We are all becoming increasingly aware of the profoundly negative impact that our day to day lives and habits can have on the planet as a whole. We are aware that acts as simple as using too many plastic bags can have a devastating effect on the sea turtle population (as they consume disposed bags, mistaking them for jellyfish). We know that using plastic straws in our drinks is littering our oceans with waste. We are familiar with the fact that we are using up non-renewable sources of fuel and energy and polluting the air in the same process. This is just the start of issues that are practically destroying our planet! The very land, water, and air of the planet are experiencing climate change and every creature that walks the Earth is suffering the consequences. So, it’s not all too surprising that many of us are taking active steps in our personal lives to reduce this damage and implement change. But the same mindset doesn’t seem to be applying to our small businesses. We tend to separate our personal and professional lives and forget about these major problems along the way. So, it’s time for things to change and for us to start implementing eco-friendly changes into our small businesses too! The best part? When you’re a small business owner, you’re in a position of authority and have complete control over how your company operates, so implementing change should be a relatively simple task! Here are a few steps that you can take to actively make the world a better place!
Opt for Eco-Friendly Commercial Energy Suppliers
The majority of small businesses opt for the cheapest commercial energy supplier on the market. This makes sense – the less you have to fork out for energy, the higher your profitable turnover will be. But sometimes paying a little extra is worth the moral peace of mind. Source eco-friendly commercial energy suppliers and consider replacing appliances, equipment, or heating that uses non-renewable energy sources such as gas for ones that use electricity. If you are willing to take an extra step, you could even install solar panels into your business’ commercial space. This way, you can generate renewable energy of your own. If you happen to generate more than enough, you can also sell this energy to your local power grid, making a profit for your business too!
Decontaminate Polluted Commercial Space
You may find that your business has somehow polluted the commercial space that it stands on. Alternatively, you may be moving into a new commercial property that lies on land that another individual or business has contaminated. Ground can be contaminated by a wide variety of substances – from heavy metals (such as arsenic, cadmium and lead) to oils and tars, gases, asbestos, radioactive substances, or chemical substances and preparations (such as solvents) – and all of these need to be tackled appropriately, as they could result in further water contamination which can affect plants, animals, and humans alike. You can find appropriate products for tackling land contamination here.
Implement CSR Clauses Into Your Contracts
You can go further than solely improving your own business’ practice. The majority of small businesses enter into collaborative contracts with other companies. Whether this entails creating a product together, going halves on a marketing campaign, or simply supplying one another with particular services or goods. You should consider implementing CSR clauses into any contract that you write up in the future. CSR stands for “corporate social responsibility” and implementing CSR clauses into contracts can help your business to go beyond the legal requirements of ethical practice. Focus clauses on environmental sustainability. You could request that suppliers only send your materials in eco-friendly packaging (such as Green Jiffy Bags instead of plastic mailing bags). You could help to guarantee that all waste packaging from marketing and promotional campaigns is recycled rather than thrown in general waste. You could ensure that your manufacturer packages your products in responsibly sourced or recycled cardboard rather than virgin cardboard. There are so many different chances to help the planet a little and you should embrace and enforce as many as possible through your contracts.
These are just a few different starting blocks that you should consider if you intend to take environmental responsibility in your business seriously. Not only will implementing these changes be good for the environment, but they will be great for your brand image too! So, get started sooner rather than later!