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Nowadays, people are growing a lot more concerned with saving the planet from global warming and climate change.
Businesses can play a huge part in solving this environmental crisis by becoming more sustainable.
Finding that balance between business growth and sustainability in your company can make an incredibly big difference.
How to Make Your Business More Sustainable
Discover some corporate sustainability tips to make your business eco-friendlier.
1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
It is important for your business to reduce the amount of waste that it produces throughout business processes. A lot of this revolves around using more sustainable items during manufacturing, packaging, and delivery.
Businesses must use less plastic and other non-biodegradable materials that can harm the environment. In cases where this is unavoidable, these items must be reused as something else or recycled. Recycling has become a big industry on its own as well.
2. Improve Energy and Water Efficiency
Your business should try to become more energy and water efficient by limiting how much utilities are used. This can be done by switching traditional light bulbs with LED bulbs or investing in smart technology like sensors and timers.
Conducting a water audit can help your business to find out about reducing your water bill. The same applies to energy audits and energy bills.
3. Use Renewable Energy Sources
Your business can invest in alternative energy-generating processes. These processes are almost always clean and green. They include solar panels, wind turbines, hydroelectric generators, wave and tidal energy, biomass energy, and geothermal systems.
These renewable energy sources not only help businesses to rely less on the National Grid but can also help them to become completely independent from the grid. Extra money can even be generated by selling unused energy back to the grid.
4. Involve Employees
Your business will never become sustainable without employee involvement. You must make sure that they get the necessary education to become and stay involved in all sustainability efforts. They need to know why sustainability is important and how they can help to become part of the efforts.
A “green team” must be created that oversees all sustainability efforts that are being implemented. You can also urge your employees to work from home, which will save your business on utility costs.
5. Think about Sustainable Marketing
Instead of using outdated and paper-based marketing methods, you can use online platforms and social media. This is more environmentally friendly and saves your business money.
Using new and out-of-the-box methods to market your business also means that you can reach a bigger audience at once.
6. Create an Eco-Friendly Workspace
The workspace should reflect your business’s efforts to be more sustainable. Using less paper by becoming more digital is a good start.
Invest in eco-friendly appliances and equipment in the office. Placing plants in and around the office is not only good for employees’ mental health but also their physical well-being.
7. Choose Sustainable Suppliers and Partners
Your business should get its supplies from local businesses and companies. This eliminates expensive transportation costs and sometimes even the need for packaging.
Becoming partners with local businesses would also benefit your business as well as the community in terms of economic and community growth. Try to do business with companies with green credentials.
8. Reduce Carbon Footprint
There are a lot of websites that can help you to calculate your business’s carbon footprint. It might not be enough to simply reduce this footprint. There are ways to measure and eliminate its footprint. You can investigate ways that your business can get involved in carbon offsetting.
Imagine your business planting enough trees to offset the amount of carbon gases that it produces. You can also find a charity that your business can get involved in and support, both financially and through volunteer work.
9. Become a B Corp
You can take the ultimate step and try to get your company certified as a B Corporation. This is when a business must legally meet the best standards of environmental and social performance. When you make decisions for your business, you’re not only keeping money and people in mind but also the environment.
Becoming a B Corp means that your business must complete the B Impact Assessment. It looks at your business’s employment rights, supply chain, and carbon footprint.
Benefits of Sustainability in Business
Sustainability has a lot of benefits for your business besides saving the planet. This includes the improvement of your business’s brand image. This improvement leads to you having a competitive advantage in your industry. Sustainability can also lead to saving costs on various fronts of the business. Employee satisfaction and morale are positively affected by sustainability, which also leads to retaining your workers for longer periods of time.
Your business’s products, services, and market innovation are benefited by sustainability. Your business’s processes are improved by sustainability. Risk management is also a lot more effective, along with good shareholder relations. Hopefully, this article can help you as a business leader with balancing business and sustainability in your company with the different ways listed and the benefits discussed.
Author Profile
- CEO - ClickDo™ & SeekaHost™ | Started as an SEO Consultant and helped over 400 UK business owners grow their business with online marketing and Google advertising. More details about Fernando Raymond are available at www.fernandoraymond.com.
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