As businesses, we have the opportunity to provide customers with not only good quality services, but great ethics too. More and more, it’s the green credentials or ethical practises that separate businesses and help them to stand out from their competitors.
1. Reduce your consumption…of everything
Recycling is a solid option, but reducing your consumption and therefore waste, is even better!
Take a moment to think about what you consume in your working day – do you use a disposable coffee cup, pre-packaged sandwich, printed documents and drive to and from work in a single-occupancy car journey?
Make a list of everything you’d usually use and see if there are options to reduce your waste. Could you take a reusable coffee cup in your bag or a favourite mug at work? Could you try to pack a lunch to reduce your waste or take reusable cutlery with you?
2. Choose your service providers carefully
Where you spend your money matters. Think about the services that you currently use, utilities, internet, software providers…as well as the companies that you invest in by using their services.
One of the best ways to make sure that your business is sustainable, is to look at where your money is going. Money is a great voting system, with each transaction making a vote towards the kind of world that you want to live in.
3. Give back
As businesses, we’re used to ‘giving’ whether that is in the form of services or products, now perhaps it’s time for us to consider giving in another way? If you’re pretty sustainable already and you’re looking for ways to give yourself even more of an ethical boost, maybe choose a cause that’s close to your heart and adopt it for the year. Make one off or monthly donations on behalf of your business and support a small charity or project that aligns with your values.
This is a particularly good option for businesses that aren’t necessarily ‘for good’ anyway…perhaps your business is not innately charitable or in the realm of sustainable or ethical business, giving back is a good place to grow your positive impact in an area that may be less widely explored for you.
4. Create a virtual world
We live in a virtual world, we’re living in a time where that is truer than ever before. Over the past few years we’ve had more and more zoom meetings and made less commutes to work, this has not only been great for our comfort but also for the environment. Thinking about it, it’s not just meetings that are increasingly reliant on the digital realm, but documents too – it’s never been easier to create a piece of work, a contract or a proposal and ‘ping’ it over to a client to review. The ‘virtual’ approach is a great way to cut down on emissions and waste, with less trips being made in the car and less documents being printed unnecessarily; needless to mention it often makes our lives easier and tasks are completed quicker.
5. Save energy
Most businesses will use some form of technology, whether that’s in the form of computers and laptops or huge manufacturing machinery. Using renewable energy where possible is a great step to becoming a more green business, but energy-saving steps are also commendable. Consider using energy-saving LED light bulbs, powering down any devices and avoiding ‘sleep mode’ when they’re not in use, for more responsible energy usage.
6. Be the change
Becoming a more sustainable business takes commitment! Make pledges in the areas that you’d like to focus on and commit to sticking to them. Lead by example and show both your customers and competition what a great, green world could look like!