Why Sustainable Businesses Are More Important Than Ever

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “There is no planet B”. You’ll often see it at climate protests. It’s a call to action to take care of the planet we have now, because we don’t have another option.

Too many businesses don’t do enough to make a change and help our environment. They continue to use plastic packaging, they put profit over people and wildlife, and are adverse to regulations that are designed to keep them in check so they don’t poison our water or air or anything else.

The threat of pollution and climate change looms over us everyday. It isn’t going away. We have a limited time to act to combat global warming, stop the flow of trash into our oceans, and create a more sustainable way to use our resources.

Sustainable businesses who have a respectful relationship with the earth, who uphold the values of their customers, and make changes to have a kinder impact in the long run are the future. It’s more important than ever that we see more of them.

What is a Sustainable Business?

Any business that works to make a positive impact on the environment is a sustainable business.¹ This doesn’t just mean businesses that work directly in conservation, but any business that cuts down or eliminates its plastic usage, that recycles its products, that doesn’t harm habitats or wildlife, or makes sure that it’s getting it’s raw materials without exploiting the environment.

These businesses work with the long-term in mind. They operate their businesses fully aware of how they affect the world socially, economically, and ecologically.² The plan is to make sure no harm is done to the earth, so that we don’t run through all of our resources that we all need to survive and don’t contribute to climate change that threatens all living things if not fought against.²

What are the Benefits of Sustainability in Business?

Money

Environmental sustainability can help you both save money and make money. S&P 500 companies that have a sustainable strategy see a return on investment that’s 18% higher than companies that don’t.¹ Although it does take some initial investment to switch things around to reduce waste, cut down on plastic, and install solar panels on buildings, ultimately you appeal to more consumers and save money in the long run.

When you have a plan that includes recycling and using less electricity, water, or energy, you save thousands of kilowatts of energy.³ Recycling your own products saves money and helps you not have to start from scratch every time. Plus, when you use solar power, you can save over half a million dollars during the lifespan of the panels.¹ Some changes can be little, while others are big, but they all make a difference when it comes to how much money you’re spending.

Gain Respect & Customers

In 2021, your reputation as a business matters. Your involvement in the social and political goings-on matters. People aren’t interested in companies that don’t get involved in major social issues. Environmentalism is incredibly important to many people, including the younger generations that will be stepping up as the big purchasers in the future.⁴

According to a survey from the Natural Marketing Institute, 58% of customers decide whether or not to buy from some place depending on their environmental impact and whether or not they practice sustainability.⁴ That’s huge. People want to associate with other people that uphold their values. When you show that you’re up-to-date on what’s going on and are taking steps to seriously combat our influence on the planet, you’re going to gain more support from people who are looking for companies they can trust to do the right thing.

People don’t want to buy from companies that only care about making money. They’ve seen big companies cut corners for profit for far too long. They want to put their dollar behind ethical companies that they believe in, who understand the importance of putting people and the planet first, even if it cuts into how much money they make in total.

Be Prepared for the Future

With the Paris Climate Accord, 60% of emissions can be cut down by 2030 due to businesses taking action.¹ The results of taking the proper steps now are tangible in just nine years from now. A lot can be done.

Making yourself a leader in this movement benefits your business in the long run. When you have a strategy to make change, you’ll be prepared for anything that comes your way. When new regulations are rolled out, you won’t have to scramble – you’ll already be doing it – while everyone else tries to figure out how to adapt.⁴

How Does Being Sustainable Help the Environment?

Sustainability helps your company and the environment. It’s a win-win for everyone. When you make these changes, boost your reputation, and save money, you also help:

Prevent climate change
Preserve our resources
Save wildlife

Big businesses are huge factors when it comes to releasing emissions and contributing to global warming. If we don’t make any changes, the temperature will continue to rise, and we’ll see catastrophic consequences: rising sea levels, intense weather patterns, and an extinction of many species by the end of the 21st century.¹

You are part of the solution when you put sustainability first.

When you source your materials in a sustainable way, you uphold practices that don’t exploit our land. When you recycle and cut down on or eliminate plastic, you’re saving hundreds of marine life species.¹

Each year, we use 40% more resources than can be replenished.⁵ In fact, there’s even a specific day each year called World Overshoot Day, which is the day of the year in which we’ve used up all of the natural resources that the Earth can produce in a year’s time. We hit this day earlier and earlier each year because of how many resources we go through.

When we take sustainability seriously, we find a balance between the way of life we’re already accustomed to and the resources that Earth is able to provide to us. That balance puts less stress on the environment.⁵

Throughout our history as humans, we’ve seen what happens when we don’t practice sustainability. Societies have collapsed, ecosystems have been ruined, and people have had to relocate.⁵

Sustainability means:

Maintaining the biodiversity of ecosystems
Keeping invasive species out
Finding planet-friendly alternatives
Slowing the pace of climate change
Protecting our air, water, and land plus all the wildlife within them
Keeping the balance between us and the environment
Sustaining nature for the future

How to Make Your Business Environmentally Sustainable

Making your business more sustainable can be done on both smaller and bigger scales. The important thing is to not just talk about making changes, but actually come up with a plan to implement them. Sustainability requires long-term planning and solutions.

Some things you can do are:

Recycling
Save electricity
Switching to digital files instead of paper
Offer the option to work from home – this can save billions of tons of greenhouse gases put out by commuting¹
Source your materials in a way that doesn’t hurt the environment or wildlife
Offer incentives for employees to take green action
Reduce or eliminate plastic from packaging
Build environmentalism into the company culture

There are many ways to make your businesses one of the ones leading the charge to work with the planet instead of against it. Although it may start out as an investment, it’ll be worthwhile in the end, as you’ll save money long term, be prepared for the future, and can handle any necessary regulation changes that come your way.

Don’t get left behind. Make it known your business holds the same values as your customers. Be a company they want to continue to support.

Have a sustainable business? Shoot me an email, let’s chat! I help sustainable and eco-friendly businesses connect with their audience in an organic way through their website content. Let’s talk about how I can save you time!

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