These steps will help you become a climate-conscious person in the right way, even if it does not always come naturally to you.
The importance of protecting the environment can hardly be overstated when referring to the fact that it is one of the most urgent concerns in the world today. There is no doubt that extreme weather conditions are becoming increasingly common in today’s world, from floods in Malaysia to heatwaves in India and the Antarctic to name just a few. So far this year, there have been many unnatural weather events that have occurred as a result of this year’s climate.
The fact that companies in such a dire situation are also trying to become more sustainable from the ground up is paramount in order for them to thrive in this situation. The result is that many major companies, such as Google, Nike and Disney, are taking steps to be more environmentally friendly. Sustainable business practices can be challenging if you are new to the industry. The following guide will get you started on your journey to running a climate-conscious business:
Find out if your business is sustainable in the present
Understanding the current state of sustainability is vital before deciding what initiatives to implement. Research sustainable aspects of your business, such as its resource use, carbon footprint, and greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, sustainability analysis tools, such as risk assessment, benefit-cost analysis, and life cycle assessment can be used to analyze collected data. In addition to assessing current conditions, these tools also consider future developments. In order to maintain or increase productivity without incurring additional costs, you need the following information.
Encourage prolonged conversation on sustainability
It is important to encourage people in the organization to implement changes when you realize where you need to make changes. A training program and active communications about sustainability initiatives can help accomplish this. If you want to show your employees that sustainability is important to your company, you can invite guest speakers and host workshops around climate change.
Incentivizing sustainable supplier behavior
It is also essential that businesses engage their suppliers in discussions about sustainability as part of their sustainability strategy. The sustainability of any business depends on its entire operation. Share your sustainability efforts with investors and the public only after your suppliers are also in compliance with your policies. Your suppliers can be motivated to improve their reputation by winning supplier awards, which will make them more likely to receive more business from you.
Maintain transparency
Recent cases of greenwashing have been reported by a number of companies, such as H&M and Nestlé, who claimed to be eco-friendly but didn’t actually take the right steps to achieve sustainability. The reputation of your brand can be adversely affected by greenwashing scandals. There is a much harder time for small businesses to recover from scandals than it is for big brands.
A brand’s sustainability efforts are often mentioned on its label, which is read by about 42% of consumers today. Customers clearly want to know how their products are made, so this should be a clear indication that they care about the manufacturing process. In order to achieve sustainability, we need to have a data-driven approach. A blockchain-based supply chain tracking system is one way to do so. Customer and other stakeholders can thus have credible information about where the product (or parts of it) is manufactured and whether the product meets all relevant quality and sustainability standards.
Set achievable sustainability goals
The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found that only 60% of business leaders actually incorporate sustainability into their business strategies, despite considering it important. It might be because sustainability goals are often impossible to achieve that this might be the case.
You do not have to set unrealistic goals such as going completely carbon-neutral by 2030 if you are committed to doing so. It is also possible to concentrate on smaller tasks, such as reducing the amount of plastic packaging in your product by a specific period of time, rather than focusing on bigger tasks. It must be noted, however, that in order to accomplish this, you have to be consistently monitoring progress and being accountable to all the stakeholders about how the project is being handled.
There are many obstacles on the way to sustainability, so it is important to keep this in mind. Government policies and practices will continually change their economic impact. Sustainability programs must also be constantly updated in order to remain relevant.
