As a business owner, you may constantly be thinking over the ROI? If yes, you are always considering this factor to top the priorities while taking any decision for your business.
One such big decision for your company is the implementation of green initiatives!
Remember, whether or not you opt for green initiatives or not, it has its own opportunities. Right from reducing energy consumption to minimizing paper usage and reducing wastage, the green initiative can be really beneficial for your business.
One of the most important things to bear in mind when running a business is what kind of effect it has on the wider world. Entrepreneurs who want to make a difference can use their own businesses as examples for everyone else.
Why opt for green initiatives for business growth?
If you want your business to be such an example, that means knowing how to be environmentally friendly. It is true that going green can take a great deal of effort and patience. However, it is worthwhile if it means that your business has less impact on the world.
A decision to “go green” can be fascinating, not only over the papers but also in reality! You should be looking at both the long-term goals and the short-term plans. Indeed, the chances are, you can always explore a plethora of benefits for choosing green initiatives for your business.
Whether or decision lies in yes or no, it will directly impact your business. It will reduce your operational cost and also streamline all the business processes by making them more efficient. But before you implement anything, make sure you have successfully analyzed how your business is performing currently and where your money is being spent.
What’s more, it is likely that there are certain initiatives that you haven’t even considered. And some of them are surprisingly straightforward to enact.
The green of business which went green!
After having the data and facts from more than 9,200 companies -both medium-sized and small-sized businesses, Environmental Journal found an interesting aspect! It is that different companies derive different business benefits for going green. Yes, it all depends on the strategies, plans, and tactics realized!
As an economical small scale or medium scale businessman, weighing the challenge of going green and accepting the obstacles in that could be amazingly transforming! You may be curious about whether the idea of forgoing green is financially reaping in nature.
What are the benefits of opting for green initiatives?
“GOING GREEN”- It seems interesting, but what does it offer you in the first place.!
We talked about the economic aspect of choosing your business to run on the pillars of green initiatives. Indeed, it has a lot to offer you! The first fact is it decreases the impact your business is having on the environment and our mother nature. But this is not the biggest benefit you can have!
One of the biggest benefits of choosing green initiatives for business growth is implementing it that allows you to cut operational costs. This is particularly true in regard to energy consumption. It not only cuts your utility costs but also makes it possible to cut down on the expenses of water, paper, waste disposal, and transportation.
But wait, it will majorly depend on the aspect of which company you operate. If you belong to a manufacturing unit, you find that it is easier to save with waste disposal plans. Remember, sometimes it can be difficult to alter the plans if the plant is handling multiple chemicals every day! In this manner, you may have restricted options to reduce costs with limited disposal plans.
On the other hand, if you own a restaurant, you may optimize the cost savings by effectively sourcing ingredients locally. This will not only help the environment but also increase your business efficiency. Undoubtedly, it is more efficient to get ingredients from the local market rather than choosing to break your head in placing orders and getting food deliveries from far-off places.
Opting for a green initiative can incur costs at first!
While you are thinking about the benefits of choosing green initiatives, there are also the cost aspects that must draw your attention! The simplest example is that take, for instance, you want to alter the energy resource for your business.
You can have the solar panels fitted to the right and appropriate prospect to deal with energy consumption matters. You will have to calculate the upfront cost to get an estimate for the installation of solar panels. You have to get them installed ad must ensure that they are working appropriately. Yes, it should not be cheap! Because in the long run, you will save more money than you invested for the installation. The energy bills of a company can actually be really interesting if you know how to cut the expenses!
Let’s take a look at some of the easiest ways you can expect to go green with your business – starting today.
Switch To PCW
Largely, becoming more environmentally friendly is a matter of There are many different kinds of waste, and it pays to learn about their differences so that you can reduce them more effectively. One of the best things you can do as a business is to switch to Post-Consumer Waste. This means choosing paper products and packaging which has been made out of recycled goods.
This eco-friendly alternative to normal paper can make a huge difference to what kind of an impact you are having on the plant. If you switch to PCW today, you should find that much less of your waste is actually going to landfill. This is one of the biggest challenges for businesses wanting to go green, so this is vital to get right.
Support Renewable Energies
Part of the problem is that many businesses inadvertently support the wrong energy supplies. As long as we are using non-renewable fuels, the whole system is unsustainable. It is much better to switch to renewable energy, as this is much more environmentally friendly. Options such as those discussed are often a much better way of getting the energy we need. If, as a business, you can support those options, then the impact you have on the planet will be greatly reduced.
