Have you been struggling to build a more sustainable business over the past year?
Do you feel your waste management strategies are having a negative impact on your company’s financial status?
News flash: You are not alone!
With the clarion call for going green already gaining traction, waste management has become increasingly important as far as business sustainability is concerned.
How you handle your waste and recycling needs can go a long way to determine your ability to build a more sustainable business this year.
Unfortunately, very few business owners and property managers understand how waste and recycling billing works. This means you might end up paying more for services that you do not even need.
Your waste hauler could be taking advantage of your lack of understanding by introducing additional hidden charges at the expense of your business.
Thankfully, Waste Control Inc has a great solution for this!
In this blog post, we discuss the most effective ways to become a more sustainable business this year. We also explore some of the ways Waste Control Inc can help you attain your sustainability goals, and avoid paying through the nose for waste and recycling services.
Here is a detailed outline of the measures you can put in place to promote a sustainable business:
- Make Sustainability a Core Principle
- Understand the Benefits of Sustainability
- Learn How Waste and Recycling Billing Works
- Understand the Waste Service Levels Your Business Needs
- Gather the Necessary Resources
- Start Small
- Involve Your Employees
- Create a Taskforce to Promote Sustainability
- Seek Out Accountability Partners
- Set Well-Researched Targets
- Measure the Success of Your Sustainability Strategies
- Offer Rewards for Good Performance
- Get Tips from Other Sustainable Businesses
- Change your Suppliers
- Enlist Waste and Cost Reduction Experts
So, what is sustainability in business?
Sustainability is an approach that prioritizes environmental principles in the day-to-day operations of a business. The goal of building a sustainable business is to preserve the environment for future generations by reducing your carbon footprint and embracing eco-friendly practices.
Here, we discuss some of the most effective ways you can make your business more sustainable in 2020 and beyond.
1. Make Sustainability a Core Principle (and reap the benefits)
The key to understanding the future is one word: sustainability. – Patrick Dixon
2021 is turning out to be a year of sustainability Yes! Going green has become an increasingly attractive business strategy with top companies, such as Google, Tesla Motors, Wal-Mart, and Honda, joining the sustainability movement.
According to a 2014 report, up to 55% of consumers are willing to pay more for products offered by eco-friendly businesses. So, it makes perfect sense to go green this year.
Having sustainability as the core principle of your business operations can improve your brand image and safeguard the future of your business.
You can accomplish this by educating your workforce on what sustainability means, and why it is important.
2. Understand the Benefits of Sustainability
Other than enhancing the reputation of your business, there are further benefits associated with building a more sustainable company. Understanding these benefits will make it easier for you to embrace practices that promote sustainability.
For instance, environmental protection and the reduction of waste management costs are some of the excellent advantages that sustainability has to offer.
3. Learn How Waste and Recycling Billing Works to Avoid Unnecessary Charges
If you intend to build a more sustainable business this year, you first need to learn the basics of sustainability.
The safe disposal of waste and recycling are all part of the measures you can take to build a sustainable business. Unfortunately, many business owners have yet to learn how waste and recycling billing works.
At this point, your best move would be to call in the experts. Waste control experts can help you read and understand your bills so that you can uncover the hidden charges, reduce administrative costs, and save more money.
4. Understand the Waste Service Levels Your Business Needs to Reduce the Bills
As you know, no business is the same when it comes to waste management. You need to understand the waste service levels your business needs to prioritize.
To make your work easier, identify all aspects of your business that need waste services, and implement the correct measures to promote sustainability.
For instance, if your staff use disposable utensils during corporate dinners, consider stocking the kitchen with washable ones for sustainability purposes. You can also upgrade your technology to consume less power while making operations more efficient.
With the right outline of the areas that need improvement, you can then identify ways to make those areas more sustainable.
5. Gather the Necessary Resources and Build a Sustainable Business Quicker than Expected
Like normal business operations, building a sustainable business requires considerable resources, ranging from finances to labor. The truth is that the necessary resources may require substantial initial cost, but the results will be sustainable and more cost-efficient.
Before you set off towards sustainability, allocate enough resources for every aspect.
For example, you can set aside some finances to train your workforce in sustainability, upgrade your equipment to more economical ones, and change some of your business operations.
6. Start Small For a Faster and Smoother Sustainability Process
Since the initial costs of sustainability may be high, you should consider running the program with the available resources.
For example, you can start with your office as you gradually move to other parts of your company.
Something as simple as asking your employees to carry a rubbish-free lunch can significantly promote sustainability.
It doesn’t matter how small your business is because sustainability suits both small and large companies, and the results are amazing for both.
7. Involve Your Employees to Ensure That Everyone is on the Same Page
Creating a sustainable business is impossible without the cooperation of your employees. It’s worth noting that employees do most of the hands-on work in a business, and having them as your foot soldiers for your sustainability program is a good idea.
