Making a Sustainability Action Plan
In 2025, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) released guidance for architecture firms looking to increase sustainable business practices and to continue improving their process. Firms were encouraged to create a Sustainability Action Plan (SAP) to document their current sustainable routines and brainstorm future action that could be taken to improve the firm's sustainability.
Our SAP was created by our Green Team, a group of architects at our firm who help us to keep our business on the cutting edge of sustainable practices. The SAP outlined our actionable goals in design, training, operations, and advocacy, giving us a plan for improvement that we can use to calibrate in the future. You can read it here:
Neumann Monson's Sustainability Action Plan
We feel that this kind of document doesn't need to be limited to architecture firms. Most businesses, big and small, can find ways to increase their sustainability in ways that only become apparent when the data is collected and goals are set. Our experience revealed several opportunities for improvement, and we think it's a great exercise for companies looking to be more conscious of their environmental impact. Below you'll find some general guidance on how to create a SAP of your own, and some of the ways we can help assist in creating the right sustainability guidance for your business.
What is a Sustainability Action Plan?
According to the AIA, a sustainability action plan is a statement of your
company’s approach to sustainable operations. What that means to you and your company is subjective. Maybe you don't know right now what it means to you, but you'd like to make some kind of change. Luckily, there is no right or wrong way to make a SAP, as long as you can find measurable, achievable goals for your organization that will help increase your positive impact on the environment.
You may research how much your industry contributes to carbon emissions or landfill waste, then figure out ways your team can reduce those impacts. You can also focus locally, and look for ways your company can contribute to the surrounding community through charities and other events. Whatever your focus (and you can have several) make sure you have actionable goals to pursue. It's one thing to say you want improvement, but aiming for measurable results will allow you to hold yourself accountable long-term.
Engage the Whole Team
When you begin the process of writing a SAP, make sure everyone can participate in its implementation. In larger organizations, it may be effective to put together a team that can research and launch the program. But make sure this team isn't the sole contributor to the effort. The effectiveness of a sustainability action plan comes from the entire organization working in unison, and that can only happen if everyone has a stake in the goals.
If you decide certain changes need to be made to meet the goals in your SAP, communicate those changes to everyone in your company. It's important that everyone knows the how and why for changes that could impact their day-to-day. If they helped create the SAP, they will likely want the same results you do.
That's why it's also important to have a kickoff when the plan is started. It helps everyone know you're committed to the goals you've set, and creates a shared interest in the outcomes.
How to Report Your Progress
Every company reports their data differently. The AIA has an online portal called the DDx to which firms can report their progress. This is specific to architecture firms, but there are other ways for your unique company to report your data and remain accountable for your progress. The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) is an organization that allows you to disclose data based on the carbon your company produces. This can be an effective way to track your progress in relation to other companies—not competitively, of course, but just as a way to measure where you are and where you could go.
For organizational sustainability, you can look into pursuing a JUST label from Living Future. JUST is an organizational data collection system that allows you to measure your current policies against benchmarks designed to help you strive for a more equitable and fair workplace. The label goes over aspects like living wage, medical benefits, and more, and it can get you thinking about the changes you can make in your operations to ensure your company is sustainable not just for the environment, but for your employees.
How We Can Help
Our organization is experienced with creating our own sustainability action plan, as well as regularly reporting our carbon data and pursuing a JUST label. While many consider architectural services to be only about buildings, our experience in organizational sustainability can be of great benefit as you learn how to use your new space in a way that's sustainable and great for your employees and customers.
You can learn more about our sustainability efforts on our sustainability page.