11 Tips to Show Your Small Business is Committed to Sustainability
How do you show your community that your small business is committed to sustainability? Here are 11 thought leaders offering you their tips.
From focusing on restorative actions to partnering with other local businesses, here are 11 answers to the question, "What advice do you have that shows how your small business is committed to sustainability?"
● Focus on Restorative Actions
● Switch to Energy-Saving Technology
● Make Recycling Accessible
● Pick 5 UN-Backed Sustainability Goals for Your Company
● Go Hybrid or Remote
● Showcase Your Sustainability Efforts Online
● Leverage Your Social Channels to Create Awareness
● Use Recycled Packaging
● Garner Customer Feedback
● Donate a Portion of Resources to Charities
● Partner With Other Local Businesses
Focus on Restorative Actions
My one tip is to ask yourself, is sustainability good enough? Can we be restorative instead? There’s sustainable palm oil, but that doesn't bring back the forests and the biodiversity that's so necessary for carbon capture just to sustain a mono-crop that was planted for the purpose of destruction. The definition of sustainability is “capable of being sustained or continued with minimal long-term effect on the environment.”
The idea then extends to, what if we became regenerative at home and at work? What if we actively sought ways to bring life back to the soil, plants, forests, and habitats? What if we create cities that can pull carbon and clean the air? Your company should prioritize restoration over sustainability, unless what’s being sustained is something positive that’s already restorative. Here are two thought-provoking viewpoints that expand on this idea:
Let's be restorative, rather than just sustaining ourselves.
Kim Allchurch Flick, Benefit And Impacts Consulting, Founder, Mighty Epiphyte Consulting LLC
Switch to Energy-Saving Technology
One tip to show how your small business is committed to sustainability is to invest in energy-efficient equipment and technology. This includes replacing old, inefficient equipment with newer, energy-efficient models. Additionally, you can look into renewable energy sources—such as solar or wind—to power your business. This will reduce your reliance on non-renewable energy sources and help reduce your environmental impact.
Tasia Duske, CEO, Museum Hack
Make Recycling Accessible
One way to show your commitment to sustainability is to make your recycling process as accessible as possible. Recycling bins should be placed in areas where employees can easily dispose of their waste. Additionally, your company should organize recycling events to encourage employees to participate. When employees know that their recycling efforts will be noticed, they are more likely to participate.
Finally, publicize your company’s recycling achievements on your website and social media channels. This will show your customers, potential future employees, and the public that you’re committed to sustainability. It may motivate others within your network to also recycle their waste.
Matthew Ramirez, CEO, Rephrasely
Pick 5 UN-Backed Sustainability Goals for Your Company
Sustainability is such a vague and massaged term that you, as a business owner—large or small—have a duty to understand what it means if you want to call yourself "sustainable" or use “sustainability” as a point of corporate value. Read the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to get some idea of what sustainability truly means.
The beauty of the SDGs is that they give you a menu of angles from which you can approach sustainability. And they’re UN-authored, which is as authoritative as you can get. Then, choose at least five that your company will pursue. It’s important to follow-up with how specifically you’re going to pursue them.
Adam Goulston, PsyD MBA, MS, Owner, Manager, Scize
Go Hybrid or Remote
Developing a hybrid work model to lower emissions is one solid way to commit to sustainability. When nobody is commuting to the office, or running machinery there, nobody is creating emissions that day. Additionally, nobody is incurring the associated expenses of running electricity, which saves the company money, too. Even if it’s only one or two days of remote work, that small change can make all the difference for the environment in the long-run.
Kevin Callahan, Co-Founder & CEO, Flatline Van Co.
Showcase Your Sustainability Efforts Online
Dedicate a whole section of your landing page to explaining your company’s sustainability practices. About 80% of customers consider sustainability an important factor when deciding on purchases. When you receive new visitors to your landing page to learn more about your product, this is your opportunity to showcase your values.
If a visitor sees sustainability right up there at the top along with “Products”, “About Us”, and “Contact US”, they’ll know you’re serious about sustainable practices. They might not even read the whole plan. But they’ll at least have the impression that you care, which can only serve as a bonus so long as the effort is authentic and you back up your claims with follow-through.
Monte Deere, CEO, Kizik
Leverage Your Social Channels to Create Awareness
Let's say you're an online business that sells digital products and services that don't require eco-friendly packaging—you’re still able to show your commitment to sustainability in the virtual world. The best example is using your social channels to talk about the things that matter—from important updates and policies that are being implemented around the world, generating awareness, supporting eco-friendly businesses through shoutouts, and a lot more.
As long as you have an audience that's interested in what you have to say, you can use your influence to spark engaging conversations and debates that’ll make people question their role in preserving our environment and how they can do their bit.
Guy Sharp, Relocation Advisor, Andorra Guides
Use Recycled Packaging
Businesses can showcase their use of sustainable practices by going the extra mile to package their goods in recycled and recyclable materials. If you want to show your commitment to sustainability, it's important to make efforts not to contribute further to pollution, waste and litter. By cutting down on your company's own use of wasteful materials, you can help the environment in a visible and tangible way.
Brian Munce, Managing Director, Gestalt Brand Lab
Garner Customer Feedback
If you want to know which sustainability goals will demonstrate your commitment best to your customers, you should directly ask them. Open a dialogue with your base and discuss what sustainability means to them as a whole. Be willing to listen to your customers' opinions and enact changes to your company that align with their values. Not only will this show your public that you're committed to sustainability, but it serves to show that your business is approachable and demonstrates a willingness to engage with your customers on things that are important to them.
You can easily and naturally broadcast your efforts to your base if they themselves have taken part in helping develop your sustainability approach. There may be no better way to demonstrate your commitment than to involve those who care and are affected the most by your practices.
Neel Shah, Founder, EZ Newswire
Donate a Portion of Resources to Charities
Donating a portion of your profits to a local charity is one way to show your commitment to sustainability. Even if your industry is one which is not considered “sustainable”, by supporting organizations that are, you’re standing in solidarity with those who are making a difference. If you don’t quite have the resources to support other organizations, consider volunteering your time to lend support to sustainable causes.
Bridget Reed, Co-Founder & VP of Content, The Word Counter
Partner With Other Local Businesses
One way to show your business is dedicated to sustainability is to form a partnership with other local businesses. By working together, you can not only reduce waste and emissions caused by competition, but you can have a great impact on the local community. You can also demonstrate that by working as one unit, everyone benefits when companies come together for a common goal.
This partnership could involve transitioning to renewable energy sources, finding new ways to reduce water and energy use, or implementing carbon-offsetting strategies. Not only do these initiatives demonstrate your commitment to sustainability, but they are also great PR opportunities as well—helping fuel consumer trust in your business and its aims.
Peter Jones, Sustainability Consultant, Carbon Accounting
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