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Negosentro | 5 Ways to Transform Your Company into a Sustainable Business | Going green is a fantastic thing you can do for your business. Costs can be decreased, a company’s reliance on natural resources for its product can continue to function for a long time, employee morale can be improved together with the possibility for them to stay on board, there’s a lower risk of negative publicity, innovation and product development can thrive, and sales can rise. Take a look at these five ways to transform your company into a leading sustainable business if you’re considering starting a company that also has an impact on people and the environment.
What is a sustainable business?
First, it’s required to elaborate more on the concept of sustainable business. When talking about sustainable business, it’s important to make a balance between profit, planet, and people. This implies that you consider how your business operations have an impact on your employees, the environment, and society, which is a part of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Sustainable business practices can save costs for your organization, for instance, if you use sustainable energy and employ energy-saving measures. By going sustainable, you’ll help lower CO2 emissions as well. Additionally, a green or sustainable image might help your company succeed in terms of modernizing your business.
Determine your sustainability objectives
If it is to be transformed into a leading sustainable business, your company must first determine and implement defined environmental, social, and governance (ESG) objectives. If you want your company to go in that direction, then you need to create a distinct baseline for each goal. In that way, you can do things like assess your present impact, monitor your progress, and make any improvements. In order to implement and manage ESG data that supports your objectives, you’ll need a single system of record. By collecting, correlating, visualizing, and analyzing appropriate data, you’ll automatically give transparent, verified information and identify areas that are in need of improvement. If you want to be sure your sustainability objectives will be adequately determined and later implemented, think about contacting business consulting experts and strategically investing in the future growth of your business.
Provide sustainable transport solutions
When talking about sustainable transport that aids in reducing CO2 emissions, consider options like public transportation or the use of electric cars. When hybrid and remote work are not an option, employers should provide public transportation. Especially, if commuting is required, taking the bus or train is the greenest of options. These benefits can be set up in any way that best serves the company; for example, they can totally cover the cost and provide passes for public transportation which is also reasonably easy to put into place. This is a good alternative to minimize scope 3 emissions for companies where on-site work is required, such as those in the retail, food service, or hotel industries.
Choose renewable energy resources
Another way you can turn your company into a leading sustainable business is by reducing energy consumption and making use of sustainable technologies and renewable energy sources. When you use sustainable energy, you become less reliant on coal, natural gas, and other fossil fuels, and as a result, your energy costs could significantly change. In fact, energy derived from renewable natural resources is referred to as renewable energy. Renewable energy resources include biomass, the sun, the wind, and the water, all of which can deliver heat, biogas, and electricity or a mix of these.
Incorporate sustainable items in the workplace
Businesses can employ a variety of environmentally friendly, sustainable products to make at least modest contributions when it comes to making their company more sustainable. You can opt for your business to include sustainable products from post-consumer recycled paper items to compostable cutlery in the break room. Even though some of these products may cost more at first glance, choosing products that are more environmentally friendly is one way to clearly fulfill your commitment to sustainability.
Try to reduce, reuse, and recycle more
Another way to make a more sustainable business is to incorporate a set of actions in the given sequence of reducing, reusing, and recycling. First, it’s necessary to reduce waste production to make a difference. Try to do that by not using paper products any longer, together with disposable cups, plates, and utensils. Next, try reusing whenever possible and offer reusable water bottles or coffee cups as an alternative to throwaway cups. Finally, even though recycling is more difficult than it first appears, mainly because people don’t do it properly, you shouldn’t refrain from it, especially if your business has on-premise operations. So, consider clearly labeling recycling bins, spread the word on good recycling practices, and provide teaching materials to your employees so they may modify their behavior at home.
The list above is far from complete. In order to have a significant, long-lasting impact, you need to have enough time and committed resources. But, hopefully, these tips have helped you gain a better understanding of the concept of sustainability and how you can transform your company into a leading sustainable business.
Written by Brigitte Evans