Make Green the New Black with Sustainable Branding Ideas

Julie Starr • August 30, 2024

Branding can be hard enough to achieve. Throw sustainability into the mix, and things will become much more complex. But sustainable branding isn’t impossible with a step in the right direction. There are systematic changes your business must make, such as reorganizing core company strategies. However, it isn’t too challenging with the right frameworks. From partnering with green suppliers to modernizing brand culture, here are some planet-saving suggestions.


Installing Commercial Accessories 

Grassroots branding is about getting your name out there to be associated with a particular product or service. Everything you do needs to scream quality and opportunity. Traditional branding includes logo placement, which occurs across multiple media. This includes TV, radio and print. But there are also accessories such as signs and even awnings. Patio Shades offers sustainable commercial solutions at https://patioshadesretractableawnings.com/commercial/


Finding Green Partners

Partners can make or break a business. When it comes to modernization via sustainable efforts, partners are much more exclusive and essential. Balancing your waste against production or offsetting carbon, for example, can rely on what your partners do just as much or more than your company. Partners with solid sustainability values are much more likely to reinforce the authenticity of your branding efforts in a sustainable way, and you can leverage the marketing.


Sustainable Branding through Ethical Sourcing

Much like finding reliable green partners, ethical sourcing can become a valued and essential part of your company’s branding. More than a gimmick or marketing tool, ethical sourcing has a direct impact on the planet, place, and people. A study from the University of Michigan concluded that US choosing-made products over imports can reduce carbon emissions by 21%. Yet there are also knock-on effects on local environments, economies, and even culture.


Cultivating Sustainable Brand Culture

Further to culture, your brand culture plays a core role in marketing and branding in a sustainable way. Without inherent positive qualities, your company will be set for failure on critical sustainability issues. This includes greenwashing when you should be focusing on real change that contributes to authentic sustainability. This ensures your business genuinely helps the planet and people, and customers are also able to see through thin promises and goals.


Measure and Manage Sustainability

So, how can you tell if your efforts are having a positive or negative impact? There are many tools you can use for data these days, including AI. Measuring performance allows you to optimize your actions. You can relay this through all public channels as part of a more sustainable brand effort. Some examples include conducting surveys, using recognized ESG frameworks such as SASB and GRI, and referring back to data for positive decisions.


Summary

The traditional routes of marketing are still part of sustainable branding. You can use eco-friendly print media and signage. Ethical sourcing of materials and products that sustain your business will help sustain other local partners, too, with a positive impact. Yet all your efforts are for nothing without action. Measuring and managing sustainability plans using data will help you grow. You can always refer back to this data to make positive decisions moving on.

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.
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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