4 Ways to Maintain Sustainability During Business Growth

Julie Starr • June 16, 2022



There are many business areas that companies can focus on to improve sustainability practices. As a small business, it feels simpler than most. Although you don’t boast the budget of large corporations, this can make it easier to stick to your values and prevent waste that could harm the environment. Despite this, there may come a time when your company grows. This change can make it challenging to remain sustainable, so how can you maintain your core values during business growth>?

Evaluate Your Scaling Opportunities 

Scaling is a crucial aspect of business growth, and it is not as simple as doubling or tripling your requirements. When working to maintain sustainability with a growing enterprise, look at your options. While you may have worked with dependable suppliers previously, they won’t be able to fulfill your growth needs. 

You may also have the opportunity to streamline your processes, including logistics and delivery. Researching direct fulfillment services can help you identify companies more suitable for your current and future needs while maintaining customer satisfaction.

Look At High-Quality Materials 

With growth on the horizon, you have the opportunity to reconsider the type of materials you use when developing your product. Previously, you may have looked for sustainable materials, but these still don’t match the quality you hope to achieve. 

Now you can afford it, think about how better quality means better sustainability as the products last longer and minimize waste at the end of the product journey. Even though you need to ship more and spend more effort manufacturing them, the quality of the materials balances out the extra work. 

Consider Policy Adjustments 

It’s always worth evaluating your company policies following growth. This allows you to prepare for potential organizational changes and ensures you do not veer too closely toward unsustainable practices. 

With the profit increase and customer or client interest, businesses can improve employee working demands. If you previously requested everyone at the office at all times, you may be able to implement flexible working. This reduces carbon emissions as they are no longer driving to work each day and it also means you can reduce energy consumption within the office. 

Outline Sustainability Goals 

You also need to reconsider your sustainability goals so you’re able to stay on track and even be better as a sustainable business. One recommendation is to take inspiration from other companies that have experienced similar growth and implement their goals into yours. 

You can outline your goals for the next six months, year, and five years so you can stay within your sustainable goals more easily. At the same time, look for local causes that could benefit from your assistance. This can also help you balance out additional production or storage demands. 

Thriving 

A thriving business is something to celebrate, so pat yourself on the back. But, you must avoid the issues previous businesses have encountered during their growth. With more demand, it’s trickier to stick to your value, which means you may be tempted to take non-sustainable shortcuts. If you want to maintain your company’s reputation, you must avoid this at all costs. 

5 Everyday Items That Can Quietly Boost Your Brand

By Julie Starr • July 17, 2025
The best branding doesn’t always come from big campaigns or expensive graphics. Sometimes it’s the smaller stuff that leaves the biggest impression. Things people actually use, touch, or carry with them. That’s where your brand can quietly make its mark without needing to shout about it. If you’re only focusing on social media and business cards, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Here are five overlooked ways to get your name out there that feel natural, useful, and more personal. Thank-you slips If you’re already sending out orders, there’s no reason not to include a short thank-you slip. You can easily get these made through any decent online print shop , and they’re usually pretty cheap to run off in small batches. Just a simple note that says thanks, maybe with a reminder to follow you online or a cheeky discount code for next time. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes the whole order feel more finished. Customers notice that kind of detail, especially when everything else they buy online comes with zero personality. You don’t need a complicated design either. Just something clean with your logo, a message that sounds like you, and maybe a social handle. The point is to give them a reason to come back or remember your name without it feeling forced. Branded zip pouches If you sell physical products, offer services, or run events, small zip pouches are surprisingly effective. Think of the kind you’d use for stationery, receipts, or travel bits. You can get your brand printed on the side and hand them out with purchases or include them in welcome packs. People keep them because they’re actually useful. They get tossed in handbags, school bags, or glove boxes and your logo just keeps turning up. Cleaning cloths for glasses or screens This one works brilliantly if you’re in tech, health, beauty, or anything involving screens or eyewear. A simple microfibre cloth with your branding on it can go a long way. Everyone needs one. Whether they use it for glasses, a phone screen, or their laptop, it’s something they hang onto. It’s not the kind of thing people throw away, and that means your name sticks around too. Receipt envelopes You might already use little envelopes to hand over receipts or business cards. Branding those envelopes is a small change that makes a big difference. Instead of someone getting a scruffy bit of paper in a plain sleeve, they’re handed something that feels a bit more finished. You can even add a message inside. Doesn’t need to be anything dramatic. A simple “thanks for visiting” or “see you next time” is enough to add a personal touch. Wet wipes or mini hand gels If your business is in hospitality, food, or anything hands-on, branded wet wipes or pocket-sized hand gels are surprisingly popular. People actually use them, especially at festivals, food stalls, pop-ups, or kids’ events. They end up in handbags or cars and stick around longer than you think. They don’t scream “marketing” either. They’re practical, and when done right, they make your business feel thoughtful. That’s what good branding does, it shows you’ve thought ahead.

How Student-Led ‘Energy Audits’ Are Cutting School Costs (and Lighting the Way Forward)

By Julie Starr • July 14, 2025
What happens when students stop waiting for adults to fix things and start conducting their own energy audits? Money gets saved. The lights get switched off. Data gets analyzed. And a quiet revolution in sustainability begins—inside schools that once overlooked their own inefficiencies. Across the globe, student-led energy audits are proving that change doesn't always need to come from a policy shift or a major capital budget. Sometimes, it begins with a clipboard, a spreadsheet, and a group of curious minds asking: Why are the hallway lights on at noon when sunlight floods the building? The Energy Detectives These audits aren’t science fair projects. They’re rigorous investigations, often done in collaboration with facilities staff, local environmental nonprofits, or even engineering mentors. Students go from classroom to classroom measuring electricity usage, checking for phantom loads , and identifying where heat is escaping in winter or air conditioning is leaking in summer. One high school in Ontario saved over $12,000 a year after its Grade 11 physics students ran an energy audit and suggested simple changes—LED upgrades, motion sensors in bathrooms, and smarter heating schedules. They didn’t just propose ideas. They pitched them with spreadsheets, thermal images, and payback timelines. It worked. Learning That Pays Off—Literally Unlike textbook learning, these audits blend real-world math, environmental science, economics, and persuasive communication. Students aren’t just learning about sustainability. They’re doing it. And the savings add up. From dimming overlit hallways to reprogramming HVAC systems that run all weekend for empty buildings, students are surfacing blind spots that administrators often overlook. In some districts, their findings are influencing energy policy. Elsewhere, the audits have inspired school boards to hire sustainability coordinators—often alumni of the student programs themselves. There’s something poetic about a school funding new books or laptops from money saved by students who found out the vending machines didn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. Why This Matters More Than Ever With education budgets tightening and utility costs rising, every dollar saved is a dollar that can go back into classrooms. And here’s where it gets interesting from a family finance perspective, too. If you’re a parent setting aside money for post-secondary savings, every bit of school efficiency helps. Fewer energy costs might mean more programming, better STEM facilities, or even bursaries. That raises a broader point: when families save for their children’s future, they often look into RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). And many wonder—is a RESP deduction available on my taxes? While contributions themselves aren’t deductible, the gains grow tax-free, and students often pay little to no tax when they withdraw the funds during school. A Movement Worth Replicating These audits aren’t just an exercise in environmentalism. They’re leadership labs. Students learn how to spot inefficiencies, speak up in board meetings, and make a business case for change. They don’t just flip switches—they shift mindsets. And they carry these habits into adulthood. The result? A generation growing up not only with climate anxiety, but also with tools to tackle it.