EO’s framework for sustainability: How EO will become net positive by 2030

Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO)’s purpose is to help entrepreneurs achieve their full potential by enabling life-enhancing connections, designing shared experiences and providing collaborative learning.

EO’s quarterly Impact Day events, as part of the sustainability plan, including “Reimagine Success” and “Designing Your Future,” focus on our planet and the vital role businesses play in building a sustainable future.

During the recent Reimagine Success event, one of the featured speakers was Yiannis Chrysostomidis, managing director of Sustainable Futures, a boutique sustainability management consultancy in London. Yiannis and his company helped to develop a sustainability framework for EO to manage its environmental and social impact, and inspire EO members to engage with the organization’s sustainability agenda. The following is a summary of EO’s sustainability framework.

EO member engagement is key

At the center of EO’s sustainability plan are EO members themselves. If all 14,000+ EO members take positive action to embrace sustainability in their individual businesses and communities, the aggregated impact could be enormous. EO aims to amplify the positive through its sustainability strategy.

EO’s big, hairy audacious goal (BHAG) is for EO and its members to collectively create a net positive impact in the world by 2030. By “net positive,” we mean that every member will give back to the world more than their business activities take out of the world. It’s quite challenging, but by working together, we can achieve it!

Here are the five specific impact themes EO will focus on through its sustainability framework:

1. People: Develop a culture that supports diversity, inclusion and wellbeing for all
2. Planet: Using resources efficiently to reduce environmental footprint.
3. Business: Identify and access networks and resources that will help create sustainable business value for the organization and our members
4. Community: Create and foster an ecosystem of partnerships that can advance systemic sustainable change
5. Leadership: Enable transformational leadership that can drive sustainable change in the world

EO will enable its members to improve sustainable development performance in their businesses and take advantage of new opportunities in the green economy. EO will create an ecosystem of partnerships and stakeholder relations to advance systemic sustainable change by leveraging the entrepreneurial mindset. We will seize new opportunities to address operational and structural challenges and to gain a leadership position in the market by integrating sustainability into our organizational processes.

3 ways EO will support and empower members on their sustainability journeys

Following are some examples of how EO will be supporting its members in their sustainability journey.

1. EO will empower its members

• Support members to embrace the sustainability agenda by creating case studies to show the business value of sustainability and opening pathways to experts with specific knowledge and connections
• Allocate time and space to come up with innovative and sustainable solutions with a community of fellow believers.

2. EO will build relationships and partnerships

• Encourage members to apply their expertise in helping others with sustainability-related goals.
• Build a library of resources to support the business case for sustainability, through knowledge partnerships and collaborations with organizations such as the UN Global Compact). You can view workshops and events on the Learning Management System.

3. EO will walk the talk

• Integrate sustainability into the organizational process.
• Develop internal policies and structures to improve EO’s practices with a measurement and reporting system in place to achieve sustainability goals.

Are you ready to start your sustainability journey?

The journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step. It’s time to galvanize ourselves and each other to start walking!

If you want to learn more about upcoming events in EO’s “Inspire, Learn, Act” series around sustainability—including our 31 March 2021 EO Impact Day event, complete this interest form.

EO members, you can register now to attend the event 31 March 2021. Get ready to gain new tools to bring back to your business, family and community.

Questions? Ideas? Want to share your story of sustainability? Email EO today.