For many companies, sustainability is no longer just a good idea – it’s a tool for self-preservation.
Businesses of all sizes have a significant impact on the environment. As a business owner, you can have a positive or negative effect.
Business sustainability is a popular practice nowadays in the mind of green brands. Buyers are more willing to buy from eco-friendly brands that protect the future of Earth. 1 in 3 customers prefers eco-friendly products.
60% of international businesses invest in processes that reduce their environmental impact because they allow them to stay competitive in the present market and enable them to send a positive message of environmental awareness that increases the brand’s popularity.
If you’re running a business and want to make it more sustainable in 2022, take a look at the following recommendations.
Materials Source
Corporate sustainability starts at the source. If you want to make your business greener, begin by buying materials from sustainable sources. Here is a list of questions you should ask yourself before purchasing any supplies.
Are the materials sourced sustainably? Check if the supplier integrates social, environmental, and ethical processes in the production stage. Start by finding out if they use water responsibly in manufacturing.
Are the materials fair-trade? Purchase supplies only from ethical companies that pay their liveable wages and treat employees fair.
Does the manufacturer use renewable, recyclable, or biodegradable materials? Eco-friendly materials have a low impact on the environment because they don’t contain ozone-depleting or toxic substances.
Do you practice green procurement? Buy supplies from local companies to support the local economy and cut down transportation costs.
Green Packaging
Specialists state that packaging and containers cause around 23% of the material reaching landfills. You can lower your company’s pollution contribution if you switch to green packaging practices. Here are a couple of recommendations on how to do it.
Use biodegradable packaging – change the present containers for ones made from materials that break down effectively and quickly, like seaweed, wood pulp, or cornstarch.
Stay away from a mixture of materials – the containers made from multiple types of polymers are often unrecyclable. So, if you need to use plastic packaging, for instance, stick to only plastic and don’t mix it with something else to make sure your clients can easily recycle it.
Use functional packaging solutions – a series of products are as famous for their packaging as they’re for their properties. They have sturdy, stylish, or practical packaging the public loves and finds it more difficult to part with and send it to the landfill.
You should pick a packaging your buyers find a future use for.
Packaging is a crucial part of your brand experience, so if you make it green, you leave a positive impression on your audience.
Eco-Friendly Storage
A hidden aspect of corporate sustainability is storing the products before being packed and sold.
Whether you use a warehouse or freezers for your goods, the environmental aspect of storage can impact your business performance in the following years.
Therefore, you should consider moving them to a green facility that uses renewable energy to prevent climate change. Pack them in green containers before sending the products to storage instead of using pollutive materials like plastic.
It’s also wise to eliminate the products and items you no longer use. Donate them to a non-profit organization that can find them better use rather than throwing them to the landfill.
Waste Reduction
Reducing waste is paramount for your business because it impacts its bottom line. Use waste balers and compactors to recycle waste without damaging the environment.
Depending on your company’s specific requirements, you need to use customized ballers to ensure that the materials are stored and transported in safety conditions.
Another way to reduce waste is to stop sending direct mail because mailers are outdated and expensive, and the receivers send them to trash immediately after getting them.
Use social media and email to promote your services because they have better traction and don’t affect the environment.
A material that is easily overlooked in an office environment is tech. All companies rely on equipment to complete operations, and often they need new equipment because they expand or have increased the services they offer.
If this is your case, consider buying refurbished tech instead of purchasing new equipment because it’s as reliable as a new one, saves money, and has a lower impact on the environment.
Measure and Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
The UK wants to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, so you should transform its goal into your brand’s mission because the public will most likely keep an eye on your operations. This measure has been welcomed by brands that agree that net-zero is an achievable target.
Start by measuring your carbon footprint to determine how much you need to work to reach net-zero emissions. According to the results, you can plan your environmental strategy in a targeted way.
Find ways to reduce carbon emissions according to your business’ specificity. It’ll most likely require changing most operations and processes. After you exhaust all methods to reduce emissions, focus on finding ways to offset the remaining emissions by transforming your brand into a carbon-neutral one.
Supposing you already run a net-zero business, you can get to the next step and work towards transforming it into a zero-carbon brand that eliminates all carbon emissions.
Sustainable Shipping and Delivery
Business sustainability doesn’t end once you ship the products. Going green with the shipping process can reduce your carbon footprint.
Switch to eco-friendly delivery methods. Don’t put a small product in a box five times larger. Use compact packaging to minimize costs and the space it occupies in the carrier vehicle.
Don’t use the Russian Doll technique when you ship products because it encourages waste production.
Encourage clients to purchase in bulk and reduce the number of multiple orders to prevent wasting packaging materials and triggering unwanted costs.
Becoming a green business is a rigorous process and involves switching your operations and embracing new methods and strategies.