collected from employees on sustainable practices, the percentage of managers integrating ESG objectives into employee performance evaluations, the level of adoption of sustainable practices in daily processes, or the frequency of observable behaviors related to circular economy or energy efficiency principles. These data offer a more dynamic and qualitative reading than simple technical indicators.

Practical examples and field experiences

The projects already completed show in a concrete way how it is possible to bring sustainability from protocols to everyday behaviors. Numerous companies have embarked on cultural transformation paths with the support of integrated methodologies, capable of influencing both skills and operational attitudes and practices.

A significant example is the training and coaching programs applied in complex industrial contexts, where behavior change has affected both leadership and operations staff.

Through surveys assessing the culture of safety and sustainability, high-impact workshops, on-the-job coaching sessions, and the introduction of predictive KPIs, it was possible to precisely measure the evolution of behaviors. In some cases, improved organizational culture has led to tangible results: reduced environmental incidents, increased efficiency in resource use, and increased participation in green initiatives.

Other experiences include retail companies that have worked on weak signal awareness and team empowerment. The approach adopted included the creation of internal communication campaigns based on storytelling, training on sustainable behaviors applicable in stores, and the development of gamification initiatives to encourage the adoption of new practices. The result was a significant increase in coherence between ESG policies and practices observed in the field.

Even in the world of services, vertical audit and behavioral coaching projects have allowed sustainability to be integrated into daily processes, involving managers and cross-functional teams. The definition of observable key behaviors, the inclusion of indicators in evaluation systems, and the creation of periodic comparison spaces have facilitated a gradual but concrete change in corporate culture.

These experiences demonstrate that working on behaviors is possible and produces measurable results. The journey takes time and constant commitment, but when sustainability becomes an integral part of organizational culture, every business level actively contributes to generating value for the business and the community.

How to involve the whole organization

To truly transform corporate culture with a view to sustainability, it is essential to involve the entire organization. It is not enough for the drive for change to come from above: sustainable behaviour must be adopted at every level, becoming an integral part of everyday work. 

An effective strategy to achieve this is to create a network of internal ambassadors and champions. These are figures selected from the various levels and functions of the company who, due to personal motivation, skills or informal role of reference, can act as multipliers of change. Ambassadors are trained, engaged in discussions, and made protagonists of sustainability initiatives, thus fostering a shift in messages and practices that goes beyond formal communication.

Work on middle management groups is another key element. Intermediate managers are the link between the strategy defined by management and day-to-day operations. If they are not fully engaged and aligned, they risk slowing down cultural change. It is therefore important to dedicate specific paths to this business population, offering concrete tools to integrate sustainability into team and process management. Involving middle management in workshops, labs, and moments of sustainable leadership helps consolidate their role as facilitators of change.

Finally, it is essential to foster cross-functional practices and create regular discussion spaces. Sustainability is, by nature, a cross-cutting theme that requires collaboration between different functions. Promoting cross-functional working groups, organizing internal communities, and stimulating dialogue between departments allows us to overcome the logic of silos and build a shared vision. In this way, not only the exchange of good practices is encouraged, but also the co-creation of innovative solutions that can accelerate the path of change. 

When the entire organization feels involved and involved, sustainability becomes a truly lived and shared value.

Mistakes to avoid

On the path to a more sustainable corporate culture, it is important to avoid some recurring mistakes that can compromise the effectiveness of initiatives. One of the most common is to limit yourself to external communication. It's certainly helpful to externally describe the company's commitment to sustainability, but if this narrative doesn't correspond to concrete, internally experienced practices, it risks generating skepticism and a loss of credibility. Change must start from within: before we even communicate, we need to work on real behaviors.

Another common mistake is to think that formal policies are enough. Defining principles and guidelines is important, but not sufficient. Without day-to-day work on organizational culture and individual behavior, policies often remain unenforced. It is essential to accompany each guideline with initiatives that support practical adoption, promoting alignment between declared values and concrete actions.

Finally, one aspect that is often underestimated is the role of the human factor and change management. Sustainability requires profound changes in ways of thinking and acting. Ignoring psychological dynamics, cognitive biases, and natural resistance to change leads to superficial and short-lived interventions. Integrating change management into the sustainability journey instead means recognizing that people must be supported, supported, and actively involved in the transformation process.

Conclusion

Behavioral change takes time and method. This is not a path that can be imposed from above or resolved with one-off interventions. It requires strategic vision, sustained commitment and the ability to work systemically on the company culture.

Companies that truly integrate sustainability into their organizational culture stand out in the market. They become more resilient, because they are better able to adapt to changes and new contexts. They are more innovative, because they stimulate creativity and collaboration between functions. And they are more attractive to talent, who today seek realities consistent with their values.

Want to learn how to bring sustainability into your company's daily behavior?

Contact us to learn more about the training programs, change management programs, and operational tools already tested in the field.

FAQ

What is behavioral sustainability?

Behavioral sustainability is the ability to translate corporate sustainability principles and goals into concrete, repeated, and widespread behaviors at all levels of the organization. It's not just about compliance with regulations or formal policies, but how people, every day, make decisions and act in accordance with sustainability values. From managing energy consumption to choosing suppliers, every behavior can help create a positive impact.

Why is it important to transform sustainability protocols into concrete behaviors?

Because without concrete behavior, sustainability remains a commitment on paper. Protocols and policies are essential to defining a framework, but it is through daily actions that a real impact is produced. When sustainable behaviors are widely adopted, they become an integral part of corporate culture and contribute tangibly to achieving ESG goals.

How can you work on sustainable behaviors in the company?

Work can be done on sustainable behaviours using an integrated approach. It is essential to combine experiential training and coaching, use effective internal communication techniques, and value virtuous behaviors. Technologies can also support this process, with the use of e-learning platforms, virtual reality, and digital campaigns. Additionally, tools like gamification and recognition systems help make change more motivating and engaging.

What is the role of leadership in behavioral sustainability?

Leadership is a key element. Leaders must act as an example and active promoters of sustainability. Their daily behavior, the language they use, and their ability to create a climate of continuous learning profoundly influence the adoption of sustainable practices across the organization. Consistent and visible leadership can accelerate cultural change and consolidate new behavioral patterns.

How is cultural change towards sustainability measured?

Cultural change is measured through a mix of consensus and predictive KPIs. The final KPIs detect the results obtained (e.g., reduced consumption), while the predictive KPIs monitor the evolution of company behaviors and culture (e.g., the frequency of pro-sustainability initiatives or the level of team involvement). Furthermore, tools such as interviews, surveys, and focus groups allow us to gather valuable qualitative insights into the true state of corporate culture.

What mistakes should be avoided in promoting pro-sustainability behavior?

The main mistakes to avoid are: limiting yourself to external communication without first addressing internal behaviors; believing that formal policies are sufficient to generate cultural change; and ignoring the human factor and the dynamics of change management. Change takes time, method and constant accompaniment. It is important to build a path that actively engages people, supporting them in overcoming resistance and consolidating new behaviors.

Alberto Rosso

CEO/Director AR19