21 Sep The Importance Of Green Business Policies In 2020
Modern business is almost entirely different from older businesses. Decades ago, companies kind of had it easy with only the occasional disaster. Now there are many natural disasters happening annually and businesses have to consult with heatwave, hurricane or stormwater prevention plan companies in houston tx to prepare for them. And it is largely thanks to climate change that many businesses have had a hand in creating.
The world was a different place, meaning there were fewer concerns. You could pretty much get away with doing or saying anything! Think about it, sweatshops were normalized, cheap labor was seen as a natural thing, and nobody gave a damn about the environment.
You could go on all day about the differences between businesses past and present. However, this article will focus on that final point in the previous statement; business and the environment. Corporations have always had a very murky relationship with the environment. Well, to be frank, the business world spent decades not giving a damn about its carbon footprint. As a result, we’re in a position where a global pandemic hasn’t even been able to reduce carbon emissions by that much. Yes, with everyone inside and cars parked in garages, the environment didn’t do much to repair itself. This is because the majority of carbon emissions are caused by businesses and big corporations. No matter what the public does, companies will ultimately hold the power in deciding the fate of the environment.
In turn, this takes us to the main point of this post; what is the importance of green business policies in 2020? Compared to 50 years ago, they’re far more important and essential, but why? More to the point, how can you start implementing them into your business? Let’s take a deeper dive into things:
Green business policies help the environment
Firstly, green business policies have a direct impact on the environment. As previously mentioned, the business world is the big pollution culprit. Your company will have a much larger carbon footprint than the average person – probably without you realizing it! The problem is that businesses forget about things like their supply chain and things outside of the business premises. If you link with suppliers that have a terrible carbon footprint, it rubs off on you!
Consequently, your green business policies can help you make a positive impact on the environment. If all businesses followed some eco-friendly measures, we would see marked reductions in carbon emissions worldwide. Effectively, you can say that these policies are important for saving the earth!
Green business policies improve your reputation
Obviously, the world will only be saved if every business pulls its own weight. Nevertheless, you will see some benefits from following a few eco-friendly measures. As well as aiding the planet, you boost your reputation. The public stops seeing you as a faceless corporation and looks at your business as a good guy. You’re one of the few companies that care for the environment and want to follow ethical practices.
It can sound a bit fake – almost like you’re only implementing these policies to look good. Still, you rarely see businesses that take this stance without getting called out. The big way to spot a fake eco-friendly company is to look at the type of policies they choose. Opting for recyclable materials is a popular option, and it can be extremely beneficial for the environment. However, suppose this is your only measure, and you continue to use bad manufacturing techniques. In that case, it’s clearly an attempt to paper over the cracks. You can create an excellent impression by outlining a full list of green policies that show how much you care for the environment. The effort you put in will show consumers that you genuinely want to make a difference, so they might prefer you to rival businesses.
What are ‘green policies?’
Ultimately, the importance of green policies is simply that they help the environment and boost your business. This should be enough to pique your interest, so how do you start implementing them? To begin, you have to understand what these policies are, and some examples of them.
The basic definition is that they refer to any business policy that positively impacts the environment. As we move through the rest of this article, you’ll see plenty of examples that demonstrate this in action!
Recycling
A recycling policy is the bare minimum a business can do to help the environment. It’s merely a case of organizing your waste materials and recycling/repurposing them. Instead of generating tons of unrecycled waste per year, you reduce it down as much as possible. In truth, this can have a massive effect on how green your company is.
Eco-friendly manufacturing
Another example is to find greener ways of making your products. Again, you can look towards recycling for this one. Instead of making your products from raw materials, you use recycled materials. Lots of companies in the fashion industry are starting to do this. Adidas has a whole collection of products that are made using recycled plastic found in the oceans. The majority of your carbon emissions come from the manufacturing process, so this is a great way to cut them down.
Asides from looking at the materials used in your products, the manufacturing process should also be looked at from an energy point of view and the aspects that are required to make them such as the premises and lighting used to power the space. Eco Lighting is an option that businesses can use in order to cut carbon out of their business with no upfront costs.
Supporting different causes
You can look at ways to have a positive impact outside of your business as well. Many companies choose to support eco-friendly causes that fight back against climate change. A popular one is to help fund forestry around the world. You can learn more about forestry here, but the general idea is that it supports the growth and maintenance of forests. Essentially, it’s the opposite of deforestation! So, by aligning your business with this cause, you can donate money and show support for a positive movement. This is one example of many; there are loads of eco-friendly causes your business can fund.
You’ve got three examples of how to implement green policies in your business. Again, there are many more out there for you to discover. All businesses should take an active role in adding these ideas to their business policies. It will help you save the environment while garnering an impressive reputation. Ultimately, all of this matters because public perception has changed. In the past, businesses got away with absolutely everything. Now, people realize that the planet is going to die unless we tackle the pollution problem. As such, it falls on the shoulders of companies around the world to be more proactive.