I took the Triple Top Line assessment. What's next?
The Triple Top Line framework is designed for startups to create a positive impact on the three pillars of sustainability: People, Planet, and Profit. We developed the Triple Top Line tool to help you assess your startup’s performance, discover your strengths and find areas for improvement.
People
The People segment assessed the social factors related with the way your startup treats and values people, the impact your business has on your team, partners and other stakeholders involved.
Planet
The Planet segment examined how your startup impacts the environment, including your direct operations as well as in-house decisions that might contribute to solving environmental challenges.
Profit
The Profit segment evaluated your startup’s ability to develop a well-defined business model and sustain competitive advantage over the long term. It is also related with business’ leadership, financial stability and potential to be a scalable business.
Why is it important to reflect on my startup's impact?
1.
You can become more resilient, both financially and as an organisation..
2.
You can align your impact with your startup's mission and strategic goals.
3.
You can cultivate a culture of learning within your startup.
4.
You can build trust with your employees, clients, and partners.
How to improve my startup's Triple Top Line?
The Triple Top Line business model relies on the assumption that neither element is to be treated as separate. The most resilient businesses manage to integrate all three elements of the Triple Top Line - People, Planet, and Profit - into their business goals. In this way, they are more competitive in their market, lead sustainable transformation in their industry, and create a positive impact on communities. Moreover, they are able to tap into the opportunities provided by the interdependencies between the three elements, such as identifying ways to be more resource- and cost-efficient, retain more talent, and innovate with sustainability.
Here is how startups can begin the process of incorporating the Triple Top Line.
-
Building internal sustainability culture
-
Providing employee training and education
-
Encouraging employees to co-create initiatives
-
Defining company mission and values
-
Ensuring diversity and inclusion in the workplace
-
Measuring and understanding employees’ satisfaction
-
Ensuring favourable working conditions
-
Providing fair and competitive financial compensation
-
Hiring candidates with the best set of skills, knowledge and experience
-
Being transparent with your team about strategic business decisions made
-
Building an internal sustainability culture
-
Assessing the environmental impact of your business operations
-
Managing the environmental impact of your business operations
-
Choosing sustainable suppliers and partners
-
Developing innovations that have an indirect benefit for the planet
-
Managing resource efficiency of your business operations
-
Developing a product or service that solves a specific environmental challenge
-
Building personal sustainability habits in your workplace
-
Building sustainability skills and knowledge within your team
-
Define a long-term roadmap for achieving profitability
-
Developing a cap table structure for external investors
-
Developing a scalable product or service
-
Defining your startup’s purpose, mission and vision
-
Validating the market fit for your product or service
-
Having a fair share split between the founders’ team
-
Having a stock options pool for your employees
-
Developing a code of ethics or principles of conduct
-
Creating a positive social and environmental impact with every sale you close
-
Developing a product or service that solves a specific sustainability challenge
-
Developing a product, service or technology that has a secondary positive impact on the environment