Focusing on your small business’s sustainability isn’t just good for the environment — it can also benefit your bottom line. Thirty-two percent of consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable goods and 66% rank sustainability as one of their top five drivers behind a purchasing decision, according to the 2022 Sustainability Study from Simon-Kucher & Partners, a global consultancy firm.
You can make simple changes such as opening windows for light and ventilation or changing the time the power goes on and off. You can also remind employees to be mindful of their energy usage and encourage remote work, if possible. Some companies will analyze your energy usage and identify areas for improvement. Energy Hippo, for instance, offers software that collects billing and meter data to track utility usage and costs over time and location. With this data, you can determine the operational changes that will have the greatest impact on your energy consumption.2.
You should also think about the manufacturing process and end of life for your products, Lynch says. Are there ways you can improve a product’s design to make it more usable for the consumer? What happens when the consumer is done with the product — is it going to end up in a landfill, or are there options for recycling or remanufacturing?