OVER THE past few years, eco-friendly businesses have stolen the limelight from less-impactful organisations. This success is partly due to a rise in eco-conscious consumer patterns, with Gen-Z showing the most concern for the planet’s well-being, as modern-day consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the social and environmental impact of their buying decisions, highlighting the urgency for businesses to develop a sustainable business strategy.
Not only does embracing sustainable business practices provide environmental benefits, but it also provides substantial benefits for your organisation that can help you achieve your organisational goals. But which practices are the best to implement in your sustainable business strategy? To help you decide, we’ve created this article discussing some of the best approaches to include in your sustainable business strategy.
From encouraging volunteerism and enlisting the services of business consultants to providing relevant training for your employees and collaborating with non-profit organisations, we conduct a deep-dive into some of the best sustainable business practices for increasing brand recognition, attracting eco-conscious customers, driving long-term profit etc., below:
Switch To Renewable Energy Sources
Despite their best efforts, businesses are one of the leading contributors towards the planet’s global warming problem, highlighting the need for companies to take responsibility and cut their carbon emissions to save the world.
One of the most impactful ways of reducing businesses’ carbon emissions is by switching to renewable energy sources like solar or wind, which can reduce your organisation’s dependability on fossil fuels and carbon footprint.
However, before writing renewable energy sources into your sustainable business strategy, you’ll have to determine whether you’re choosing the correct option for your business, ensure your installer is government-approved, and get a survey to ensure it’s the best fit for your business.
While renewable energy sources produce some of the most effective results, you’ll have to remember that it will take several years before you notice any return – so it’s not the best option for businesses that want to see differences immediately.
Get Expert Advice
Nowadays, sustainability has become something that businesses must recognise. As a result, the business world is populated by hundreds of practices that claim to deliver the quickest, most efficient results.
However, with the list growing every day, it can be challenging for businesses to separate the most beneficial from the time wasters and determine which are best for the nature of their organisation, their staff, their bottom line, and their organisational goals.
With this in mind, if your organisation is running around in circles trying to decide which sustainable business practices, why not enlist a consultancy like 1ovmany, who can give you expert advice and work alongside you to create a sustainable business strategy?
Whether you’d like help creating sustainable organisational goals or developing your leadership skills through corporate coaching, their team of specialists can help your business achieve all of this and much more.
Consider visiting their website to browse their complete list of business services, book a free consultation, read customer testimonials, and subscribe to their digital newsletter to keep up to date with the latest industry news.
Or contact one of their specialists directly to discover how their services could help you determine which sustainable business practices to implement in your sustainable business strategy for the best results today.
Keep Your Employees/Stakeholders Engaged
Another way to foster a sustainable organisational culture is by keeping your employees/stakeholders engaged. Employee engagement is necessary for organisations across all sectors and of all sizes. With just 9% of the UK workforce reporting that they feel engaged at their workplace today, implementing engagement-boosting techniques is essential for all organisations.
Engagement-boosting strategies can produce various benefits, such as improved customer relationships, minimised staff turnover rates, increased productivity, and even educating your staff about sustainability.
Understanding sustainable practices fosters a sense of responsibility among your employees/stakeholders and gives them opportunities to contribute to your organisation’s sustainability goals. Due to this, it is essential that you involve them in the creation/implementation of your organisational objectives so that you can reap benefits such as better business relationships, insights you might’ve not considered before, and much more.
Utilise Ethical Supply Chains
Utilising ethical supply chains is another essential sustainable practice within businesses. In short, an ethical supply chain ensures to create products in a way that benefits the planet and all those involved in the production process. Therefore, all organisations must vet all their suppliers thoroughly to ensure they adhere to fair labour practices, human rights standards, and environmental regulations.
This means partnering with any supply chain that promotes the following values:
Secure/hygienic working conditions.
Awareness of critical environmental issues and sustainability.
Pays employees a fair wage for the work their doing.
Eliminates child labour and much more.
By associating yourself with ethical supply chains and being transparent about whom provides these services for your organisation, you can minimise the impact of your company’s carbon footprint, strengthen your bond with customers, set yourself apart from competitors, and build an eco-conscious image for your brand.