Strategies to Demonstrate Your Environmental Responsibility
### Sustainable Business Practices Gain Momentum Among Small Businesses
Small businesses are increasingly adopting sustainable practices, recognising the importance of environmental responsibility in their operations. Here's a look at how some businesses are communicating their commitment to sustainability effectively.
#### Internal Communication
Embedding sustainability into a company's culture is crucial. Brookshire Grocery Company, for instance, has an entire page on its website dedicated to reducing energy consumption in its fleet of trucks and cars. The company also encourages its employees to participate in sustainability initiatives, offering training and incentives.
#### External Communication
Transparency is key when it comes to communicating a company's sustainability efforts to business partners, suppliers, and customers. Walmart, for example, has 15 questions for suppliers about sustainability, ensuring that their supply chain is aligned with their environmental goals.
At the consumer Electronics Show this year, HP showcased its green packaging alongside its computers, demonstrating its commitment to sustainability at a trade show. Similarly, Buehler's has produced a video for YouTube about purchasing produce grown by the Amish, at the Mt. Hope Farmer's Market, highlighting their support for local, environmentally responsible growers.
#### Customer Engagement
Consumers are increasingly looking for products with a purpose. Companies can use storytelling to share the "why" behind their sustainability efforts. Terracycle, for example, encourages local recycling stations, creates "recycling brigades," and publishes recycle goals to generate customer involvement in recycling. They also have recycling programs that pay consumers and groups $.02 for each plastic drink pouch collected.
#### Community Involvement
Small businesses can also engage the community by organising local initiatives, giving back to community causes, and participating in green business networks. Buehler's displays "Buy Local" signs in their stores and provides information about this initiative on their website.
#### Measuring Progress
Developing a public sustainability plan and measuring progress towards it is a strong statement of commitment. Gojo Industries, for example, sets sustainability goals and publishes them on its website, including a goal to reduce water usage in operations by 30%.
#### Visual Communication
Incorporating recycling in a supply chain can be communicated by creating a video explaining what is recycled and how, and sharing it on a company's website, YouTube channel, and social media pages. Reducing energy consumption in a company fleet can be communicated by displaying photographs of energy-efficient vehicles on a company's Mission page or website.
By communicating a commitment to sustainability effectively, small businesses can build stronger relationships with all stakeholders and create a genuine competitive advantage.
- A small business like Buehler's can exhibit its commitment to sustainable living by creating videos about supporting local, environmentally responsible growers, as seen in their YouTube production.
- Companies can engage customers by sharing the purpose behind their sustainability efforts through storytelling, much like Terracycle does with their recycling stations, recycling brigades, and published recycling goals.
- Small-businesses can showcase their initiatives towards sustainable business practices by measuring progress and publishing their sustainability plans publicly, similar to Gojo Industries and their 30% water usage reduction goal.
