Over the last few years, many companies have gone to great lengths to make their business environmentally sustainable. One of their main areas of motivation for doing this is the trend in customer preference for companies that are environmentally conscious. For example, according to a Harvard Business School study of 180 US companies (published in 2011), companies that had been classified as “highly sustainable” were found to perform better than those that had been classified as “low sustainability”. In addition, there have been companies that have been successful in reducing their carbon footprint despite their difficulties. This essay will focus on ways companies can go green.
First of all, companies can go green by ensuring that their products are minimally packaged. This tip is especially helpful for retail items. The purpose of this is to reduce the waste of materials that are not biodegradable (such as many forms of plastic). Furthermore, in addition to ensuring that their products are not covered in excessive packaging, the company can also ensure that the packaging material used causes minimal harm to the environment. An example of a company that has been successful at this is LUSH cosmetics. This was the company that had introduced cosmetics without packaging. For products that do not require packaging, LUSH uses recyclable and biodegradable materials. Additionally, all LUSH products are made with ingredients that have minimal negative impact on the environment. Therefore, a practical way in which companies can play their part in conserving the environment is to use minimal and environmentally sustainable packaging.
Second, companies can go green by adopting manufacturing practices that reduce their carbon footprint. This can be achieved by focusing on making your production operations as environmentally sustainable as possible. Companies can learn from IKEA, a Swedish furniture manufacturer. The firm has made a great effort to make its business operations sustainable for the environment. For example, 50% of IKEA’s wood comes from sustainable forests. Plus, all of their cotton comes from farms that meet Better Cotton standards. These measures have allowed the company to reduce the use of water, energy and chemical fertilizers and pesticides. In addition, its stores are powered by more than 700,000 solar panels.
Third, companies can go green by providing cost savings on their green products. This can be done by lowering the price of the product to increase its appeal to consumers. For example, Blissmo is an online platform that allows subscribers to purchase organic, non-toxic, and eco-friendly products. It offers users great deals and discounts, which encourages its subscribers to go green. The company acts as a “Green Groupon” and offers price reductions on businesses and services such as EcoThin Wallet. This has been beneficial for sustainable companies, which now have a larger market to tap into with sales growth. Therefore, this implies that reducing prices on organic products is key to attracting customers. Price reductions can be implemented if the company can reduce its costs. One way this can be achieved is through the help of the government through grants and subsidies which will reduce the overall costs incurred by the business. Another possibility is through further development and improvement of the company’s production operations, which will help it to increase its efficiency and achieve economies of scale in the long run.
Fourth, food companies can go green by doing organic catering. These companies can cater events and business lunches with food made from organic ingredients. They may also offer a variety of food options, such as free-range meats along with vegan, gluten-free, and paleo-meal options. This will appeal to nature lovers as well as health and wellness enthusiasts. For example, Eco Caters, a caterer based in Los Angeles, Washington DC, and San Diego, aims to provide the highest quality catering with artisan foods made entirely from scratch, while minimizing environmental impact. . They do this primarily by making use of local organic foods purchased from ranches and farms that raise produce and animals in a sustainable and humane way. Therefore, food companies looking to tap into a larger market may choose to cater organically, helping you increase sales revenue and reduce carbon footprint.
Fifth, companies that have already achieved environmental sustainability in the workplace can do more for the environment by creating a “green app.” These apps should provide the necessary information to help users go green. They should also guide them towards achieving a sustainable lifestyle. The application can be general and cover green living in its entirety, or it can also focus on specific areas such as green products and energy conservation at home and work. Companies can also create educational apps to educate children about ecology. This will help them grow up to be environmentally conscious.
In conclusion, there are many ways companies can go green. In addition to simply focusing on long-term profitability, companies must have a healthy concern for the environment and be aware of the current problem of climate change. According to Al Gore, Bill Clinton’s former vice president, “The history of humanity and our relationship with the earth can be seen as an ongoing adventure or a tragedy shrouded in mystery. The choice is ours.” Therefore, if companies can take action to reduce their carbon footprint and increase their environmental sustainability, they must do so at all costs.