There are many different ways a business can become sustainable: reducing waste, preventing pollution, adopting clean energy, conserving water, greening the planet by planting trees, using sustainable materials, making their products sustainable, and by adopting sustainable business travel policies.
Making business travel sustainable doesn’t only benefit the environment, but it also benefits the company. By reducing the need to travel, companies can cut down on costs significantly and reduce CO2 emissions.
WHAT DOES “SUSTAINABILITY” MEAN IN BUSINESS?
In business, sustainability refers to doing business without negatively affecting the environment, community, or society.
Sustainability in business addresses two major categories:
• The effect business has on the environment
• The effect business has on society
The goal of a sustainable business strategy is to make a positive impact on at least one of those areas. When companies cannot assume responsibility, the opposite can happen, leading to issues like environmental degradation, inequality, and social injustice.
Few ways to make business more sustainable
1. Offer remote work
As more work gets done online, there is less need for people to be in a physical office. Remote work has taken off over the past few years, allowing employees to have work-life flexibility and substantially reducing their time spent commuting.
2. Eco-friendly packaging
According to the EPA, “containers and packaging alone contribute to over 23% of the material reaching landfills in the US.” You can significantly reduce your brand’s pollution contribution by changing the way you package your products.
3. Reduce waste
Every business will produce different amounts of waste, no matter their industry or company size. What matters is how they go about reducing what they produce, whether that’s cardboard, plastic, or even electrical items.
4. Use local and sustainable suppliers/partners
There are many benefits to sourcing local goods, including improving the business’s environmental impact, as couriers don’t have to travel as far. It’s also a great way to take advantage of the opportunities available in the local area, as no one knows perhaps a local business has developed just the product or solution the company needs!
5. Incorporate diverse leadership.
Sustainable businesses look to the Global Goals as their road map to greater sustainability. These are not only focused on the environment, but include greater equality, fair wages, and investing in diversity. The “Better Leadership, Better World: Women Leading for the Global Goals” report argues that gender equality in the workplace can help unlock more than $12 trillion in new market value that is linked to the Global Goals.