How Businesses Can Transition to Sustainability

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In the past few years, global warming has been a hot topic for almost all major news broadcasters and blogs around the world. This global crisis has made many people reconsider how they lead their lives and how their actions may be affecting the planet’s wellbeing. Although many governments have put measures in place in an attempt to reduce emissions, global corporations must make the switch to sustainability for there to be any considerable impact. Contrary to what many may think, a business doesn’t necessarily have to reduce its overall material production for it to become more sustainable. In fact, most of the practices that are considered sustainable can be very beneficial to a business from a financial standpoint.

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For instance, it can be extremely propitious to incest in solar-powered LED signs as it’s both energy-efficient and affordable. Moreover, given how nowadays it’s quite simple to get custom signs online, you can easily get a sign that will save energy and contribute towards stopping climate change without having to break the bank. The business community is best equipped to drive sustainability across societies and markets, which is what’s required for there to be a major reduction in global emissions. Corporate leaders have to employ the necessary influence to ensure that their businesses remain successful whilst the planet continues to survive.

The responsibility to ensure that the earth continues to flourish doesn’t only lie with corporate giants; everyone has a part to play when it comes to making sustainable choices. Success can only be achieved with broad participation and tremendous determination. Having said that, it’s important to note that businesses contribute a large percentage of global emissions, therefore it’s up to them to ensure that they become more sustainable. Although the idea of sustainability transition may seem very intimidating, there are two main things that are required for an enterprise to make the switch; transferring existing waste disposal streams and using resources more efficiently. To help make the transition a lot easier, here are some of the top ways in which a business can make the switch to sustainability.

Utilize Post-Consumer Waste

Post-consumer waste (PCW) refers to the waste produced by the end customer of a particular product, waiting to be discarded or recycled. Paper is one of the most wasted products in the world; about 1 billion trees worth of paper is wasted each year in the United States alone. For this reason, businesses should avoid using paper whenever possible but if printing is inevitable, PCW paper should be used. Making PCW paper uses up only half the amount of energy that is used in the typical papermaking process. What’s more, every ton of PCW recycled paper can save approximately 58 percent of water and 64 percent of energy. Printing papers aren’t the only types of PCW paper, other paper products such as toilet papers, napkins, and packaging paper can also be created using recycled paper. Enterprises that wish to contribute towards sustainability can show their support by using these PCW recycled papers instead of regular ones. In addition to using PCW pieces of paper, businesses should encourage their employees and customers to recycle any waste paper they have laying around.

Eco-Friendly Procurement

Eco-friendly procurement which is otherwise known as green procurement involves sourcing goods and services that are manufactured and dispensed in a sustainable manner. In so doing, businesses can ensure that they reduce their carbon footprint while also promoting a sustainable lifestyle. One of the ways that an enterprise can reduce its daily toxic emissions through green procurement is by sourcing from local suppliers. To help you make the most of green procurement, there are a few things you should consider when it comes to procurement policies.

The first thing is to always ensure that the goods being bought were produced in a sustainable fashion. Ensuring that the manufacturing processes for all the goods sourced by a business are environmentally friendly goes a long way in reducing global emissions. Moreover, when major corporate players begin requesting for goods that are produced sustainably, the trend is likely to catch on, leading to a positive impact on the environment. Another strategy that businesses should employ is sourcing for goods that are either recycled or made from recycled resources. Something else to keep in mind when procuring goods for your business is warranting that they don’t have any toxic substances or ozone-depleting materials.

Keeping Water Consumption Low

Drought has been ranked among the top phenomena that are associated with billion-dollar weather disasters in the last 30 years. Although one might argue that not all businesses are located in arid or semi-arid regions, there’s no denying that the last 10 years have been among the driest in history. For this reason, businesses of all sizes have the collective responsibility to ensure that their habits don’t contribute to the global water crisis.

There are several things that enterprises can do to ensure that they reduce water consumption and wastage. One way of doing this is by repairing leaks and dripping taps throughout the business premises; not only will this ensure that you avoid wasting essential water but also help in decreasing the monthly water bill. Business owners can also opt to install tap aerators which go a long way in conserving water. Aerators act like sieves and divide a stream of water into several tiny streams which allow the water to mix with air and in turn helps in saving money and energy. They also reduce the space through which water can pass, which drastically reduces the amount of water consumption. Another way of conserving water is by installing low-flush toilets which significantly reduce the amount of water it takes to flush down waste.

Use “Green Power”

Traditional electricity can be very detrimental to the environment; it’s a large contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and is the cause of massive amounts of air pollution. To help reduce the amount of pollution that conventional electricity causes, businesses are being urged to sign up for “green power”. This refers to renewable energy supplies that have the most positive impact on the environment. Simply put, green power is electricity produced by renewable sources of energy such as wind, sun, eligible biomass, geothermal energy, and moving water. When compared to conventional sources of electricity such as the combustion of fossil fuels, green energy has far fewer environmental trade-offs, hence they can go a long way in helping businesses become more sustainable.

Final Thoughts

There’s no doubt that now more than ever, the world requires us to become more environmentally conscious than ever before. In order to safeguard our future on this planet, it’s up to each and every one of us to ensure our actions aren’t affecting the health of the earth. For businesses, going green could even result in better sales since consumers are inclined to go for sustainably-branded goods to reduce their perceived impact on the global ecosystem. Although there are only a few techniques discussed above, they represent some of the best methods to ensure businesses successfully become sustainable. It may take a lot of effort before all businesses can make the switch to sustainable operations; however, given the growing demand for eco-mindedness in the business realm, this achievement may not be too far to reach.