With this in mind, you first need to introduce the idea to them and engage them about sustainability through forums, such as workshops and seminars.
Nevertheless, some employees can react negatively to change, especially if it comes abruptly. To make sure everyone is on board, educate your staff on the importance of sustainability and why they should support the cause.
Besides seminars and workshops, you can use practical ways to educate them, such as conducting a clean-up in a nearby park or mowing lawns on the business premises.
8. Create a Taskforce to Promote Sustainability
As much as all your employees and management team should actively participate in the sustainability programs, you need a specific team whose sole responsibility it is to promote sustainability in your company.
This is because some employees won’t have the zeal and passion to work towards sustainability.
To select the right taskforce, also known as a green team, identify the employees with a passion for protecting the environment and saving costs, and place them in charge of the sustainability programs.
The green team will be in charge of organizing events and creating awareness inside and outside the business premises, while encouraging others to go green.
9. Seek Out Accountability Partners to Keep You On Your Toes
While starting the pursuit for sustainability is easy, keeping it going amid challenges is the difficult part. This means that you may need some help to stay on course and not give up. That’s where the accountability partners come in handy.
An accountability partner could be your competitor or any other sustainable business. Moreover, you can stay accountable to your customers by publishing all the information needed on your website for transparency.
For example, you can include information about the materials you use for your products, your suppliers, your sustainable practices, and your show of commitment.
10. Set Well-Researched Targets to Reduce the Possibility of Failure
When starting a sustainability program, chances are that you don’t know much about it, and that you’ll need all the help you can get. This is where extensive research can be helpful.
Before you set a sustainability target, ensure that you conduct extensive research, and know what it takes to achieve it.
For example, you should find out how much money it will take to stock your business kitchen with reusable utensils, and how sustainable it will be.
To establish the right targets, you can consult other companies practicing sustainability or better still, find the right information from waste control experts.
11. Measure the Success of Your Sustainability Strategies
Researchers are still developing metrics that can measure sustainability. While it may be difficult to measure the sustainability performance of your business, you can use non-measurable metrics, such as customer feedback and business reputation.
You can also assess the performance of your social and environmental principles, check if your business overhead costs have reduced, if your employees are becoming healthier, or if the majority of your staff have gone green.
This will enable you to rate your position as a business, especially if you benchmark with other similar businesses.
Even so, make sure that you share the success, if any, with your employees, customers, and the general public. This will motivate you to continue pursuing sustainability.
12. Offer Rewards for Good Performance & See the Difference
As you probably know, attaining sustainability is not easy, especially when the resources are insufficient and the employees are uncooperative.
To encourage more people to join in the journey towards sustainability, consider giving rewards to employees who are committed to the cause.
For example, you can reward employees who use items made from recycled materials.
Also, whenever you meet a specific sustainability target, such as lowering the energy consumption by 15 percent, throw a party for all employees and management to celebrate.
These things will encourage even those who are not so passionate about sustainability to join in the race.
13. Learn and Get Tips from Other Sustainable Businesses without Paying a Dime
Any business that is ahead of you as far as sustainability is concerned should be your go-to mentor. Such businesses have gone through different challenges and come out strong. They have also made mistakes, which probably cost them a lot of time and money.
Since it makes more sense to learn from other people’s mistakes, consider asking for advice from an established sustainable company. This will allow your business to walk the sustainability path much more smoothly and avoid certain mistakes.
14. Change your Suppliers According to Your Sustainability Goals
If you want to go green completely, then you should only have sustainable associates for the sake of accountability and public reputation. This means you should review everything from your suppliers’ core values, employees’ practices, and the beliefs of your green team.
More specifically, ensure that your supply chain consists of companies that are pursuing sustainability, and that the public won’t accuse you of entertaining environmental degradation.
To promote a completely sustainable future, you will have to hold everyone around you accountable. For instance, what measures do your suppliers have in place to promote sustainability?
If your suppliers do not walk the same path as you, consider replacing them with those who are more interested in preserving the environment while saving costs.
15. Enlist Waste and Cost Reduction Experts & Save a Fortune
Sustainability encompasses a substantial area that requires expert knowledge for better decision-making. Although you may still achieve your sustainability goals working alone as a business, engaging professional consultants can help a great deal.
This is because sustainability experts have walked the path before, and they know what it takes to build a sustainable company with the available resources.
Besides, you may be aware of the right methods to dispose of your waste, but those methods could be costly. A waste and cost reduction expert will not only help you build a sustainable business, but will also save you waste and recycling costs.
So, What Can You Take Away From This?
Well, it is easy to see that building a more sustainable business is not a walk in the park. It requires patience, commitment, and excellence to achieve your sustainability goals.
Then again, you have to overcome various hurdles involving waste management and recycling. By enlisting the services of an expert, you can say goodbye to confusing billing problems and outrageous administrative costs.