With the internet and social media, more and more people have been awakened to the current state of the environment on a global scale. We have watched videos and read articles on how the human race and specific industries have directly contributed to the world’s loss of natural life. The earth’s temperature also increased by 1.02 °C or 1.84 °F last 2020, according to NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS). If we act individually, it might not have much of an impact. But if we work collectively, it can bring about some positive changes.
Practice sustainability
Your companies can begin with the materials being used in production. If your company can find a way to produce goods out of natural resources or recyclable materials, then you are off to a great start. Next: the process of manufacturing. It should not release toxic chemicals. Lastly, the packaging. Is it designed to decompose or be recycled? Although this can be hard to do at first, your company must find some ways to live up to your mission to be eco-friendly. We can remember McDonald’s facing some criticism after their paper straws turned out to be non-recyclable.
Use green marketing
In a recent survey, 65% answered that they are willing to buy from purpose-driven brands that promote sustainability. Yet, only 26% of them are doing so. There seemed to have a negative relation between wanting to support a green cause and the extra money one has to pay for that. On the bright side, a study was conducted to know the effects of green marketing on consumer behavior. The price difference in eco-friendly products has now disappeared. Other than that, promotion has also become significant for consumers. Thus, more people will buy environmental-friendly products if companies adopt green marketing strategies.
Use social influence to support an environmental cause
In 2010, the city of Calgary, Alberta, had a program called grasscycling. To do this, residents have to leave their grass clippings after mowing. They could let them naturally decompose on their lawns instead of bagging them to be thrown into the landfill. This would return nutrients to the soil and would require less work from homeowners. However, not a lot of residents embraced grasscycling. To increase the number, they left messages on residents’ doors saying:
“Your neighbors are grasscycling; you can too.”
“People are finding ways to lessen wastes going to landfill; you can too by grasscycling.”
Within just two weeks, the number of people who participated in the program doubled. This is because the need to conform is innate in humans.
Saying to buffet diners that the norm was to not get a lot of food at once and it was okay to return for some more reduced food wastes up to 20.5%.
Based on these, you can also study social norms to make your employees and customers eco-friendly.
Embrace a remote work setup
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, transportation is the biggest contributor to the total U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Economic Sector in 2019. It accounts for 29% of 6,558 million metric tons of Co2 equivalent. Aside from that, remote work can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions for reduced office construction and less energy usage.
Thus, huge companies such as Dell, Aetna, and Xerox that embraced telecommuting are bettering the environment. Remote setup will indeed reduce the carbon footprints, but if your company still needs face-to-face meetings, you can contact a cleaning service. This is to ensure that your company premises will not be harboring coronavirus. We are the caretakers of this planet, so we need to protect ourselves too.
Create sustainable partnerships
You can also solve more environmental problems by partnering with other businesses to make the environment better. Of course, you should not do this for publicity. Working with people who have already done some steps and adopted great practices can give insights on what practices to change and adapt.
Taking proactive steps to make your company more eco-friendly will always be a win. Several studies show that people prefer to support businesses that are contributing to a good cause. Find ways to make the production of your products or delivery of your services more sustainable. Higher prices being relative to going green no longer bother consumers.
More and more people are open to paying the cost as long as they know they are supporting an eco-friendly company. At the end of the day, we all win. Your company gets more support. People get to contribute in their own little ways. We all move to take care of the world we and the future generation will live in.
