How your company can aim for more sustainable business practices
With sustainability now becoming a key issue for all companies, businesses are recognising the need for a real, active change instead of vague promises and good intentions. The expectations from the public are leading to more transparency from companies as well as dedicated and committed sustainable business practices.
But how do you make the switch to a more sustainable practice without disrupting your business and your profit margin?
Here are four suggestions to help.
Set ambitious targets and stick to them
There’s a difference between knowing you have to do something and actually doing it. This is particularly relevant when it comes to sustainability.
A recent study found that 90% of executives find sustainability to be important, but only 60% of companies incorporate sustainability in their business strategy.
If you know sustainability is important, then you should be doing everything you can to practice it.
Set targets and goals for you company when it comes to sustainability and do everything you can to reach them.
Make sure you give your employees the tools to do it, and incentives to take sustainability seriously. Telling someone they should recycle is very different from giving a bonus for achieving their targets.
Remember, the higher you aim, the further you’ll go, even if you miss.
Do more than recycle – upcycle as well
While recycling is an essential part of sustainability, it’s not the only thing you can do as a company.
“Upcycling” is a way to take old items and give them new life, thus avoiding the carbon off-set of manufacturing and shipping something new.
Does your office really need new furniture?
Can you be a bit more creative?
Vintage or second-hand furniture can be transformed with a quick lick of paint, bringing a different vibe to the office and adding character.
Or how about instead of buying packaging materials, use recycled or shredded paper in your products instead?
Working remotely reduces carbon footprint
Working remotely is becoming ever more popular with companies, with most things now done online, in many businesses, there’s simply no need to have a “bricks and mortar” building for everyone to attend.
By allowing your employees to work from home, even for a few hours a week, you will help reduce their carbon footprint and that of your company by an enormous amount.
Most people drive to and from work, pumping a combined billions of tons of carbon into the air every day.
A study commissioned by Sun Microsystems found the daily commute to and from work as being responsible for more than 98% of an employee’s work-related carbon footprint.
Even for your individual employees, working from home has a nice side-effect of reducing their carbon footprint. People who work from home are much less likely to consume plastic-packaged convenience food and drink, and will use about half the electricity they would sitting in an office all day.
Be proactive rather than reactive
You may not think sustainability is important to your business, but the public does, especially the younger generation, with Millennials twice as likely to invest in a green business.
Getting on board the sustainability train now is better than being forced to later.
Apple discovered this the hard way after a raft of suicides in their factories prompted public outrage at their working conditions.
Nike had the same problem back in the Nineties because of their sweatshops in South East Asia, where they were employing under-age workers in shocking conditions for pennies a day.
The public reacted and Nike changed their ways, but the damage was done, and now the brand is forever associated with the scandal.
Switching to sustainable business practices now is not only the right thing to do morally, but also as a business decision.
We can help you transition to sustainable business practices
If you want to make the switch to more sustainable business practices, then we can help.
With decades of experience in dozens of countries across the globe, we have the experience to guide your company into a greener, more sustainable future.
The change in society is growing at an ever-faster pace, so you need to be sure your business is not swept away in the coming tsunami.
Sustainability and a greener business ethos are becoming a focal point of companies and their business models.
Are you ready for what’s ahead?
We strongly believe that every aspect of the production chain has to change – from sourcing of raw materials to the shopping habits of consumers.
We have the experience, skills and staff to help guide your company into a greener, brighter future and we are committed to helping our clients adapt
To help your business promote environmental sustainability within the scope of your label and packaging requirements, contact us today. If you think you need advice on the coming changes, let’s have a chat about how we can help you to navigate those changes.
Contact us today if you would like to know more about how we can help. Our friendly and experienced staff will be happy to answer any questions you might have.