There are many obvious reasons why organisations should strive for diversity at their most senior levels – the most glaring being that white, middle-class, cisgender, heterosexual men should not automatically have a monopoly on wealth, power and influence.

But hiring people with a wide range of identities and backgrounds is also beneficial to companies themselves. Extensive research has shown that groups that are diverse in terms of gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation tend to be more innovative and better at problem-solving, while a 2016 study by Credit Suisse bank showed that companies with women on their board outperformed those whose boards were filled only with men. Another study done at MIT found that mixed-gender teams were more productive and creative.

In other words, employing more people who aren’t white, middle-class, cisgender, heterosexual men doesn’t just benefit those people alone. Crazy, right?

Now, we can add the findings of a new study to the long list of reasons why companies should hire more women. The research, recently published in the Journal of Corporate Finance, shows that companies with a more balanced mix of men and women on their board of directors are more likely to be run in an environmentally-friendly way – so they’re good news for gender equality and for the planet.

This one thing can make your company more eco-friendly