The Benefits Of Sustainability In Business

Julie Starr • Jun 08, 2021



For many people, especially in the business world, sustainability is becoming increasingly crucial. Climate change continues to impact our lives and the fate of all other species on the planet. Sustainable business practices are becoming increasingly important for business owners, leaders, and administrators, and this is because business owners have the responsibility to show individuals what to do next. 

Yet when you run a business that is deemed sustainable, there are many additional benefits other than those that relate to the environment. It is vital to understand these benefits if you wonder why you should make your business much more sustainable. Once you’ve read this list, you may well decide that becoming more sustainable within your business isn’t just something that you want to do; it’s something that you need to do. Read on to find out more.

Consumer Perception 

When you run a business, you need to think of the customer at all times. If you don’t and you only implement changes and do things that help you, your business won’t last for long. You must ensure that anything your company provides, including how those things are provided, links with what your customers want. In this way, you will find that not only will your current customers stay with you, but that new customer will navigate towards you, impressed by the APIs and other tools you use to show you are a sustainable business. 

  Keeping the customer happy is one of the top reasons, other than the environment, to become a more sustainable, green business. People are becoming more aware of global warming and waste issues, and they want to do what they can to help. If they can buy from a sustainable business, they will. 

Business Perception 

You want your business to look good in front of current and future customers, but you also want your business to look good on the global market, and being sustainable – and showing that you are – is a great way to do this. 

When you are perceived as a ‘good’ business by other business leaders, your business worth will grow. If you are the business to beat, you’re clearly doing something right, and this will give you good standing in the business community. This will also help when you want to hire staff. Anyone who is in your industry will be aware of the best players, and those are the businesses they will want to work for. If you are deemed as being at the top because of your sustainability efforts, among other things, you will have your pick of the best candidates, and your business will become even better because of this. 

Save Money 

It might sound like a strange thing to suggest that becoming more sustainable could save your business money , but depending on how you go about things, this could be the case. 

Although you will have to change the way you work, this isn’t always a negative. When looking for new sustainable suppliers, you may find that you can buy the products and services you need for less than you’re paying now. You might not have customarily shopped around, thinking you were happy with who you were using, but the need to become sustainable changed this. 

On top of this, you can also save money by signing up for government initiatives. Check your local area to see what is available; when making your business more sustainable, potentially grants and business loans can help you.

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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