Sustainable retailing can be challenging to transition to. Why do it? The answer is simple: it’s what drives consumer behavior today. With more and more people becoming aware of the risks that climate change poses, the more willing they are to purchase eco-friendly alternatives. This is aside from the fact that groups call to boycott companies that still haven’t adopted green practices. If you want to ensure your company’s growth and success in the coming years, going green is the only option.
Making the change, however, can be understandably daunting and overwhelming. This is why you need as much help as possible in kicking this effort off in the right direction. Below are some of the most practical methods you can begin with.
Prioritize Energy-efficient Equipment
Energy-efficient equipment in your office and retail stores is integral in making a successful transition. Get rid of your incandescent light bulbs and install new ones like LED and CLF lighting. These alternatives use up significantly less energy than traditional lighting, therefore reducing your greenhouse emissions. The same is true for your other appliances. Find suppliers in Provo or Salt Lake City that can provide your company with certified energy-efficient products.
It’s also worth considering commercial solar panels. Solar panels are excellent investments given their ability to reduce your operating expenses in the long run and provide you with a steady supply of clean energy. When this becomes the norm, you’ll be glad that you made this big move a long time ago.
Digitize Everything
Digitizing means reducing your paper consumption. This inevitably leads to fewer trees being cut down, which is great news for the environment. If you are still using traditional methods of sending out memos and creating inventories, it might take a while to warm up to the idea. When you do, however, you’ll be glad for it. Digitized activities promote better productivity and efficiency with the help of software specially designed for businesses. It’s just a matter of finding products and methods that suit your company’s needs best.
Manage Your Waste Responsibly
Waste disposal is a big issue among commercial properties, as they are some of the biggest contributors to the world’s daily waste production. You can improve your waste disposal by partnering with a reputable skip hire company and creating a waste management scheme.
This typically involves assessing the current state of your waste production on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. From this, you can work out which waste streams are the most problematic. These are usually the ones that involve a lot of non-biodegradable materials that are sent to landfills. As you go along, you should be able to reduce the waste your company generates altogether and find the best means to reuse and recycle.
Invest in Sustainable Packaging
Your packaging speaks volumes about your brand. If you want to tap into the growing population of eco-conscious consumers, you’ll have to find ways to make your packaging sustainable. Making this switch is essential because the traditional packaging materials you use are likely damaging the environment. This is especially true if yours is mostly made up of plastic. You’ll want to appeal to the masses today by opting for paper and other recyclable materials. Include information on sustainability on the front or the back so that consumers know the impact they’re making by choosing your product.
Publicize Your Eco-friendly Choices
At the end of the day, you won’t get the appreciation you deserve from consumers if you don’t publicize your eco-friendly choices correctly. A great way to do this is by incorporating sustainability into your brand. Let it be the backbone of your identity, and don’t be shy about letting your customers know that your decisions revolve around your desire to help the environment.
Different brands accomplish this differently, so it’s up to you to find the method that suits your business. You can research how your competitors are weaving this into their social media accounts and marketing campaigns. This should give you inspiration on how to go about publicizing your green practices. Just make sure that you don’t make claims that you haven’t enforced or are not true, as many companies have received severe backlash due to “greenwashing.”
Make Slow but Steady Progress
You can’t make your business sustainable overnight. The truth is that it will take time and trial-and-error to get things right. Take comfort in the fact that you can begin profiting off this the soonest you begin. Consumers know that transitioning is difficult for most businesses. What matters most for them is that you begin. That alone already makes them more likely to consider your product above those that haven’t.
