4 Ways to Maintain Sustainability During Business Growth

Julie Starr • Jun 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. 

Simple Steps To Make Your Office Space More Eco-Friendly

By Julie Starr • 07 Oct, 2024
Becoming more eco-friendly and running a greener business is a responsibility that business owners really need to think more about. The good news is that if you spend a lot of time in your office, there are plenty of ways to make it more eco-friendly without having to overhaul everything and start again (which isn’t just disruptive, but expensive too). So, if you’re ready to get started, here are some simple steps to make your office space more eco-friendly; read on to find out more. Use Energy-Efficient Lighting This idea is a simple one that you can do no matter what else might be on your list of tasks - it’s quick, easy, and really makes a difference; change your light bulbs to something more energy efficient. If you’re still using traditional fluorescent bulbs, it’s time to upgrade to LED which doesn’t just last longer, but also uses a lot less energy. They’re easy to install and they’ll help you cut down on your office’s energy usage almost instantly. If possible, you should make the most of natural light too, so think about rearranging your workspace to let in more sunlight, which saves energy and can boost your mood - it’s a win-win that you can do right away. Prioritize Air Quality The air you breathe matters, and keeping it clean can do wonders for your health and the planet. One way to improve air quality is by adding plants to your workspace because plants are natural air purifiers, and as a bonus, they’ll make your office feel more inviting. Another great idea is to make sure your office’s HVAC system is working efficiently, and having air duct cleaning done by professionals is an easy step you can take to improve air quality and ensure your heating and cooling systems aren’t wasting energy. Clean air ducts mean cleaner air, less strain on your system, and even lower energy bills, so it’s a simple but really effective thing to do. Switch To Reusable Products If your office is still stocking up on single-use plastic items, it’s time for a change - swap your disposable cups, utensils, and plates for reusable ones and you’ll be surprised at how much waste to eliminate. And what about encouraging people to bring their own mugs and water bottles to work? Give them tea, coffee, and water to refill everything with, and you’ll be doing your bit to help the planet and have less waste to deal with as well. And don’t stop with these things either - there are loads of reusable products that could be useful in your office. You could have refillable pens and ink cartridges for your printer, for example. Go Paperless Speaking of your printer, is that an office machine you actually need? If you were to go digital and aim for a paperless office , you might be able to do away with the printer, which means less money spent on ink and paper, and less energy used altogether. You should be able to set up a system where documents can be shared online and stored electronically, and there are plenty of tools around to help you do exactly that (and much more). If you don’t need to print something and you don’t need a physical copy of a document, don’t make one - just use the digital version instead and you’ll be a lot more eco-friendly.

3 Most Unsustainable Industries & What They're Doing To Be More Eco-Conscious

By Julie Starr • 04 Oct, 2024
Sustainability often gets pushed on the common person. Joe Public is told to be more sustainable with their daily habits as the government pushes for more eco-friendly measures. This is all well and good - but does it really matter when 71% of greenhouse gas emissions come from just 100 companies around the world? Small business owners are desperate to prove their sustainability, but what are bigger companies in some of the most polluting industries doing to help? We’ve taken three of the least sustainable sectors on the planet and explored the unique ways they’re trying to cut down on emissions and be more eco-friendly. Mining Any industry revolving around drilling underground will not be very environmentally friendly! Mining causes a lot of pollution, but its unsustainability often comes from the way it damages local environments and ecosystems. So, what is this industry doing to change things? It’s largely focusing on more responsible mining practices to reduce waste and mitigate the impact on local environments. This is done through mining dust suppression systems to prevent airborne pollution, reforesting mining sites when they’re no longer in use, and recycling as many materials as possible. Is it perfect? No, but it’s a step in the right direction. Fossil Fuels Shock horror; the fossil fuels industry is the most damaging to our environment. Finding ways to change the scope of this sector is the key to ensuring a better future for all. Some companies in this industry are trying to do this through carbon capture and storage. This is a technique where CO2 emissions are captured before they’re released into the atmosphere and stored underground. Realistically, the main thing fossil fuel companies should be doing is pushing for more renewable energy sources. Many are doing this - though reports suggest they’re not investing as much as they should. If fossil fuel companies dumped more money into developing biofuels and other renewable sources, pollution from this industry would drop dramatically. Fashion The most unbelievable stat to take from this post is that the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of our global carbon footprint . That’s remarkable (and worrying), considering how most of us don’t view it as a “dangerous” industry. Fast fashion is the main problem; poorly-made goods are pumped out at a rapid rate, and consumers constantly buy new things. Fashion companies are trying their best to resolve this. Most big brands will now have sustainable lines using recyclable materials. Consumers also hold the key to solving this problem: stop buying new clothes all the time and wear yours for longer. Or buy pre-owned clothes to slow down the fashion production line. Companies can still do more as well: they are trying to adopt more eco-friendly production processes that use less water and energy. The moral of this post is that everyone can do their bit to fight for a more sustainable future. Keep this in mind for your small business . It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in; there will always be ways to promote eco-friendly practices.
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