How To Make Sustainability Part Of Your Brand Image

Julie Starr • September 16, 2022



Your brand image needs to be modern. And to be modern, you need to have sustainability in mind at all times. After all, we need to live in a greener world than ever, and a lot of business activity can impact heavily on that. So what can you do here? How can you ensure your brand comes off as green as you are behind closed doors ? 

It’s all in the branding and communications. Of course, you need to back up your marketing efforts, but you should always focus on that green angle whenever you are running marketing and communications campaigns. So here’s how to tie the two together and make sure they go hand in hand. 

Work with Similarly Minded Suppliers

If you’re working with sustainability focused suppliers, you can be a part of each other’s brand image. That means you can offer an opportunity to represent modern businesses for your community, and that can bring a lot more profit both ways. Local customers are always the most loyal of your entire customer base, and working with a sustainable supply chain will go a long way. Engage your supply base in your sustainability programs and be open to changing the contract if need be; you need to always work with people willing to reach the heights of sustainability. 

Make More Than One Green Effort

If you want to incorporate sustainability into your business, you need to be transparent and provide measurable results. Communicating your efforts and progress through on your company blog and through advertising is an area where you can start to attract the right attention. So make sure you’re fulfilling on your commitments, whether that is securing renewable energy agreements, designing your packaging with recyclable components, or even utilizing reusable items in the breakroom and providing that your secure document shredding is located in a notable recycling center. 

Value Transparency in Your Marketing

 

Transparency, or honesty, is the best practice when it comes to marketing. The shopping generation is getting a lot better at noticing spin when it comes to company statements, so it’s best to be straightforward and clear in all your messaging. You don’t have to invite people into your operational center, but you do need to showcase your sustainability efforts. Highlighting these elements of your company benefits all stakeholders and communication is needed related to your sustainability journey. 


An effective way to demonstrate the sincerity of your values to your audience is to not only tell them about your values but to directly show them. If you’re implementing green production processes on your manufacturing lines, for instance, then with industrial video production, you can get into the details of how you are living up to your sustainable image. Video is not only a good way to perform a demonstration, but it creates a more emotionally driven link with your audience as well, helping them better connect with the brand.

 

Bring Sustainability to your Employees

Your employees need to be encouraged on the company’s sustainability journey as well.  Encourage employees with ideas, programs, and action steps to tie their positions to the overall sustainability plan. More so, employees can talk about you on social media in this light.

Business sustainability is a valued driver of business and it’s a great marketing tool too when executed well with relevant and meaningful communications to interested stakeholders. 

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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