Sustanable Green Business

How Run a Business The Sustainable Way

Green Business Practices:

Firstly, the most important and impactful measure a business can take is by integrating sustainable elements in it's own processes (e.g. It doesn't make sense if your company creates tons of plastic waste each year and then plants trees in Nicaragua to make up for it). Procure environmentally friendly raw materials and make sure your suppliers adhere to environmental standards. Let your customers know that your supply chain is a sustainable one!

Use less packaging for your products and use bio-degradable materials wherever you can. The less plastic the better.

Send internal or external notifications or documents electronically. Most paperwork can be processed online these days.

If your run a restaurant or there is a company cafeteria get rid of plastic straws, plastic wraps or bags. I listed some great alternatives here. Do not provide throw-away cutlery or cups, instead offer reusable options (yes, they will have to be cleaned).

Incentivize less consumption of red meat. I love it as a food but the extensive consumption of red meat is posing a serious problem. As an example, WeWork took this to heart and stopped offering red meat at their cafeterias and will not expense their employees' meals if they choose it as a meal at business dinners.

Use renewable energy sources. That does not mean that your business has to run on wind turbines but the number of clean energy providers is increasing steadily and there are plenty of options out there.

Switch off the lights and shut down all computers after office hours. This sounds like a no-brainer but too many businesses still don't seem to do this.

Give your employees the possibility to recycle. Place recycling bins inside the office facilities and educate people about using them the right way. Old electronic devices can be donated to charity - provided that they are still functional.

Promote using public transportation or ride sharing among employees.

Opt for environmentally friendly business partners. If you release a public bid stress your preference for sustainable materials/ business practices.

Note for hotel owners: Tap into the booming eco-tourism niche market and become LEED certified. Having this certification will not only give you a leg up on your competition but it will also get you customers that you had previously missed out on.

It's More Than a Trend - It's a Shift in the Mindset

If you follow the news you will have noticed that an increasing number of businesses have been integrating environmentally friendly business practices in their processes.

Starbucks has pledged to eliminate plastic straws from their stores by 2020 and other companies are following their example. Adidas intends to only use recycled plastic for their production by 2024. These are just two recent examples.

Companies have realized that consumers around the world are more aware of global issues and place more importance on how a business in run. Initially some may have thought that this push for sustainability was just a fad but instead of this trend became a real shift in people's mindsets.

In the US a similar shift happened to the food industry. Consumers turned their backs on unnatural ingredients and became more conscious about nutrition in general laying the base for the success of companies like Whole Foods or Annie's.

What I want to say is that green business practices are not just here to stay but they will play an increasingly important role in consumers' decision making processes. It will even impact the job market in that hirees will prefer employers with a great Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) record.

The sooner a company realizes the importance of adopting sustainable business processes in it's structure the more it will profit from it in the long run.