To get started, reach out: info@taigacompany.com
Cement Your Business Sustainability With These Tips
Julie Starr • July 6, 2021
A business that embraces
sustainability
is a business that customers pay attention to. Every single business wants to survive and that means appealing to their audience. For example, people who are in charge of fast fashion businesses are often not concerned about sustainability as their practices aren’t ethical. If you want to be the type of business that people pay attention to, you need to evaluate your ethical practices. Sustainability is a concept that is more important today than it ever has been.
To be able to succeed in a modern world, a business needs to bring positivity to all of its visitors and employees. Sustainable businesses are successful because they care about their employees and they invest in their business to ensure that everything from the recycling firm they hire to the cantilevered canopy outside made of the right materials is sustainable. These actions are all positive and enable a business to build the right image for themselves. So, how can you be more sustainable as a business?
- Start from the top. If you want your business to be sustainable, you need to make sure that the message comes from the top of the business right to the bottom of it. You want to make sure that everyone involved in your business is accountable in achieving their objectives. Creating that culture of sustainability begins from the management level for the rest of the business to take it seriously.
- Allocate a budget for it. Do you want to use that new recycling company that’s doing the rounds? If so, you need to ensure that you keep it in your budget and that means you need to set aside the resources in your financial plan to include sustainability as a goal.
- Improve your existing business practices. Not everyone is an expert on sustainability from the moment they start out. It’s okay that you haven’t been wholly sustainable to this point, as when we know better, we do better. Swapping your current practices out for sustainable ones shows growth, not hypocrisy. Don’t be afraid to improve and announce where mistakes were made. Your audience will love it.
- Keep measuring your efforts. While you are putting out sustainable practices, you need to know that it’s all working well. Once you have implemented these initiatives, it’s important to keep it going and to measure whether it’s working. Encourage both your audience and your employees to give you feedback . You can then learn whether they have faced any difficulties in their implementation of specific goals. If you give employees a say in how things are done, you’ll find them more receptive to the idea of change, too.
Sustainability is not something that can be a choice for a business anymore. Social and environmentally responsible behavior is important and you have to take this seriously in the world that we live in today. Do your research about how you can make your specific business stand out well, and you can ensure that the world around you knows that it’s green!
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.
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.