If you are serious about wanting to go green, then you need to think outside of the box a little. There are so many ways in which you accidentally cause damage to the planet. To stop doing this, first, you need to be able to spot when you are doing it.
One of the common ways in which businesses accidentally waste energy is by forcing people to come into the office who don’t really need to. This is usually the result of simply following tradition more than anything else. Take a look at the people in your office, and see whether any of them could just as easily work from home. If that is the case, then you will save a lot in terms of travel and energy usage in the office.
Make green thinking a part of your company culture.
You should engage and make your employees understand the importance of the new vision of going green! For this, you can create efficiency goals and be inclusive in nature to celebrate your success.
The first thing that hits your mind for measuring your savings is to measure the output of the ideas that were fed as input for green initiatives. You have to plan the ideas effectively so that your employees whole-heartedly embrace the new goal!
Some of the common ways through which you can achieve this are listed below!
Save More with green initiatives for your business.
Change energy resources
Yes, it is clear that you won’t be saving 10 million kWh of energy as Sand Las Vegas corporation every year! But, undoubtedly, swapping the current energy resources with the LED lighting is worth the investment. You must know that LEDs consume far less energy and do not contain different toxic gases and mercury that is contained by fluorescent lights and incandescent. Not to be forgotten, you may find it pricey but would last five times longer than the conventional bulbs.
Elimination of plastic bottles can be a good idea!
What is that one thing that hits you while you hear that 32 million tons of plastic got generated in a nation in a single year! Yes, some of these plastics may be recycled, but how much can you recycle if the whole is large? Don’t you think it is an environmental burden!
How about installing a water filtration system in your workplace? Indeed, that is an amazing idea to maintain and limit the usage of plastic bottles for each of the employees. In this way, the green initiatives can eventually be the reason for better business growth.
Do business with green vendors!
Vendors like General Electric and Hewlett Packard are constantly upgrading on their sustainability guidelines. They follow it strictly so that the green initiative is delivered in a better approach! You can interview your vendors to find out their sustainability efforts. Whenever you see a printer, make it a habit to ask if it’s the recycled paper that is being used. Always look for the companies which use energy-efficient and clean manufacturing plants appropriately to greatly reduce their carbon footprint.
Hosting a fundraising event can be awesome!
Do you like the cause-driven programs? Let that sink in well- the fundraising events are great for a business image as well as improving public relations. Plus, it always feels good to support something far-reaching and meaningful. You should adopt a green cause and opt for doing fundraising events every year, if not in quarters.
You can find a list of conversion campaigns in which you can participate, right from planting trees to raising funds for environmental study scholarships, and the fundraising events are a great way to start with green initiatives.
2Rs- Recycle and Reuse!
How often are you willing to toss old papers and used plastics and glass products into the trash bin? Admit it, and it is very frequent, right! To have a functional approach for reducing the waste and recycling it to reuse, you can opt for the different community’s recycling program to successfully enlist the support of your team. You can also opt for purchasing recycled paper and plastic products, including ink cartridges, even if you want certain furniture; recycled products are here to save you!
Brand Recognition
What’s a big trend for your business recognition and brand value in the current world? It is GOING GREEN! Contextually, to make it simpler, you can effectively draw up your social responsibility statement that gets disseminate to your employees. Next is to post it on your website, and you are done with using that in your marketing!
Keep your marketing plans and crisp and clear in particular. Meanwhile, you can stress your dedication to green initiatives. The green initiatives can in themselves be solely responsible for attracting new customers. Th same marketing plan can also help you establish your image as a “business that cares” in the local community!
It is priceless, trust us! The Green Business Bureau reports that now the customers are looking specifically for environmentally conscious companies that define their culture! When you develop a reputation for your brand to initiate the right things and maintain that to the highest quality, you will automatically gain that status with potential clients.
Prove that you are eco-friendly and also a master of green initiatives!
While you saw, there are infinite benefits that get added for choosing green initiatives replacing the conventional ones, don’t let it all talk! After you choose the initiative, make it a habit to plan accordingly that yields good results. Get ISO 14001 certified as well as LEED-certified.
At last, going green rests completely on your efforts. But consider this- your competitors make it more obvious for you to choose them! There may be more regulations and sustainability aspects that would drive your interests, but at last, you have to be on it-always. It is never meant to fall behind the times.
Start with the green initiatives today, with plans that make sense to your company, and start reaping the benefits with the above-said tips!
