4 Sustainable Practices To Help Your Business Go Green
Green business is more than just a trend — it’s a profitable model that can be great for companies, customers, and a changing planet. Today, many businesses are implementing sustainable ideas into the core of their practices and philosophies to great benefit.
There are many smart ways businesses can adopt greener strategies and witness positive results. While many remain skeptical, sustainable business practices have been shown time and time again to spur innovations that yield big returns. Other benefits include:
- Saving money on energy and other costs
- Improved productivity, health and happiness of employees
- Attracting new customers and employees
Some use the Triple Bottom Line framework to examine the larger framework of a company’s impact on People, Planet, and Profit — also known as the three pillars of sustainability. This broadens the context of business success and makes clear how all three factors are intricately entwined.
So how can both new and existing companies step up their green game to do right by their clients and the world? Here are just a few of the many ways your business can begin (or continue) to thread sustainable business practices into company DNA.
1. Waste reduction
Businesses produce huge amounts of waste that can be quite costly. Paper alone makes up for 35 percent of our waste stream, even though it’s easily recyclable, and there are many digital alternatives available. Documentation can be easily digitalized with tools like DocuSign and Paypal. Printing less and recycling more can cut waste considerably, and guess what? It can save money too.
Another waste reduction tactic is to buy only as much as will be used, especially when it comes to perishable products, and to reuse things like envelopes and boxes whenever possible. This helps maximize use, prevent wastefulness and decrease costs.
2. Adopt eco-friendly materials and products
On a similar note, the materials we buy, sell and build with have an extraordinary impact on the environment and a company’s bottom line. Yes, recycling and using less paper cuts back on waste and money — but what about the physical products that can’t be digitalized, or are typically unrecyclable?
Eco-friendly design and production are emerging concepts that could revolutionize business, especially if implemented in early stages. Take building design, for example. Many older properties put strain on the environment and are not optimized for efficient energy use. But with new types of architecture that utilize eco-materials and sustainable design, your physical business can have a significantly lighter footprint.
As for construction, numerous green materials (like graphene and aerographite) are being developed with sustainability purposes in mind, though it could be years before they become mainstream. In the meantime, try used products or ones made of recycled materials.
3. A change in energy
A huge part of sustainability is energy consumption, or ideally, making the switch to green power. Some corporations generate huge amounts of carbon dioxide, while others have taken it upon themselves to switch to renewable energy. Companies like Intel and Kohl’s have taken this mission to heart, with each producing 100 or more percent green power through solar, biomass, wind and more.
On a more micro level, companies can adopt compact florescent lighting to save energy, and encourage less power use in the office (e.g. put computers to “sleep” when not in use). Encouraging employees to telecommute, carpool, or bike to work can also go a long way in saving energy.
4. Green marketing
Customers are famished for greener products and companies; given the choice, many people will choose an ethically minded business over competitors that aren’t as clean. With environmental consciousness at an all time high, marketing your company as sustainable — and following through with these claims — will boost your reputation and bring in more business.
At the end of the day, businesses that make no effort toward sustainability will likely be left in the dust. Those that have embraced green business practices, on the other hand, are already leading the way in terms of profit, reputation and overall success. It’s better to get on board now than deal with the consequences of lagging behind.
Featured image: Neale Sanche via Flickr.
