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Nowadays, everyone is aware of global environmental threats like plastic pollution. You are too, and that’s why you’d like to be the owner of a business with a good sustainability profile. Your choice may have been motivated by altruism, but it also gives you an edge in a market in which even the average Joe suffers qualms of conscience when buying products that don’t take environmental issues into account. Given that you’re into being the “good guy” when it comes to sustainability, here are some of the things you should take on board.
1. Sustainable Packaging
Eco-friendly packaging will be among the top things the future-conscious customer will be looking for. You can say you support sustainability till you’re green in the face, but if your packaging isn’t green, nobody is going to take you seriously. At the very least, you should be looking at recyclable materials, at best, biodegradable is the way to go. Opt for sustainable packaging, and then turn that into a selling point that matters to the environmentally aware. Since that’s just about everyone these days, it isn’t a niche choice.
2. Let’s Talk Origins
Although we usually think about the environment when hearing the word “sustainability,” people enter the equation too. Low prices often mean low wages for the workers responsible for manufacturing the items in question. Awareness is rising, and many consumers don’t want to support businesses that have been tainted with the stigma that goes with child-labor, unsafe factories, and toxic emissions.
Apart from your in-house production credentials, are you choosing inputs with ethical origins? They may cost you more and drive up your prices, but you may be surprised at the degree to which ethical sourcing boosts your business’s reputation. Once again, talk about it. If they don’t know, consumers can’t act on it!
3. Materials Choices
Never underestimate your customers. Chances are, many of them know which materials come with dubious origins and even more dubious outcomes. Avoid using materials that can’t be recycled or that come at the cost of environmental harm. If you can’t avoid this, don’t even try presenting your business as being “green” or “sustainable.”
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Being caught trying to greenwash a dirty business means more reputational harm than simply offering “dirty” goods for sale. Be aware of the materials that go into your products and how they impact society and the environment. Don’t claim green credentials when you don’t deserve them. Consumers will catch you out! Looking for more sustainable alternatives? Be honest about that. Show your progress but don’t over inflate its implications.
4. Things You’re Doing In-House
Since you’re going green, be sure that you aren’t “greenwashing.” There are many ways you can improve your green credentials in-house. Watch out for unstainable in-house practices. Think about things like your carbon footprint, whether your business uses recyclable products and, even when they’re recyclable, how you cut down on their use.
Consider energy use and how you can cut down on non-renewables. You can’t brand yourself as sustainable if you aren’t doing sustainability. Put your money where your mouth is, and when you do, tell the world! You deserve it! Be sustainable to brand yourself as sustainable – it may even cost you less. The future is
waiting for you!
