How Can I Make My Business More Eco-Friendly?
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the formation of small businesses – which has led to a thriving market in many industries. However, this only increases some of the challenges that business owners face – given that you’ve got more competition to contend with.
As a result, it’s important you do everything within your power to steer your brand towards success. For example, you need to ensure you know everything there is to know about budgeting so that you can manage your finances and invest your money wisely. However, perhaps the most important step you can take during this time is knowing exactly how to appeal to your customers.
While there are various different factors that impact customer satisfaction, recent studies have found that sustainable businesses are often held in higher regard than those without strong eco-friendly policies in place. In fact:
- 81% of people prefer to buy from sustainable sellers.
- 75% of shoppers want to make their shopping habits more sustainable.
- Corporations that are actively managing and planning for climate change secure an 18% higher ROI than companies that aren’t .
Photo by Brian Garrity on Unsplash
As a result, it’s clear that business owners must make sustainability a priority should they wish to succeed – thankfully, there are various ways you can achieve this goal. For example, you could:
Hire an ecology consultant. Working with ecology consultants uk is a great way to introduce meaningful changes to your business. This is particularly important if you work within the construction or real estate industry, as they can help you to “create a future where we live in balance with, and connected to nature.”
Go paperless. Going paperless is perhaps the most effective way in which you can make your business more eco-friendly, especially when you consider that the average small business will otherwise use upwards of 10,000 sheets of paper annually. Furthemore, going paperless will actually make your life easier, as you’ll no longer have to sort through piles of paper each time you need to find an important document, you can search for it quickly and easily in a digital folder.
Think about packaging. Packaging waste is produced in just about every industry, which means it’s one of the biggest issues small businesses come across when trying to become more eco-friendly. As a result, you should try to use eco-friendly packaging materials, such as recycled plastic or corrugated cardboard. Remember, using sustainable materials does not mean that your packaging can’t work to boost the visibility of your brand, as it can still feature your logo and branding.
Recycle on-site. Recycling is a great sustainable activity that should not be limited to your home, especially as businesses will produce more waste than the average household. Furthemore, depending on where you may be based, there are also environmental regulations in place that you must follow when running a business – which means on-site recycling is a must. You should also ensure all staff receive some kind of sustainability training, as this will help you to improve sustainability across the board.