Four Ways Businesses Can Improve Their Sustainability Initiatives
Globalization and technological advancements have increased the extent to which businesses advertise themselves to prospective customers (the community). In this fiercely competitive environment, organizations seek any selling points that can increase their likability.
This is a form of advertising known as corporate social responsibility marketing. Such initiatives have been adopted by companies like Amazon to aid in pushing their brand name positively.
A visible outcome of this is the fact that Amazon is reportedly considered the second most admired company in the world. Since organizations are considered as entities by the government and the community, taking part in sustainability initiatives should be one of their primary objectives. For this to be achieved, all members of the organization (including employees, customers, and shareholders) should be on board.
Here are some strategies companies can use to enhance their sustainability initiatives
1. Waste reduction initiatives
This is the most basic measure any entity can take towards sustainability. Just like in homes, organizations which invest in the reduction of waste will enjoy some positive changes to their bottom line.
The best companies use their ability to leverage the power of consumers to push suppliers to reduce the packaging on their products. These efforts help in reducing pollution since less waste will be available for dumping in the first place.
Even small businesses can take part in waste reduction by replacing their paper requirements with workflow automation, which will not only help in conserving the environment but also in reducing the storage costs for businesses.
2. Setting sustainability as the bottom-line objective
Organizations can advertise themselves as corporate responsible entities by making it a company mission to enhance sustainable efforts. With this as a base business objective, the organization will make decisions and create supply chains and partnerships aimed at the promotion of a sustainable environment.
When an organization makes it an initiative to cut out its environmentally unfriendly components, it adopts more sustainable and cheaper alternatives which lower operation costs. Through the creation of a positive image, these companies are also able to gain more customers and increase customer loyalty, which drives up sales.
3. Through measurement and certification
One way an organization can constantly remind itself of the efforts it has vowed to make towards sustainability is by setting itself goals and measurements. Once these initiatives are laid down as business goals, all members of the company will be committed to making it a reality.
As motivation, organizations could aim for sustainability certifications as their goals. These certifications are offered by some countries and states as part of an international initiative to promote corporate social responsibility. Such certifications often come with grant and tax benefits which will all be a major source of income for such organizations.
4. Engaging employees
Managers could be committed to developing strategies towards sustainability efforts, but without the input of employees, nothing can be accomplished. This is because employees are the ones tasked with the execution of such strategies. This calls for the need for employee engagement in any sustainability campaign developed by an organization.
By making the workplace a place where employees can meet and discuss ways in which they can contribute to the ‘green initiative’, you will be teaching your employees how to play their part in sustainability. Once this becomes ingrained in their habits, they will take such initiatives home and make an even bigger impact.
With businesses in every sector adopting corporate social responsibility initiatives, it is becoming more of a necessity and less of a fad. The benefits experienced by organizations that have incorporated sustainability into their business practice is not limited to large corporations and can also be enjoyed by start-ups and the community at large.
Consumers are increasingly becoming aware of the need for sustainability, and studies show that they prefer companies that make efforts towards the preservation of the environment.
Individuals are also making contributions toward corporate responsibility by buying more from companies that make sustainability efforts and less from those which show no effort.