7 Avenues To Business Sustainability Beyond Covid-19

Julie Starr • Aug 20, 2020



From nuclear wars to pandemics, and pollution, humanity’s existence has been threatened several times. Today we are faced with a test; the COVID-19 pandemic, which has infected over twenty million people globally and claimed hundreds of thousands of lives since reportedly breaking out last year. One of the areas that have been affected by this crisis is the business world, and many businesses are evaluating their business models to determine how well it will hold during an emergency. However, most organizations don’t have a more profound comprehension of sustainability . 

What is a sustainable business?

From an extensive point of view, sustainable business has its activities based on environmental, financial, and societal concerns.  Yet, this way towards sustainability isn’t that simple for most companies. Hence, the need to put together these seven avenues to business sustainability post-pandemic era to empower the future of companies and the community. 

How to develop a sustainable business?

  • Make a smart, incorporated open approach

Building a sound open approach to conservation issues is certainly mind-boggling. The uncertainty regarding how governments failed to act on issues that challenge the business community adds to the already existing planning burden on companies. Businesses can only overcome this with a solid and consistent cohesive policy to adopt modern standards and technologies, and so train their employees for sustainability. But this most importantly cannot be done without having a clear understanding of government directions on related issues. Therefore, it is important to build a national dialogue on responsible consumption and construct a national discourse on accountable utilization.

  • Build influential structures that promote sustainability

Building an organizational structure that supports sustainability is no simple task. Setting up objectives for the business will assist you with advancing toward the future. However, this could be challenged should there be issues like bad or under-staffing, bad organizational structure, poor communication channels, or something different altogether. You will need to have an organized command center throughout the various business units and departments. It has been noted that one key challenge in maintaining a business is the inability to communicate the vision of business sustainability effectively. An example is re-appropriating, which gives organizations access to assist in finishing assignments on schedule and arrive at their anticipated objectives. On the off chance that you have more work than laborers, re-appropriating is probably the ideal approach to ensure the job is finished effectively and productively.

  • Establish sustainability as a core principle

A study in 2007 suggested that business heads or chief executive officers are rotating rapidly through jobs with an average of six years in the US. This poses a challenge to a business requirement for a sound sustainable policy, which involves long-term investment. Practical organizations truly accept that environmental change, exploitative resource utilization, and contamination are high among concerns for which they can assist in finding lasting solutions. Should the leadership of businesses realize the importance of sustainability and its relevance, there will be a concerted effort to appreciate it. Researching on the subject, attending workshops and conferences focused on the sustainable and joining industry alliances towards global goals attainment will be a decent start. 

  • Adopt the culture of outsourcing 

It is an obvious fact that organizations are continually searching for new, improved approaches to decrease expenses and better meet progressively high client needs. Pressures from the competition diminished processing durations, and an increase in customer demands have implied that several companies are switching to outsourcing to keep up. Outsourcing accrues numerous benefits to businesses. Notable among them include improved productivity and efficiency, vast flexibility and cost-saving. The latter supports the fact that every organization seeks to reduce its overhead cost to improve its financial standings. Outsourcing does not just take away the cost of investing in machinery and tools but reduces the cost of hiring and training of staff as already existing field experts will complete the work. It also reduces the number of staff on a company’s payroll. Accounting, for example, is an aspect of the business you can outsource and companies requiring accounting services can visit https://xmigrowth.com/accounting/ for all their accounting needs. 

  • Build an innovative environment to support business sustainability 

The application of a sustainability lens to every aspect of the business requires a certain level of change in strategies. The need for sustainable business growth will call for several adjustments in certain areas which includes;

  • Planning and developing products or services that yield sustainable outcomes
  • Investing in business managers and CEOs to focus on sustainability-driven executions, to ensure leadership strategies conform with global goals and standards
  • Promoting products and services that induce sustainable choices from customers
  • Incorporate a strategy to repair social trust

There has been disintegrated trust in business following the global financial crisis. Therefore, there must be a conscious effort by business heads to regain the trust of its employees, customers, and society at large. Companies must put in place measures to repair the social license to operate in their communities. The social license basically refers to the unspoken readiness of members in a business community or region to allow a company to operate. Besides openly communicating their sustainable interaction with the society, there must be an effort to partner with the civil society, governments, communities, customers, and its own workers towards reestablishing their trust in the business. 

  • Approach competitors as collaborators

A strong collaborative effort is a way to quicken sustainability within a business and the wider industry as a whole. Organizations can do everything imaginable to improve their natural and social effects inside their own activities. However, the large advances are made when organizations adjust the activities of providers, merchants, and every other individual from their worth chains. At the point where one key participant in a division turns out to be sustainability-centered, it drives others inside that segment to go with the same pattern.

This type of rivalry is energized by organizations, not just in light of the positive effect on the environment but also drives them to maintain their sustainability-based advancements.

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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