Using Your Green Credentials Effectively in Marketing

Julie Starr • Aug 20, 2020



As a
sustainable company , you are missing a marketing opportunity if you are not boasting about your green credentials. Why? Those who are interested in your business will want to know that they are supporting a company that is giving back and making sure they reduce the impact they have on the world. No matter how you conduct your business, what you sell, the services you provide, making sure you wear your green credentials with pride can be a useful marketing tool.

Social Media

Please share how you reduce your carbon footprint as a company by sharing tips, resources and suggestions for people to adapt your methods for their own home or business. Shout out to local companies you use or those who share your vision in reducing your carbon footprint. Be it by using locally sourced fresh in-season ingredients on your meals or baked goods, using recycled materials for packing or by planting trees to offset your carbon footprint.

Whatever you do, inform your followers and customers to let them know your priorities align with theirs and build yourself a base of customers who are also advocates of a more sustainable lifestyle.

Website

Did you know the internet provides around 2% of carbon emissions? Look at different providers to see how sustainable they are and look at these data centers to see if they can help you to reduce your carbon footprint and offer you the hosting services you need to keep your business online.

Utilizing good SEO practices on your website can also help you reduce the number of marketing materials used to keep your company on the top page of the rankings. Should you want to rank for your green credentials, services in your local area or products in a specialist niche, SEO when implemented correctly can save you time, energy, and money by consistently ranking your site for your preferred search terms.

Recycled Materials

Boost your eco status more, by using only recycled and ethically sourced materials in your promotional goods and packaging. Use this space to add in your green credentials and let your customers know how and why you sourced the materials you use. With many people wanting to stop being so wasteful and use more ethically sourced products , letting them know that your products and materials are just that will help boost not only your reputation but also retain customers.

Hold Workshops in Person or Online

Let existing, new, and potential clients delve deeper into the how and why of your sustainability efforts and provide them with the tools and resources they need to implement this into their daily lives. Encourage your customers by providing them with the information they need or means to realize their goals of becoming more sustainable will go a long way to helping you boost your marketing efforts using your eco-friendly stance.

Be boastful about how and why you work the way you do and what it means to you as a company to be sustainable. Try not to pay lip service to the sustainability movement. Your efforts will fall flat if insincere. Bring your passion and be willing to help others too.

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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